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•  Keep  loose  pages  in  order. 

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instead  of  a  bookdrop. 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 
LIBRARY 

F 

74 

S6C4 


CARD 


HISTORY 


TOWN  OF  SHIRLEY, 


MASSACHUSETTS, 


FROM   ITS    EARLY   SETTLEMENT    TO 
A.  D.  1882. 


BY    SETH    CHANDLER. 


IN    THREE    PARTS. 


SHIRLEY,  MASS. 

PUBLISHED    BY   THE   AUTHOR. 

1S83. 


Press  of  Bi.ANCiiAKiJ  &  Bkow.n,  Fitfhliuig,  Mass. 


TO   THE   MEMORY 


EARLY    SETTLERS   OF   SHIRLEY, 


TO    THEIR 


WIDELY-SCATTERED    DESCENDANTS, 


/ 
THE    PRESENT   INHABITANTS    OF   THE   TOWN, 


'^l'il»  "^oEtntic- 


IS    RESPECTFULLY    INSCRIBED 


BY    THE    WRITER. 


S.S'lfO 


Vi 


COE^TEJMTS. 


Introduction 9-14 

PART   I. 

CHAPTER   I. 

Situation  and  Extent.  Boundaries.  Origin.  Petition  for  a  separation 
from  Groton.  Incorporation.  Name.  Additions  of  Territory.  First 
Town-Meeting 17-25 

CHAPTER   II. 
Soil  and  Productions.     Roads.     Rivers  and  Bridges 25-35 

CHAPTER   III. 

Mills.     Manufactories  and  Manufactures 35~64 

CHAPTER   IV. 
Schools.     Parker  School  Fund.     Libraries  and  College  Graduates.     .     .  65-98 

CHAPTER  V. 

Burying-Ground.  Training-Field.  New  Cemetery.  Hearses.  Town 
Tombs.     Record  of  Deaths 99-113 

CHAPTER.  VI. 

War  of  the  Revolution  and  its  precursors.     Shays'  Rebellion.     Wars 

of  1812,  and  of  the  Southern  Rebellion 1 13-140 

CHAPTER    VII. 

Almshouse.  New  County.  Post-Offices.  Stores.  Railroads.  Physi- 
cians      141-158 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

Town  Hall.  Legacy  of  Hon.  James.  P.  Whitney.  Donation  of  Thomas 
and  George  A.  Whitney.  Laying  the  Corner-Stone.  Proceedings  and 
Report  of  Building  Committee.  Dedication  of  the  Hall.  Village 
Hall.     Liberality  of  its  owner,  etc 15S-187 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Town  Officers.      Clerks.      Selectmen.      Treasurers.      Representatives. 

Senators.     Votes  for  Governor,  etc.,  etc.     ' 187-198 


VI  CONTENTS. 

PART   II. 

CHAPTER   I. 
Early  Ecclesiastical  Movements.      First    Meeting- House.      Candidates 
for    the    Ministry.     Settlement    of    Mr.  Whitney.     Formation    of    a 
Church.     Church  Covenants 201-219 

CHAPTER    II. 
Second  Meeting-House.     Events  of  Mr.  Whitney's  Ministry.    Enlarge- 
ment of  Meeting-House.     Settlement  of  a  Colleague 219-237 

CHAPTER   III. 
Ministry  and    Dismission  of   Mr.  Tolman.      Death   and    Character    of 

Mr.  Whitney 237-245 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Shaker  Society.     Brief  Sketch  of   the  Origin,  Progress  and    Faith    of 
the  Shakers  as  a  Sect.     History  of  the  Community  in  Shirley.     .      245-276 

CHAPTER   V. 
Universalist  Society.     Rise  of  Universalism.     Formation  of  a  Society. 
Meeting- Houses.     Ministers.     Church  and  Sunday-School.     Ladies' 
Aid  Society 277-288 

CHAPTER  VI. 
First  Congregationalist  Society.  Formation  of  the  First  Parish. 
Engagement  of  Mr.  Chandler.  His  Settlement.  Change  of  Hymn- 
Book.  New  Bell.  Sunday- School.  Ladies'  Benevolent  Society. 
Alteration  of  the  Meeting-House.  Legacy  of  Thomas  Whitney,  Esq. 
Legacy  of  Hon.  James  P.  Whitney.  Church  Organ.  Removal  of  the 
Meeting-House.  Other  alterations.  Benefactions  to  the  Society. 
Library,  etc 289-310 

CHAPTER   VIL 

Orthodox  Society.    Church  Organization.    Meeting- Houses.    Ministers. 

Miss  Jenny  Little.     Benefactions.     Sunday-School,  etc 311-327 

CHAPTER   VIH. 
Baptist    Church.      Organization.      Chapel.       Ministers.      Too    many 
churches  for  the   population.     Conclusion  of   Ecclesiastical  History. 
Moral  reflections 328-335 

PART   III. 

Genealogical   Register 337-693 

Appendix 695-723 

Addendum 723 

Index  of  Subjects — Parts  I.  and  II 725 

Index  of  Names — Parts  I.  and  II 729 

Index  of  Names  to  Part  III 731 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTEATION8. 


PORTRAITS. 

Rev.  Seth  Chandler, facing  title 

rufus  longley,  m.  d., 97 

Augustus  G.  Parker,  M.  D., 153 

Rev.  Phinehas  Whitney, 224 

Capt.  Zenas  Brown, 362 

Hon.  Samuel  Egerton, 402 

Suel  Hazen, 447 

Thomas  H.  Clark, 448 

Samuel  Hazen, 449 

Sylvanus  Holden,  lisQ., 463 

Dea.  Edmund  Holden, 476 

Oliver  La wton, 498 

Israel  Longley,  Esq., 525 

Artemas  Longley, 546 

Samuel  Putnam,  Esq., 549 

Asa  Longley, 550 

Mrs.  Lucy  H.  Goodrich, 551 

Mrs.  Samuel  Putnam, 552 

Hale  W.  Page,  Esq.,           570 

Mrs.  Bathsheba  Egerton, 643 

Mrs.  Harriet  Walker  Garfield, 650 

Elisha  Garfield,  Esq., 651 

VIEWS. 

Stable  and  Office  of  George  Davis,  Esq., 40 

Fredonia  Mill, 49 

Phcenix  Mill, 50 

Residence  of  Charles  A.  Edgarton, 64 

Entrance  to  the  New  Cemetery, 109 

Residence  and  Store  of  Samuel  Longley,  Esq.,     ....  147 

Town  Hall 176 

Shaker  Village, — Church  Family 245 

Universalist  Church, 282 

First  Congregational  Church 304 

Residence  of  Rev.  Seth  Chandler, 308 

Residence  of  Thomas  L.  Hazen, 450 

Residence  of  Joseph  Hazen, 451 

Residence  of  Mrs.  Sylvanus  Holden, 464 

Residence  of  the  late  S.  M.  Longley, 532 

Farm  Residence  of  Samuel  Longley,  Es(j., 547 

The  Whitney  Residence, 668 


INTRODUCTION. 


"Of  all  the  affections  of  man,  those  that  connect  him 
with  ancestry  are  among  the  most  natural  and  generous. 
They  enlarge  the  sphere  of  his  interests ;  multiply  his 
motives  to  virtue  ;  and  give  intensity  to  his  sense  of  duty 
to  generations  to  come,  by  the  perception  of  obligation  to 
those  that  are  past.  In  whatever  mode  of  existence  man 
finds  himself,  be  it  savage  or  civilized,  he  perceives  that 
he  is  indebted  for  the  far  greater  part  of  his  possessions 
and  enjoyments,  to  events  over  wiiich  he  had  no  control ; 
to  individuals  whose  names,  perhaps,  never  reached  his 
ear ;  to  sacrifices  in  which  he  never  shared  ;  and  to  suffer- 
ings, awakening  in  his  bosom  few  and  very  transient 
sympathies."* 

To  make  a  compilation  of  local  annals  is  a  humble 
employment ;  to  justly  review  the  occurrences  and  customs 
of  other  times  is  a  difficult  task ;  and  yet  it  is  the  way  by^ 
which  to  connect  the  present  with  the  past,  so  as  to  give 
the  existing  actor  an  opportunity  to  understand  his  obliga- 
tions to  those  who  shall  come  after  him,  by  his  indebted- 
ness to  those  who  have  gone  before  him. 

Such  a  review,  too,  is  calculated  to  awaken  gratitude, 
by  impressing  the  mind  with  the  progress — in  the  arts  and 
comforts  of  life — which  the  advancing  ages  of  civilization 


*Quincy's  Boston  Centennial  Address. 


10  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

have  made,  and  of  which  every  new  generation  becomes 
the  inheritor. 

Minute  local  events — which  are  not  of  sufficient  im- 
portance to  be  noticed  by  the  general  historian — are  the 
facts  upon  which  general  history  must  essentially  depend  ; 
as  one  has  said,  "they  are  the  mass  of  seeds  from  which 
the  spirit  of  his  narrative  should  be  laboriously  distilled." 
Besides,  it  is  a  successful  way  of  perpetuating  the  worthy 
deeds  of  men  who,  in  every  town  and  small  community, 
have  been  distinguished  for  their  usefulness,  enterprise 
and  valor,  yet  have  not  been  sufficiently  noted  to  obtain  a 
place  in  more  extended  histories. 

The  lives  of  useful  and  patriotic  men  are  none  the 
less  valuable,  for  the  comparatively  humble  walk  which 
they  have  pursued  on  earth  ;  for  it  is  the  deep  and  in- 
creasing respect  which  crowns  their  memories  that  is 
silently  and  surely  inspiring  the  masses  with  good  pur- 
poses, awakening  their  energy,  and  exciting  them  to 
generous  and  worthy  deeds.  The  events  of  a  man's  life, 
who  has  risen  to  any  degree  of  eminence  by  the  force  of 
his  own  genius  and  enterprise,  are  always  interesting  and 
instructive,  because  the}'  serve  as  a  light  and  guide  to 
others  whose  beginnings  may  be  equally  unpropitious. 
Daniel  Webster  has  said,  that  "nobler  records  of  patriot- 
ism exist  nowhere, — nowhere  can  there  be  found  higher 
proofs  of  the  spirit  that  was  ready  to  hazard  all,  to  pledge 
all,  to  sacritice  all,  in  the  cause  of  their  country, — than  in 
the  New-England  towns." 

Such  are  some  of  the  purposes  which  town  histories 
are  designed  to  secure  ;  and,  hence,  they  have  been  loudly 
demanded  and  largely  multiplied  within  the  last  few 
3'ears.  And,  humble  and  unpretentious  as  their  province 
is,  they  should  not  be  slightly  regarded,  so  important  are 
the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  them.  It  is  not,  how- 
ever, to  be  denied  that  great  difficulties  are  necessarily 
encountered  in  the  preparation  of  these  histories.  Many 
of  the  earlier  town  records  are  so  imperfect  and  illegible 
that  they  rather  perplex  than  enlighten  the  understandings 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

of  those  who  consuh  them.  Tradition  is  often  found  too 
vague  and  uncertain  for  confident  reliance,  and  the 
threads  by  which  the  lab3a"inth  of  events  may  be  traced 
are  often  broken,  or  irrecoverably  lost.  And,  owing  to 
the  necessarily  limited  circulation  of  works  of  this  char- 
acter, the  (Compiler  must  look  for  his  reward  m  the 
reflection  that  he  is  performing  an  act  of  justice  to  past 
generations,  and  one  of  usefulness  to  those  which  are  to 
come. 

Dr.  Johnson  has  said  that  "incident  is  the  life  of  biog- 
raphy ;"  it  is  no  less  the  life  of  history.  There  is,  how- 
ever, rarely  any  very  striking  incident  connected  with  our 
town  histories.  The  course  of  New  Englanders  has  been 
generally  even,  quiet,  unambitious — their  progress  gradual 
and  certain.  The  perils  attending  the  colonization  and 
settlement  of  our  countr}^  were  not  realized,  to  their  full 
extent,  in  the  inland  towns.  The  soil  of  many  of  them 
was  never  stained  with  the  blood  of  Indian  warfare  ;  and 
though  the  majority  of  them  were  connected,  in  some 
measure,  with  the  events  of  the  American  revolution,  the 
perils  of  that  revolution  were  confined  to  a  few  years,  and 
were  borne  with  fortitude  under  the  comforting  hope  of 
ultimate  success.  Their  history  must,  therefore,  be 
mainly  filled  with  commonplace  events,  which  have  been 
enacted,  from  year  to  year,  with  trifling  variation. 
Indeed,  with  few  exceptions,  it  may  be  said  of  the  most  of 
our  inland  towns,  that  they  have  but  one  history  ; — similar 
trials,  efforts,  discouragements  and  hopes,  having  attended 
the  settlement  and  growth  of  them  all. 

The  labor  attending  such  a  compilation,  and  the 
benefits  to  be  derived  from  its  publication,  at  best,  can  en- 
sure for  it  but  a  limited  circulation  and  a  temporary 
interest.  When  the  antiquarian  and  the  historian  shall 
have  noted  its  salient  points,  and  when  the  descendants  of 
that  ancestry  whose  names  and  deeds  it  records — and  of 
whom  little  is  known,  except  .what  has  come  through 
the  uncertain  channel  of  tradition — shall  have  devoured 
its  contents,  its  only  place,  if  not  consigned    to    the    fate 


12  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

"of  things  lost  on  earth,"  will  be  to  sleep  in  a  dusty  niche 
of  the  public  or  family  library,  there  to  lie — "unknowing 
and  unknown,"  like  the  men  whose  deeds  it  records — 
among  things  forgotten  on  earth.  But  notwithstanding 
the  doom  that  awaits  this  class  of  publications,  such  are 
the  immediate  advantages  to  be  derived  froiti  them,  that 
everv  New-England  town  will  eventually  have  its  histo- 
rian and  its  w^-itten  history. 

The  plan  pursued  by  different  authors,  in  the 
arrangement  of  their  compilations,  has  varied  with  their 
varying  tastes.  Some  have  strictly  adhered  to  chro- 
nology, giving  each  event  its  place  in  the  order  of  its 
time ;  others  have  separated  and  mingled  dates,  so  as  to 
unite  kindred  circumstances.  Some  have  filled  the  pages 
of  their  text  with  literal  transcripts  from  town  records, 
giving  explanations  in  marginal  notes ;  others  have 
abridged  and  transposed  the  language  of  original  records, 
supplied  defects,  and  thus  presented  the  facts  of  history 
in  their  own  language. 

The  method  of  mingling  dates  to  connect  kindred 
events,  and  of  transposing  the  language  and  condensing 
its  facts  as  they  appear  in  the  common  record,  seems  to 
combine  the  advantages  of  all,  renders  the  work  more 
interesting  to  the  reader,  and  more  convenient  for  refer- 
ence. 

Such  is  the  method  mainly  adopted  in  this  history. 
Occasionally  a  chain  of  events  has  been  broken  to  secure 
a  connection  of  dates,  and  important  records  have  been 
literally  transcribed,  accompanied  by  suitable  comments  ; 
but  this  will  be  found  the  exception  and  not  the  rule.  To 
prevent  confusion  by  the  intermingling  of  dissimilar  cir- 
cumstances, the  history  has  been  divided  into  three  parts  ; 
under  one  or  another  of  which  all  secular  and  all  eccle- 
siastical events  worthy  of  note, — and  all  genealogical  items, 
and  biographical  notices  of  the  early  settlers  and  their 
descendants,  that  could  be  collected, — have  been  embodied 
and  presented  in  as  succinct  and  readable  form  as  could 
well  be  adopted. 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

It  is  the  sincere  hope  of  the  compiler  that  his  humble 
undertaking  may  remain,  for  a  time,  among  the  thousands 
of  similar  landmarks,  at  which  the  future  traveller  may 
pause  to  contemplate  the  trials,  privations,  and  moral 
energy  of  a  people — and  their  immediate  descendants — 
who  left  homes  of  plenty,  that,  in  a  wilderness  they  might 
enjoy,  and  transmit  to  posterit}',  the  noble  privileges  of 
civil  and  religious  liberty. 

Most  of  the  materials  of  this  history  had  been  col- 
lected previous  to  the  year  1848 ;  at  which  time  Mr. 
Butler,  having  completed  his  History  of  Groton,  and 
wishing  to  append  to  it  a  brief  sketch  of  Shirley,  obtained 
the  loan  of  the  author's  papers  for  that  purpose.  *  It  was 
the  intention  of  the  respected  author  of  the  Groton  history 
to  acknowledge  the  use  he  made  of  these  papers,  in  a  note 
prefixed  to  the  sketch  alluded  to  ;  but  this  was  omitted  by 
the  printer, — whereupon,  Mr.  Butler  prepared  the  tbllow- 
ing  for  insertion  in  this  place,  should  the  compiler  of  the 
Shirley  history  deem  it  advisable  : — 

"Rev.   Seth  Chandler: 

By  accident,  the  note  I  prepared  to  be  inserted 
in  the  History  of  Groton, — acknowledi^ing  the  use  I 
made  of  your  manuscript  in  the  preparation  of  that 
part  relating  to  Shirley, — was  not  printed.  Should  you 
publish  your  account  of  Shirley,  you. are  at  liberty  to 
make  such  use  of  this  note  as  you  may  please,  to  show 
that  I  have  been  indebted  to  you,  and  not  you  to  me, 
for  the  many  things  which  may  be  common  to  both  publi- 
cations. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

Caleb  Butler. 

Groton,  x\pril,  1848." 

The  sources  of  all  quotations  made,  the  reader  will 
tmd  duly  acknowledged  ;  and  no  assertion  has  been  haz- 
arded without  good  authority  as  to  its  accuracy,  especially 


14  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY.  ■ 

when  it  has  come  through  the  uncertain  channel  of  tra- 
dition. 

The  compiler  would  respectfully  acknowledge  the 
assistance  and  encouragement  he  has  received  from 
friends,  too  numerous  to  be  individually  designated.  He 
regards  them,  one  and  all,  as  entitled  to  his  sincere 
thanks  for  their  courtesy,  and  hopes  they  will  accept  this 
recognition  of  their  kindness,  though  oflered  in  a  general 
form.  The  compilation  was  attempted  at  the  suggestion 
of  an  esteemed  friend,  and  native  of  Shirley,  Mr.  George 
A.  Whitney  of  Boston  ;-  and  but  for  the  death  of  that  esti- 
mable man,  would  have  been  given  to  the  world  many 
years  sitice. 

To  the  citizens  of  Shirley  the  volume  is  with  diffidence 
submitted.  The  compiler  lays  no  special  claim  to  the 
qualifications  which  such  an  undertaking  would  seem  to 
require.  He  has  related,  in  a  manner  as  simple  and  intel- 
ligible as  he  could  command,  the  facts  deemed  most 
worthy  of  preservation  in  the  history  of  their  ancestors. 
To  them  then,  if  not  to  the  general  reader,  he  hopes  that 
his  labors  will  present  something  of  interest,  instruction 
and  amusement. 


PART  I. 


CIVIL    HISTORY. 


CIVIL  HISTORY. 


/  CHAPTER   I. 

Situation  and  extent — Boundaries — Origin — Petition  for 
a  separation  from  Groton — Incorporation — JSfanie — 
Additions  of  territory — First  town-meeting. 

Shirley  is  situated  in  the  northwesterly  part  of  Mid- 
dlesex County.  It  is  thirty-eight  miles  northwest  from 
Boston,  the  capital  of  the  state.  It  is  thirty  miles  in  the 
same  direction  from  Cambridge,  and  twenty  miles  south- 
west from  Lowell,  the  two  shire-towns  of  the  county. 

The  town  is  of  irregular  form,  being  seven  and 
one-half  miles  in  extent  between  its  extreme  north  and 
south  points,  and  but  four  miles  broad  at  its  greatest 
width.  It  contains  nearly  ten  thousand  five  hundred  and 
twenty-five  acres,  or  about  sixteen  and  one-half  square 
miles,  according  to  the  survey  made  by  Caleb  Butler 
in  1832. 

It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Groton,  on  the  east  by 
Groton  and  Harvard,  (from  which  towns  it  is  separated 
by  the  Nashua  and  Squannacook  rivers,  which  unite  on 
its  eastern  boundary)  ;  on  the  south  by  Lancaster,  and  on 
the  west  by  Lunenburg  and  Townsend.  Harvard,  Lan- 
caster and  Lunenburg  are  in  the  county  of  Worcester. 

8 


18  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Shirley  was  originally  a  part  of  Groton,  which  in- 
cluded a  large  territory  granted  to  Dean  Winthrop,  son 
of  Gov.  Winthrop,  with  several  others,  by  an  act  of  "the 
General  court  held  at  Boston  the  23d  day  of  the  5th  month, 
1655."  Its  location  is  so  far  from  the  center  of  the  above- 
named  territory — the  settlement  of  which  at  first  pro- 
gressed very  slowly,  owing  to  Indian  depredations,  and  to 
a  sparseness  of  settlers — that  it  remained  an  unbroken 
wilderness  for  more  than  sixty  years  after  the  grant  of  the 
territory  of  Groton,  and  until  all  the  settlements  of  the 
nei"-hborinir  districts  had  successfully  commenced.  Dur- 
ino-  this  period  the  Indian  wars  of  Massachusetts  had 
been  waged,  carried  on  and  concluded,  and  enter- 
prising settlers  were  encouraged  to  penetrate  and  occupy 
those  hitherto  wild  lands  which  were  to  be  the  future 
homes  of  themselves  and  their  children,  without  the  pro- 
tection of  garrisoned  houses,  and  with  no  fear  of  surprise 
from  the  nocturnal  visits  of  the  revengeful  aborigines  of 
the  soil. 

The  precise  time  of  the  first  settlement  in  Shn-ley 
cannot  now  be  ascertained,  but  it  is  supposed  to  have  been 
about  the  year  1720.  The  farms  first  occupied  were  those 
on  the  Squannacook  river,  and  along  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  town.  The  second  framed  house  was 
erected  two  miles  from  what  is  now  "Shirley  Centre,"  at 
the  corner  formed  by  a  union  of  the  roads  leading  from 
Shirley  and  Lunenburg  to  Groton.  The  population  had, 
however,  become  sufficiently  numerous,  as  early  as  i747' 
to  realize  the  need  of  a  distinct  town  organization,  and 
those  who  most  fully  recognized  this  need  united  in  for- 
warding a  petition  to  the  parent  town  praying  for  an  early 
separation.  The  following,  taken  from  the  town  records 
of  Groton,  is  a  copy  of  that 

PETITION. 

"To  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Groton,  assembled 
in  town  meeting  on  the  first  day  of  March,  1747- 

The  petition  of  us  the  subscribers,  being  all  inhab- 
itants of  the  town   of  Groton,  aforesaid,  humbly   showeth. 


CIVIL    HISTORY. 


19 


that  your  petitioners  all  live  in  the  extreme  parts  of  the 
town,  and  by  that  means  are  incapacitated  to  attend 
public  worship  constantly,  either  ourselves  or  families ; 
and  being  sensible  that  our  being  set  oft'  in  order  for  a 
precinct  will  be  of  great  service  to  us,  we  desire  that  we 
may  be  set  oft'  by  the  bounds  following,  viz.,  beginning 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Squannacook  river,  and  so  run  up 
said  river  till  it  comes  to  Townsend  line,  and  then  by 
Townsend  and  Lunenburg  lines  till  it  cometh  to  Groton 
southwest  corner,  and  so  by  the  south  line  in  said  town 
until  it  cometh  to  Lancaster  (Nashua)  river,  and  then  run 
down  said  river  till  it  cometh  to  Harvard  corner,  and  then 
about  a  mile  on  Harvard  north  line,  then  turn  to  the  north 
and  run  to  the  waste  brook  in  Coicors  (Canicus  or  Nona- 
cancus)  farm,  where  people  generally  pass  over,  and  from 
thence  to  the  mouth  of  Squannacook  river,  where  we  first 
began  ;  and  your  petitioners  as  bound  in  duty  shall  ever 
pray,  &c. 


John  Whitney, 
John  Williams, 
David  Gould, 
John  Kelsey, 
Phinehas  Burt, 
Joseph  Wilson, 
Thomas  Laughton, 
James  Patterson, 
Jonathan  Gould, 
Robert  Henry, 
John  Williams  Jr., 
Jacob  Williams, 
William  Far  well, 
Jonas  Longley, 
Oliver  Farwell, 
Isaac  Holden, 
Jarathmael  Powers, 


Philemon  Holden, 
Stephen  Holden  Jr., 
William  Simonds, 
William  Preston, 
William  Williams, 
Henry  Farw^ell, 
Isaiah  Farwell, 
John  Russell, 
James  Park, 
Daniel  Page, 
Joseph  Dodge, 
Moses  Bennett  Jr., 
Caleb  Bartlett, 
Francis  Harris, 
Caleb  Holden, 
Hezekiah  Sawtell. 
32  signers. 


"The  above  petition  was  read  at  the  anniversary  meet- 
ing   in  Groton,   March    i,    1747,    and   the   prayer  thereof 


20  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

granted,  except  the  land  on  the  easterly  side  of  Lancaster 
(Nashua)  river,  and  recorded. 

Thomas  Tarbell,  Town  Clerk.'"' 

It  is  probable  that  the  signers  of  the  petition  for  a 
separate  town  constituted  a  majority  of  the  voters  within 
its  proposed  limits,  when  the  petition  was  presented,  and 
yet  it  is  certain  that  some  of  the  first  families  are  not  rep- 
resented. Whether  they  considered  the  project  premature, 
or  had  other  motives  for  not  sustaining  the  movement,  can- 
not now  be  known. 

Although,  as  appears  from  the  action  of  the  town,  no 
opposition  was  made  to  this  movement  of  the  peti- 
tioners, yet  it  was  almost  six  years  before  their  plan  of 
organization  was  carried  into  effect.  Whether  this  delay 
was  occasioned  by  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  minority 
interested  in  the  proposed  change,  by  legislative  refusal, 
or  by  indolence  and  inefficiency  in  the  leaders  of  the 
movement,  no  record  or  tradition  remains  to  inform  us. 
Whatever  the  cause,  it  must  have  been  a  discouraging 
delay  to  those  who  were  seeking  to  remove  the  incon- 
veniences which  they  w^ere  forced  daily  to  encounter  from 
their  location  in  a  remote  and  comparatively  inaccessible 
corner  of  the  district. 

At  the  January  session  of  the  ''  General  Court,"  in  the 
year  1753,  an  act  of  incorporation  was  passed  and 
approved,  whereby  the  territory  became  a  district  and 
received  the  name  of  Shirley.,  in  honor  of  William 
Shirley,  who  was  then  Governor  of  Massachusetts 
Colony.* 

By  a  subsequent  act  of  the  Legislature,  in  the  3'ear 
1786,  all  districts  which  had  been  incorporated  previous  to 
the  year  1777  were  made  towns.  In  this  change  Shirley 
was  included. 

B}^  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  1765,  a  strip  of  land 
on  the  south   boundary  of  Shirle}',  lying  between  Shirley 


*See  Appendix  A. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  21 

and  Lancaster, — "being  a  territory  of  about  two  hundred 
rods  in  breadth,  and  extending  in  length  one  mile,  from 
Lunenburg  line  to  Nashua  river — was  annexed  to  Shirley."' 
This  piece  of  territory  has  usually  been  denominated 
Stow  Leg.* 

By  still  another  legislative  act,  passed  in  1798,  the 
farms  of  Moody  Chase,  Samuel  Chase  and  Simon  Daby 
or  Darby — forming  a  territory  of  irregular  shape,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  Nashua  river — were  set  off  from  Groton 
and  annexed  to  Shirle}^  The  territory  as  described  in 
the  petition  for  a  separation  from  Groton,  together  with 
these  two  annexations,  constituted  the  town  of  Shirley 
until  the  year  1871,  when  the  last-mentioned  addition  was 
severed  from  Shirley  and  united  with  the  territory  which 
now  constitutes  the  town  of  Ayer. 

Such  are  the  territorial  changes  through  which 
Shirley  has  passed  since  it  became  an  independent  mimici- 
pality  ;  but  such  are  its  present  geographical  relations  to 
other  towns  that  no  further  alterations  need  be  expected,  f 

What  the  population  of  the  town  was  at  the  time  of 
its  incorporation  cannot  now  be  ascertained  ;  but  the  fol- 
lowing table  will  show  its  increase  and  decrease  from  the 
first  census  year  after  its  organization,  down  to  the  last 
census,  that  of  1880  : 

In  1765 — 430  inhabitants.       In  1840 —  957  inhabitants. 

''  1776 — 704  "  "  1850 — 1158  " 

"  1790 — 677  "  "  i860 — 1468  " 

"  1800 — 713  "  "  1865 — 1217  " 

"  1810 — 814  "  "  1870 — 1451  " 

"  1820 — 922  "  "  1875 — 1352  " 

"  1830 — 991  "  "  1880 — 1366  " 

Thus  it  appears  that  the  increase  of  population  for 
nearly  one  hundred  years,  though  gradual,  was  compara- 
tively small.       The  loss  of  territory  by  the  incorporation 


*See  Appendix  B.      tSee  Appendix  C. 


22  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

of  Ayer  101871  diminished  the  number  of  inhabitants, — 
and  this  town,  in  common  with  other  farming  districts,  has 
been  continually  drained  of  its  young  men  who  remove 
to  cities  and  large  towns,  preferring  these  more  exciting 
fields  of  enterprise  to  the  quiet,  though  manly  and  digni- 
fied pursuits,  which  the  country  affords. 

There  may  appear  but  little  hope  of  much  greater 
immediate  increase  ;  and  yet  it  is  certain  that  the  water 
facilities  of  the  town  are  not  all  under  improvement,  and 
the  soil  too,  if  properly  cultivated,  is  capable  of  double  its 
present  amount  of  production.  The  location  is  such  as 
to  promote  health  and  favor  long  life,  and  such  as  to  in- 
vite country  artisans  and  men  of  comparative  leisure  to 
make  it  their  place  of  residence. 

As  the  early  proceedings  of  a  newly  organized 
branch  of  the  body  politic  are  interesting  to  the  descend- 
ants of  the  actors,  the  records  of  the  first  town-meeting 
are  here  inserted  entire. 

The  warrant  for  calling  the  meeting  : — 

''Middlesex,  ss.  To  Nathaniel  Harris,  in  Shirley,  in 
the  district  of  Groton,  in  said  County  of  Middlesex. 
Greeting.  By  virtue  of  the  power  and  authority  given  to 
me,  the  subscriber,  by  an  act  of  the  Great  and  General 
Court  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  in  New  England,  for  divid- 
ing the  Town  of  Groton,  and  making  a  District  by  the 
name  of  Shirley,  to  call  the  first  meeting  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  said  district.  You  are  hereby  required  in  his 
Majesty's  name,  to  warn  and  give  notice  to  all  free  holders 
and  other  inhabitants,  qualified  b}'  law  to  vote  in  Town, 
District  and  Parish  meeting's,  to  assemble  and  meet  at 
Mr.  John  Whitney's,  in  said  Shirley,  on  the  First  day  of 
March,  next,  at  nine  of  the  clock  in  the  Forenoon. 

First  to  choose  a  moderator  to  manage  said  meeting. 

2'^  To  chuse  all  such  ofiicers  for  said  district  as 
other  towns  by  law  are  enjoyned  to  chuse  at  their  annual 
meetintr- 


civ.il  history.  23 

3'-''  To  conclude  where  the  next  district  meeting 
shall  be  held,  and  make  due  return  of  your  doings, 
herein,  to  myself,  at  or  before  nine  of  the  clock  of  the 
above  said  day.  Given  under  m}-  hand  and  seal  at 
Shirle}'  this  ninth  da}"  of  February,  A.  D.  1753,  in  the 
26th  year  of  his  Majesty's  reign. 

John  Whitney." 

The  proceedings  of  the  meeting  : — 

"At  a  legal  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  Shirley,  so 
called,  begun  and  holden  at  the  house  of  Mr.  John  Whit- 
ney, on  the  first  dav  of  March,  1752. 

Mr.  Jonathan  Biglovv  was  chosen  Moderator  for  said 
meeting.     Joseph  Longley,  was  chosen  Town  Clerk. 

Joseph    Longley, 

Samuel  Hazen, 

Nathaniel   Harris,     )  Selectmen. 

John  Whitney, 

William  Simonds, 

Voted,  that  the  selectmen  serve  as  assessors  for  the 
year  ensuing.  Jonas  Longley  was  then  chosen  Town 
Treasurer  for  said  district. 

Stephen  Holden  was  chosen  Constable. 

Chose  Samuel  Hazen,  ^ 

Seth  Walker,  >  Highway  Surveyors. 

Hezekiah  Sawtel,     ) 

Chose  Robert  Henry,  ?  rp.  ^1  • 

A  T-T  ij  (■  1  vthmg  men. 

Amos   Holden,  5      " 

Jonas  Longley,  Sealer  of  Weights  and  Measures. 

And  Stephen  Holden  was  chosen  Sealer  of  Leather. 

Chose  Philemon  Holden,    )  -r^  ,t. 

J  T  -p,  ^^  >-rence  Viewers, 

and  James -Patterson,        ) 

Chose  Nathaniel  Harris,     > -r^-  ,-,   t^  . 

J  c  1  -vir  11  >rield   Drivers, 

and  Samuel  Walker,        5 

Robert  Heniy  was  chosen  to  take  care  of  the  swine. 

Chose  Hezekiah  Sawtel,     ?  t-i         t:» 

J  r-i  1  u  TJT  u  >  Dear  Reaves, 

and  Caleb  Holden,  ) 

John  Whitney  was  chosen  Surveyor  of  Lumber. 


24  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Nathan  Smith  was  chosen  Pound  Keeper. 
Voted,  that  the  next  district  meeting  be   held  at  the 
house  of  Jonathan  Moore." 

In  the  above  account  both  the  arrangement  and 
orthography  have  been  mainly  retained. 

The  house  of  Mr.  John  Whitney — where  the  first 
town  meeting  convened — was  subsequently  purchased  by 
the  town  for  a  "work  and  almshouse."  By  this  purchase 
it  was  expected  that  the  building  appropriated  to  the  first 
public  business  in  the  town  would  be  permanently  devoted 
to  a  public  use  ;  but,  unfortunately,  after  a  trial  of  some 
ten  years,  the  town  voted  to  dispose  of  the  property,  and 
it  was  again  assigned  to  private  purposes.  The  poor  were 
thus  left  without  an  asylum,  to  the  great  regret  of  a  large 
minority  of  the  voters. 

By  the  organization  of  the  district  its  inhabitants, 
amounting  in  number,  probably,  to  between  three  and  four 
hundred,  were  liberated  from  a  portion  of  the  trials  to 
which  they  had  been  long  subjected.  With  very  great 
inconvenience  had  they  experienced  the  civil,  social  and 
religious  privileges  of  incorporated  communities.  They 
had  been  compelled  to  travel  from  five  to  ten  miles  over 
unbeaten  roads  to  attend  town  and  religious  meetings,  to 
find  a  common  school  for  the  instruction  of  their  children, 
and  a  place  of  burial  for  their  dead.  A  portion  of  these 
privileges  they  could  not  have  dispensed  with  if  they 
would  ;  others  of  them  they  would  not  have  dispensed  with 
if  they  could.  Their  puritan  ancestry  had  set  up  the 
school  and  the  church,  and  they  felt  the  need  of  both  to 
sustain  that  liberty,  to  enjoy  which  they  had  taken  up 
their  abode  in  a  wilderness.  The  mantle  of  this  worthy 
parentage  had  fallen  upon  their  New-England  descend- 
ants, who  had  an  inherent  love  for  the  sabbath  and 
reverence  for  the  sanctuary.  They  accordingly  cheerfully 
submitted  to  the  great  inconvenience  just  stated,  of 
attending  public  worship,  until  they  should  be  sufficiently 
numerous  to  bring  about  the  change  now  so  happily 
effected. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  25 

Their  trials,  however,  were  not  ended  but  only 
varied.  They  were  equally  great,  though  more  endurable 
than  they  had  been.  They  must  now  be  subjected  to 
the  labor  and  expense  of  erecting  a  meeting-house  and 
school-houses ;  of  supporting  a  minister  and  teachers ; 
which,  for  people  in  their  straitened  circumstances,  re- 
quired great  energy  and  self-sacrifice.  Yet  their  venera- 
tion for  God,  and  their  love  for  the  rising  generation, 
impelled  the  effort,  and  assisted  them  to  transmit  to  pos- 
terity, unimpaired,  those  institutions  which  they  had 
received,  a  glorious  legacy  from  their  fathers. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Soil  and  Productions — Roads — Rivers  and  Bridges, 

Shirley  is  favorably  located  for  the  health  of  its 
inhabitants.  It  is  situated  about  fifteen  miles  from  the 
southern  boundary  of  New  Hampshire,  in  full  view  of  the 
lofty  hills  that  range  along  that  part  of  the  Granite 
State,  whose  refreshing  breezes  are  an  antidote  to  the 
fogs  and  unhealthy  exhalations  that  arise  from  the  low 
grounds  and  rivers  by  which  the  town  is  partially  inter- 
sected and  bounded. 

The  soil  presents  an  undulated  surface,  and  rises  in 
some  parts  to  considerable  elevations,  giving  agreeable 
and  healthy  locations  to  settlements,  furnishing  a  genial 
atmosphere  for  respiration,  and  presenting  the  eye  with 
prospects  of  variegated  richness  and  beauty.  The  hills 
are,  however,  of  such  gentle  declivity  as  to  render  the 
surface  favorable  for  the  construction  of  roads,  the  loca- 
tion of  farms,  and  the  cultivation  of  the  soil. 

4 


2^  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

The  soil  itself  presents  considerable  variety.  In 
certain  parts  of  the  town,  particularly  in  the  valley  of 
Mulpus  brook,  are  tracts  of  low  swampy  land,  that  natu- 
rally yield  a  coarse,  unpalatable  grass,  of  little  value  as 
fodder,  and  which  if  left  without  cultivation  become  cov- 
ered with  a  low  brush-wood  jungle  that  precludes  the 
growth  of  useful  vegetation.  But  when  these  swamps  are 
cleared,  drained  and  cultivated,  they  become  prolific  of 
valuable  hay  and  other  useful  produce.  Their  surface  is 
composed  of  thick  beds  of  peat,  which  has  been  found 
on  trial  to  make  excellent  fuel.  If,  then,  the  forests 
shall  disappear,  as  one  of  the  innovations  of  the  times 
— of  which  there  is  too  much  probability — a  substitute 
for  wood  may  be  obtained  from  the  meadows. 

There  are  upon  the  rivers  large  tracts  of  intervale 
land,  that  are  usually  overrun  with  water  in  the  spring, 
and  sometimes  in  autumn.  These  overflowings  leave  be- 
hind an  annual  tribute  of  sediment,  by  which  the  soil  is 
rendered  highly  productive.  Their  crops  are,  however, 
exposed  to  unseasonable  frosts  and  floods,  by  which  they 
are  liable  to  great  injury,  if  not  to  total  destruction.  In 
favorable  years,  under  the  hand  of  skilful  cultivation, 
these  lands — easily  tilled — yield  large  harvests  of  grass 
and  grain,  but  are  especially  fitted  to  the  growing  of  hops. 

Within  the  town  there  are  many  acres  of  light,  sandy 
soil,  which  will  remunerate  a  fresh  cultivation  for  one  or 
two  years,  but  which  will  not  repay  a  continued  tilth. 
When  left,  however,  in  a  state  of  rest,  it  will  gradually 
come  into  the  production  of  pine  trees — a  wood  that 
will  not  so  well  flourish  on  a  richer  soil — and  if  cultivated 
with  the  seed  of  pine  will  rapidly  spread  into  a  glowing- 
forest.  The  casual  observer  might  call  these  lands  profit- 
less ;  but  the  conviction  of  the  faithtul  experimenter  is  that 
their  products  are  among  the  most  valuable  that  nature 
affords.  With  proper  fertilizers  a  portion  of  sandy  soil 
may,  with  advantage,  be  kept  under  tillage.  And  even 
whole  farms  of  this  description,  with  a  plentiful  supply  of 
swamp  muck  at  hand,  have  been  made  highly  productive. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  27 

There  is  still  another  variety  of  soil,  more  valuable 
than  either  described,  which  characterizes  many  of  the 
farms  within  the  town.  Its  natural  productions  are  oak, 
w^alnut,  chestnut,  birch  and  maple  timber ;  and  its  culti- 
vated produce  consists  of  the  cereals,  including  Indian 
corn,  the  esculent  roots,  and  the  various  kinds  of  fruit- 
trees  that  thrive  under  a  northern  temperature.  It  is, 
however,  still  better  adapted  to  grazing  purposes  and  to 
the  production  of  hay.  This  soil  is  filled  with  that  species 
of  stone  called  by  geologists  argillaceous  slate,  but  of 
too  coarse  a  quality  either  for  building  or  other  mechanical 
purposes.  "The  range  of  this  slate  commences  in  Boyls- 
ton,  and  runs  through  Lancaster,  Harvard,  Shirley  and 
Pepperell.  It  is  associated  with  the  peculiar  mica  slate 
that  contains  the  Worcester  coal."*  In  Lancaster  this 
slate  has  been  found  fit  for  roofing  buildings,  and  has 
been  quarried  to  some  extent  for  this  purpose.  In  Har- 
vard it  has  been  wrought  into  cemetery  monuments,  into 
chimney  ornaments,  and  into  flagging  stones.  Its  use, 
however,  for  these  purposes  has  greatly  diminished,  since 
the  discovery  of  other  and  better  adapted  materials. 

The  farms  of  Shirley  are  not  under  so  high  a  state  of 
cultivation  as  they  should  be,  nor  have  their  owners 
entered  into  the  modern  improvements  of  experimental 
tillage  as  much  as  might  be  profitable ;  and,  yet,  their 
success  will  bear  a  fair  comparison  with  that  of  agri- 
culturists of  neighboring  towns.  Though  there  is  not  a 
sufficiency  of  agricultural  products  within  the  town  to 
meet  the  demands  of  its  inhabitants,  this  is  partly  owing 
to  the  attention  that  is  given  to  the  cultivation  of  hops. 
This  product,  in  some  3'ears,  has  amounted  to  fifty  thous- 
and pounds.  Its  cultivation  was  commenced  about  1825, 
and  has  been  continued,  with  varied  success,  unto  the 
present  time  (1872).  Less  encouragement  has  been 
given  to  its  cultivation  during  a  few  of  the  last  years,  than 
at  a  former  period,  yet  it   promises  to  hold   a   respectable 


*Hitchcock's  State  Geological  Report,   1833,  page  34. 


28  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

place  among  the  products  of  the  soil  for  all  coming  time. 
It  goes  to  a  foreign  market,  is  disposed  of  in  the  mass  for 
ready  money,  and  has  thus  been  made  a  source  of  consid- 
erable profit  to  the  cultivator. 

Since  farmers  have  been  able  to  avail  themselves  of 
railroad  transportation  they  have  sent  their  milk  to  Boston, 
for  sale,  rather  than  convert  it  into  butter  and  cheese  at 
home.  They  have  been  encouraged,  by  this  traffic,  to 
increase  their  dairies  from  time  to  time,  and  keep  stock 
for  milking  purposes  during  both  parts  of  the  year. 
According  to  the  statement  of  the  contractor,  the  average 
amount  of  milk  sent  from  Shirley,  for  the  six  years  pre- 
vious to  1852,  was  33,601  gallons  per  annum.  At  the 
present  time  (1872)  it  amounts  to  80,000  gallons  per 
annum.  The  present  average  monthly  income  to  the 
town  for  the  milk  transported  to  Boston  market  cannot  be 
less  than  $1200.  The  noble  dairies  of  the  town  cannot  be 
devoted  to  a  more  protitable  use,  especially  when  the  great 
saving  of  kitchen  labor  is  considered.  As  our  neighbor- 
ing cities  and  large  towns  shall  increase,  a  corresponding 
encouragement  will  be  given  to  this  branch  of  agricul- 
.tural  pursuit. 

In  a  southern  section  of  the  town,  horticulture  has 
engaged  a  large  attention,  and  immense  quantities  ot 
irarden  seeds  have  been  raised  and  annually  scattered  over 
the  eastern  states.  The  culture  of  the  strawberry,  and 
other  garden  fruits,  has  also  been  pursued  of  late  years 
with  remunerating  success.  In  these  ways  the  yeomanry 
of  the  town  have  been  able  to  turn  their  industry  to  profit- 
able account.  With  yankee  tact  and  skill  they  have 
manaired  their  estates,  and  have  been  able  to  derive  to 
themselves  not  merely  the  conveniences  but  also  a  large 
share  of  the  luxuries  of  life. 

Town  highways  have  a  practical  interest  that  can 
scarcely  be  surpassed,  yet  they  can  contribute  but  little  'to 
the  interest  of  general  history,  except  as  connected  with 
something  of  a  litigious  or  controversial  character.  Dur- 
ino-  the  first  half-century  of  the  incorporation  of  this  town 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  29 

its  inhabitants  entertained  a  very  contracted  view  of  the 
public  wants  on  this  subject.  With  scarcely  an  exception 
their  roads  were  laid  out  but  two  "polls"  wide.  This 
might  have  been  from  a  motive  of  economy,  but  it  is  more 
probable  that  they  sought  to  avoid  an  error  which  had 
for  a  long  time  disturbed  the  peace  of  Groton,  where  the 
highways  were  originally  laid  out  six  rods  wide. 
Encroachments  were  from  time  to  time  made  upon  lands 
that  had  been  appropriated  for  public  highways,  by  con- 
tiguous landholders — sometimes  unintentionally,  and  at 
other  times  by  design — which  in  the  course  of  years 
caused  serious  difficulties,  that  had  to  be  settled  by  town 
arbitration,  or  referred  to  the  decision  of  jury  courts. 

To  avoid  this  extreme  the  people  of  Shirley  have 
erred  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  have  subjected  them- 
selves to  many  inconveniences  which  a  more  liberal  policy 
would  have  prevented.  The  error  has  at  length  become 
apparent.  All  classes  have  become  convinced  of  the  need 
of  reform,  and  within  the  last  few  years  important  steps 
have  been  taken  in  the  way  of  straightening,  widening  and 
grading  the  highways.  Local  obstacles  connected  with 
private  interest,  such  as  buildings,  trees,  fields  and  fences, 
have  retarded  the  march  of  improvement  in  this  direction, 
and  individual  prejudice  and  public  inability  have  retarded 
it  still  more.  These  are  gradually  yielding  to  a  desire  to 
secure  the  public  interest,  and  to  have  such  highways  ns 
shall  best  accommodate  a  travelling  community,  and  such 
too  as  shall  reflect  honor  upon  the  taste  and  enterprise  of 
the  town.  Smooth  roads,  and  roads  of  easy  declivity,  are 
a  facility  that  adds  much  to  the  inherent  and  practical  value 
of  farms  and  manufactories,  and  when  the  public  taste 
goes  so  far  as  to  ornament  highways  with  shade-trees  the 
highest  evidence  is  presented  of  the  enlightenment  of  the 
people.  Use  and  beauty  are  thus  blended,  giving 
strength  to  the  hand  and  encouragement  to  the  heart  of 
life's  workers  ;  and  the  result  proves  how  readil}-  their 
highest  temporal  desires  may  be  gratified,  when  the  hands 
industriously  execute  what  the  head  wisely  proposes. 


30  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Shirley  is  a  well  watered  territory.  Its  rivers  and 
brooks  so  pervade  the  town  as  to  leave  but  little  to  be  de- 
sired in  this  direction.  They  fertilize  the  soil,  giving  life 
and  verdure  to  vegetation,  and  assist  in  furnishing  the  cul- 
tivator with  remunerating  harvests.  They  also  afford 
privileges  for  the  use  of  power  machinery,  which  have 
been  improved  much  to  the  enhancement  of  the  wealth 
and  population  of  the  town.  And  upon  its  manufacturing 
interests  the  future  prosperity  of  the  town  will  largely 
depend. 

The  first  river  in  importance  is  the  Nashua.  This 
river  washes  the  southeastern  and  eastern  boundaries  of 
the  town,  and  forms  the  line  between  Shirley  and  Harvard 
and  between  Shirley  and  Ayer ;  the  line  of  division 
passing  along  the  centre  of  the  stream. 

The  natural  scenery  through  which  the  Nashua 
passes  is  truly  beautiful.  On  the  summit  of  its  gentle 
banks  are  spread  out  rich  tracts  of  alluvial  soil,  out  of 
which,  at  unequal  distances  from  each  other,  arise  single 
trees  and  small  groves  of  walnut,  which  yield  fruit  of  an 
excellent  quality  and  in  full  abundance.  A  single  farmer 
has  annually  gathered  from  a  dozen  to  an  hundred 
bushels  as  the  product  of  these  trees.  They  also  afford  a 
most  grateful  shade  for  the  cattle  that  graze  about  their 
neighborhood.  Art  could  hardly  prepare  retreats  of  such 
picturesque  beauty,  nor  has  nature  furnished  many  tiner 
specimens  of  her  own  handy  work. 

The  next  river  in  importance  is  the  Sqnannacook. 
This  river  flows  into  the  Nashua,  near  the  line  between 
Groton  and  Ayer.  It  forms  the  northeastern  boundary  of 
Shirley,  dividing  it  from  Groton.  The  soil,  productions, 
and  portions  of  the  scenery  through  which  the  Sqnanna- 
cook passes,  are  similar  to  what  are  found  in  the  valley  ot 
the  Nashua,  and  are  subject  to  the  same  inconveniences 
from  early  frosts  and  unseasonable  floods. 

The  Catacuncmaug  river  comes  next  in  order.  It  is 
formed  by  the  junction  of  two  streams,  one  of  which  rises 
in  Lancaster  and  the  other  in  Lunenburg.     They  unite  as 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  31 

they  enter  the  southern  valley  of  the  town,  and  in  their 
course  afford  the  best  water-privileges  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. This  river  terminates  in  the  Nashua,  on  the  south- 
eastern boundary  of  the  town. 

The  course  of  the  Catacunemaug  is,  for  the  most  part, 
through  a  vale  bordered  by  high  hills.  The  soil,  under 
proper  tillage,  is  productive  of  grain  and  grass,  yet  is  not 
so  well  adapted  to  fruit-growing  as  in  some  other  parts  of 
the  town.  Owing  to  the  facilities  w^hich  this  stream  pre- 
sents to  the  manufacturer,  much  the  largest  village  in  the 
town  has  grown  up  on  its  banks.  The  location  of  this 
village  is  such  as  to  combine,  especially  in  its  summer 
appearance,  the  beauties  of  nature  w^ith  the  works  of  art. 

The  southern  branch  of  the  Catacunemaug  was  an 
object  of  rural  interest  to  the  late  Mrs.  Sarah  C.  Edgarton 
Mayo,  who  gave  it  the  name  which  it  now  bears — "Bow 
Brook;"  and  who  sang  its  praises  in  a  beautiful  poem, 
published  some  thirty  years  since  with  other  works  by 
the  same  author. 

The  poem  is  too  long  for  full  insertion  in  these  pages. 
The  following  extracts  will,  however,  enable  the  reader, 
who  shall  visit  the  locality,  to  appreciate  the  signiticance 
of  the  description  of  the  gifted  writer  whose  childhood 
and  girlhood  were  passed  within  sight  of  the  placid 
stream  : 

"  Far  in  a  wild  and  tangled  glen, 

Where  purple  Arethusas  weep — 
A  bower  scarce  trod  by  mortal  men — 

A  haunt  where  timid  dryads  sleep — 
A  little  dancing,  prattling  thing, 

Sweet  Bow- Brook,  tutor  of  my  muse  ! 
I've  seen  thy  silver  currents  spring 

From  fountains  of  Castalian  dews. 

"  A  wilder,  or  more  sylvan  spot, 

Ne'er  wooed  a  poet's  feet  to  roam : 
Not  e'en  Calypso's  classic  grot 

W^ould  be  so  fit  a  fairy's  home. 
The  birchen  boughs  so  interlaced. 

That  scarce  the  vault  of  heaven  is  seen, 
With  pendant  vines  are  wildly  graced — 

An  arbor  of  transcendent  green." 


32  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

"  And  beautiful  as  e'en  thou  art, 

They  make  thee  labor  at  the  wheel, 
To  ply  the  shaft  and  swell  the  mart 

With  products  of  the  loom  and  reel. 
But  much  enraged  at  such  constraint, 

Away  thou'rt  gliding,  big  with  grief. 
To  breathe  thy  piteous  complaint 

To  every  sympathizing  leaf." 


"  In  olden  days  the  Indian  maid, 

With  braided  tresses  sought  thy  bowers, 
And  rifled  every  sunlit  glade 

To  wreathe  her  locks  with  scarlet  flowers. 
Some  chieftain  of  the  forest  wove 

The  blushing  card'nals  o'er  her  brow. 
While  by  thy  waves  he  breathed  his  love 

In  many  a  deep  and  fervent  vow. 

"  How  oft,  along  thy  verdant  shore, 

I  seek  to  find  some  lingering  trace 
Of  those  who  made,  in  days  of  yore, 

Thy  banks  their  favorite  hunting-place  ; — 
Yet  vain  the  search — no  trace  is  found, 

To  tell  that  ever  dusky  maid 
Or  warrior  chief  hath  trod  the  ground. 

Where  now,  perchance,  their  bones  are  laid. 

"  Upon  thy  bonny  banks,  sweet  stream. 

My  home  succeeds  the  Indian  brave's ; 
My  infant  eye  first  caught  its  beam. 

Reflected  from  thy  clouded  waves, 
And  oft  I  tread  the  grassy  slope. 

Which  leads  me  to  thy  rose-bound  shore, 
With  ardent  and  increasing  hope 

To  catch  some  fragment  of  thy  lore. 

"  When  comes  the  holy  hour  to  die. 

How  sweet  to  rest  beside  thy  wave  ! 
How  sweet  beneath  thy  banks  to  lie. 

With  violets  waving  o'er  my  grave ! 
And  yet  I  would  not  cast  a  shade 

Upon  a  spot  so  bright  and  glad; 
A  tomb  would  mar  so  fair  a  glade, 

-And  friends  would  find  thy  borders  sad. 

■'Glide  on,  forever,  warbling  brook! 

Earth  has  no  voice  more  dear  than  thine — 
And  often,  in  some  flowery  nook, 

I'll  swell  the  lay  with  tones  of  mine. 
Beneath  the  arch  of  some  green  bough, 

Where  mellow  sunbeams  softly  glance, 
I'll  cast  the  shadows  from  my  brow. 

And  read  to  thee  some  gay  romance. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  33 

"  A  few  short  years,  or  clays  may  be, 

And  thou  wilt  miss  me  from  thy  shore ; 
Yet  earth  will  still  be  fair  to  thee, 

As  e'er  it  was  in  days  of  yore. 
And  I  shall  sit  upon  the  bank 

Of  that  pure  river  of  my  God, 
Where  sin  nor  grief  has  ever  drank, 

And  no  polluting  foot  hath  trod." 

There  is  one  other  stream  worthy  of  note,  which 
is  called  Miilfiis  Brook.  Tradition  saith  that  it  derived 
its  name  from  a  Frenchman,  by  the  name  of  Mulipus,  who 
lived  in  Lunenburg,  near  its  source.  It  pursues  a  winding 
course  through  the  marshes  and  lovv  lands  of  the  valley, 
in  the  northern  section  of  the  town,  until  it  reaches  the 
Nashua  which  receives  its  waters.  This  stream  has  a  few 
improved  water-privileges  which  will  be  noticed  in  their 
places. 

Where  there  are  rivers  there  must  be  bridges.  These 
form  a  large  item  of  expense  to  the  inhabitants  of  Shirley. 
The  wants  of  the  people  demand  three  bridges  for  Mulpus 
Brook ;  seven  for  the  Catacunemaug  and  its  branches ; 
one  for  Squannacook,  and  two  for  the  Nashua,  besides 
many  others  for  smaller  streams.  The  bridge  over  Squan- 
nacook river  is  partially  supported  by  Groton,  and  the  two 
over  Nashua  river  are  sustained  jointly  by  Shirley  and 
Ayer. 

The  most  expensive  bridge  that  has  devolved  upon 
Shirley  to  sustain  is  that  which  spans  the  Nashua  near 
Mitchell's  woolen  manufactory,  formerly  Page's  mills. 
This  bridge  was  originally  located  several  rods  up  the 
river,  and  was  erected  and  supported  at  the  joint  expense 
ot  Shirley  and  Harvard.  Sometime  previous  to  the  year 
1798,  Mr.  Joshua  Longley  had  erected  mills  on  the  site  of 
the  present  woolen  manufactory  just  named,  and  he  pro- 
posed to  the  town,  about  to  build  a  new  bridge,  that,  if 
that  bridge  could  be  located  down  near  his  mills,  he  would 
be  at  the  entire  expense  of  its  erection  beyond  the  sum  of 
$250,  Which  he  asked  the  town  to  appropriate.  Where- 
upon   the    town,    by    the     following    action,  accepted    the 


34  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

proposal  of  Mr.  Longley.  "Voted  to  givt  Joshua  Long- 
ley  $250,  towards  building  a  bridge  across  Nashua  River, 
near  where  the  said  Longley  has  lately  built  mills,  and 
he,  the  said  Longley,  is  to  build  a  bridge  across  said 
river."  Mr.  Longley  built  the  bridge,  but  a  very  few  rods 
below  the  Harvard  line,  and  thus  imposed  upon  his  town 
the  entire  expense  of  its  support  for  the  space  of  cighty- 
tvjo  years!  It  seems  that  Mr.  Longley  thought  only  of 
his  own  accommodation,  and  the  town  thought  onl}'  of  a 
present  saving  of  expense  ;  while  the  town  of  Harvard 
could  laugh  over,  and  profit  by,  the  folly  of  both  parties. 
Since  Mr.  Longley's  bridge — which  did  not  last  long — 
went  to  decay,  three  others  have  been  erected  in  its  place, 
and  two  of  them  at  the  entire  cost  of  Shirley.  Had  it 
been  situated  six  rods  higher  up  the  river,  the  public 
would  have  been  equally  as  well  accommodated,  and 
Harvard  would  always  have  shared  in  the  expense  of  its 
support. 

By  the  town  records  it  appears  that  the  bridge  erected 
by  Mr.  Longley,  was  so  imperfectly  constructed  that  it 
needed  repairs  within  three  years  after  its  erection.  The 
following  is  the  action  of  the  town  on  the  subject.  "Voted 
to  choose  a  committee  to  see  to  repairing  the  bridge  or 
butment,  on  Nashua  River,  near  Joshua  Longley's  new 
mills.  Capt.  John  Edgarton,  Nath!  Day  and  Capt.  Sam- 
uel Hazen  jr.  were  chosen  for  said  committee." 

Li  1842  a  new  truss  bridge  was  thrown  across  the 
river  at  this  place,  which  was  roofed  over  for  protection  ; 
the  cost  of  this  structure  amounted  to  $750  above  the 
abutments.  It  was  supposed  that  this  bridge  would 
accommodate  the  travelling  public,  with  seasonable  repairs 
by  the  town,  for  at  least  fifty  years  ;  but  such  was  its  great 
length  and  its  exposure  to  the  strong  winds  of  the  river 
valley,  that  it  was  soon  twisted  from  its  designed  position 
and  became  a  subject  of  repair  within  two  3'ears.  Though 
it  lasted  for  the  space  of  thirt}^  years,  it  was  never  con- 
sidered sufficiently  substantial  for  its  exposed  situation. 

In  187 1  the  town  of  Ayer  was  incorporated,  taking 
from  Shirley  all  its  territory  on  the  east  side  of  the  Nashua 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  35 

river.  At  that  time  the  bridge  that  united  the  two  towns 
must  be  rebuilt,  and  after  much  unnecessary  and  expensive 
delay  the  work  was  entered  upon  late  in  the  autumn,  and 
was  not  completed  till  the  close  of  the  year.  The  cost  of 
the  structure  was  mutually  borne  by  Shirley  and  Ayer, 
and  it  amounted  to  over  $2000.  Mr.  B.  F.  Hartwell  of 
Townsend  contracted  for  the  work  above  the  abutments, 
which  he  executed  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  employers, 
and  has  given  them  a  bridge  that  will  probably  far  outlast 
the  present  century. 


CHAPTER    III. 

Mills,  Manufactories  and  Manufactures. 

The  same  wants  that  are  common  to  humanity  mani- 
fest themselves  to  wilderness  settlers  no  less  than  to 
others,  and  the  great  trial  of  these  settlers  is,  that  they  are 
without  the  facilities  for  supplying  these  wants.  Art  must 
supplement  nature  in  providing  the  necessities  of  animal 
existence.  Though  the  earth  may  produce  the  material 
out  of  which  food  and  clothing  are  wrought,  the  prepara- 
tion of  this  material  for  its  destined  use  is  a  work  of 
human  effort.  When  this  work  is  divided  into  its  appro- 
priate parts,  and  each  part  has  its  appropriate  workers,  the 
production  of  man's  physical  requirements  is  reduced  to  a 
system  easy  of  operation  ;  but  the  new  settler  is  without 
this  system,  and  hence  the  trial  of  his  position.  He  might 
bring  along  with  him  his  farming  implements,  as  he  did, 
and  cultivate  his  soil,  after  it  was  cleared  for  the  purpose, — 
but  he  could  not  easily  convert  his  grain  products  into 
meal,  without  the  aid  of  a  mill ;  and  there  was  none  within 
the  limits  of  the  Groton  territory  during  the  first  seventeen 


36  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

years  of  its  settlement.  It  is  probable  that  the  necessities 
of  the  condition  required  the  Use  of  hand-mills,  and  even 
samp-mortars,  but  there  is  no  written  or  traditional  account 
of  any  such  use  that  has  come  to  the  knowledcje  of  the 
compiler  of  this  history.  The  probability  is  Ibunded  on 
the  exigency  of  the  case.  A  candid  writer  has  said  that 
"the  man  who  had  the  ability  and  the  disposition  to  set  up 
those  two  engines,  so  useful  in  a  new  settlement — the  saw- 
mill and  the  grist-mill — did  enough  to  immortalize  his 
name."  When  one  considers  the  difficulties  that  attend 
such  an  enterprise,  under  such  circumstances,  he  must 
regard  the  undertaker  as  entitled  to  the  lasting  gratitude 
of  those  his  labors  immediately  benefit,  and  to  the  honored 
remembrance  of  succeeding  generations. 

Mr.  Butler  says,  in  his  History  of  Groton,  that  the 
first  corn-mill  erected  within  the  territory  of  Groton,  was 
by  John  Prescott,  then  living  in  Lancaster,  in  company 
with  his  son  Jonas  Prescott,  who  afterward  distinguished 
himself  as  an  inhabitant  of  Groton.  This  mill  stood  on  a 
small  stream  of  water  in  what  was  then  the  southern 
boundary  of  the  territory,  but  in  what  is  now  the  northerl}^ 
section  of  Harvard ;  and  there  it  stands  yet,  and  is  devoted 
to  its  original  purpose.  The  school-district  and  section  of 
the  town  where  it  is  located,  bear  the  name  of  "  Old  Mill." 

A  few  years  after  the  erection  of  this  mill,  a  large 
part  of  Harvard  was  destroyed  by  the  Indians,  but  this 
humble  edifice,  so  useful  to  the  people,  was  passed  over 
by  the  depredators  without  injury,  and  continues,  as  just 
stated,  to  do  its  original  work,  after  a  lapse  of  over  two 
hundred  years,  it  having  been  first  erected  in  1673. 

This  mill  was  for  eight  years  the  only  place  for 
grinding  grain  within  the  limits  of  the  territory.  It  was, 
therefore,  constantly  engaged.  Indeed,  so  great  was  its 
press  of  work,  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  felt  com- 
pelled to  enact  a  law  requiring  the  proprietor  of  the  mill 
''"SSset  apart  the  second  and  sixth  days  of  each  week,  on 
which  he  could  grind  only  for  the  Grotonians. 

In  1681,  after  the  close  of  King  Philip's  war  and  the 
resettlement  of  the  town,  James   Prescott,   through  whose 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  37 

enterprise  the  tirst  mill  had  been  erected  on  the  extreme 
south  side  of  the  territory,  saw  the  pressing  inconvenience 
under  which  a  large  portion  of  the  people  labored  in  being 
situated  so  far  from  their  mill,  and  set  about  erecting  an- 
other mill,  which  he  located  on  the  easterly  boundary  of  the 
territor3s  on  what  is  known  as  Stony  Brook,  near  its  issue 
from  what  is  called  Forge  Pond  ;  and  it  came  within  the 
present  limits  of  Westford.  This  second  effort  of  the 
generous  proprietor  of  mill  property  added  greatly  to  the 
convenience  of  the  settlers,  and  to  their  appreciation  of 
the  author  of  their  enlarged  opportunities. 

I  have  supposed  that  part  of  the  territory  now  known 
as  Shirley  began  to  be  settled  as  early  as  1720,  and  that 
within  a  few  years  a  large  portion  in  the  northerly  section 
of  the  town  had  been  taken  up  and  appropriated  as  farms  ; 
but  from  the  time  these  settlements  began  until  the  erec- 
tion of  the  first  mill  within  the  town,  all  grain  had  to  be 
conveyed  to  the  "Old  Mill,"  now  in  Harvard,  or  to  the 
Forge-Pond  mill,  now  in  Westford,  for  grinding.  This 
was  a  heavier  burden  than  can  be  practically  compre- 
hended in  modern  times.  Light  carriages  did  not  exist, 
and  those  who  had  horses  could  lay  their  bags  upon  the 
backs  of  their  animals,  which  proved  the  most  felicitous 
mode  of  transport.  But  this  method  was  denied  to  all  but 
the  favored  few  who  were  able  to  own  and  keep  horses. 
A  large  majority  of  the  people  were  forced  to  pursue  a 
different  course.  In  winter  ox-sleds  and  hand-sleds  were 
used  to  some  extent,  and  in  summer  farm-carts  and  wheel- 
barrows were  brought  into  requisition.  Man}-  a  load  was 
thus  borne  over  the  half-formed  roads,  for  a  distance  of 
from  two  to  ten  miles, — while  many  another  load  was 
borne  upon  the  stalwart  shoulders  of  the  hardy  yeomanry, 
at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  Through  storms  of  rain  and 
snow,  over  roads  of  mud  and  slush,  the  burdens  were  thus 
carried  for  journeys  of  miles  in  length,  consuming  all  the 
hours  of  daylight  and  frequently  a  portion  of  the  night. 
What  greatly  prolonged  and  increased  this  irksome  task 
was  the  amount  of  service   required  of  one   or  two  small 


38  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

mills.  On  this  account  two  journeys,  more  frequently  than 
one,  were  demanded  for  the  undertaking.  The  weary 
worker  would  often  return  home  at  night  to  eat  and  sleep, 
then,  on  the  morrow,  retrace  his  steps  to  complete  his 
work . 

The  first  to  immortalize  their  names  as  builders  of 
mills  within  the  limits  of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Shirley, 
were  William  Longley,  one  of  the  early  settlers,  and 
Samuel  Hazen  who  became  a  resident  in  1749-  They 
builded  the  first  grist-mill,  to  which  they  subsequently 
added  a  saw-mill.  It  stood  upon  what  was  since  the  site 
of  the  late  "Shirley  Cotton  Mill,"  or  perhaps  recently 
better  known  as  the  "Red  Mill,"  which  was  destroyed  by 
fire  in  1867.  This  first  corn-mill  was  a  humble  structure, 
containing  but  a  single  run  of  stones  and  was  without  any 
apparatus  for  bolting  flour.  But  humble  as  was  the  enter- 
prise when  regarded  from  a  later  point  of  view,  it 
required  a  mighty  effort  at  the  time,  and  was  an  event  in 
the  town  of  noteworthy  character,  and  was  hailed  by  the 
people  as  the  harbinger  of  better  times.  The  two  pro- 
prietors wrought  at  the  work  with  their  own  hands,  in 
excavating  the  banks,  laying  a  foundation  for  a  building, 
and  in  erecting  a  dam  across  the  stream. 

An  event  occurred  of  an  amusing  character,  while 
this  work  was  in  progress,  which  is  sustained  by  well- 
founded  tradition.  Mr.  Longley,  the  senior  partner  in  the 
enterprise,  while  engaged  in  his  work  picked  up  a  small 
silver  eel.  Being  rather  of  a  jocose  temperament,  he  said 
to  his  fellow  laborers,  "Give  me  a  pint  of  rum  and  I  will 
swallow  this  eel."  At  the  same  time  he  threw  back  his 
head  and  held  the  squirming  animal  over  his  open  nwuth. 
It  slipped  through  the  fingers  of  the  daring  hero,  into  his 
mouth,  and  soon  made  the  downward  passage  into  his 
stomach.  There,  instead  of  quietly  ensconsing  himself  in 
a  corner  and  waiting  the  progress  of  events,  the  eel  proved 
his  natural  unstaid  proclivity  by  a  frequent  and  rapid  change 
of  position,  to  the  no  small  annoyance  of  his  rapacious  en- 
tertainer, who  repeatedly  exclaimed  in  horrified  accents. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  39 

"The  eel  will  kill  me!"  Some  New-England  rum  was 
hastily  administered — it  being  then,  as  in  later  days, 
regarded  as  a  universal  panacea — which  the  patient  swal- 
lowed in  large  doses,  until  he  had  consumed  a  full  half- 
pint,  from  which  the  eel  received  a  quietus  ;  at  least,  he 
was  never  after  heard  from,  much  to  the  gratification  of 
the  adventurer,  who  found  it  much  more  in  accordance 
with  his  taste  to  build  mills,  even  in  a  new  settlement,  than 
to  dine  on  living  eels. 

Within  a  few  years  Mr.  Hazen  disposed  of  his  interest 
in  the  establishment,  and  it  fell  to  Mr.  Longley  to  serve 
his  townsmen  as  their  "miller" ;  this  he  did  with  fidelity 
unto  old  age,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  in  the  same 
honorable  employment.  And  to  their  credit  let  it  be  re- 
lated, they  lived  above  the  suspicion  of  embezzlement  or 
the  taking  of  larger  toll  for  their  services  than  the  law 
prescribed. 

The  long  service  of  the  elder  Longley  in  this  useful 
occupation,  and  the  consequently  powdered  apparel  in 
which  he  appeared — which  was  seldom  exchanged  tor 
more  fitting  attire — gave  him  the  general  appellation  of 
"Will,  the  miller";  and  when  years  had  disabled  him  for 
physical  labor,  he  was  alluded  to  as  "Old  Will,"  that  used 
to  be  a  "miller."  His  eldest  son  followed  him  in  the  same 
employment. 

In  process  of  time  these  mills  went  to  decay,  when 
successors  arose  on  the  same  privilege,  but  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  stream.  They  were  then  owned  and  run  by 
one  Henry  Haskell.  Eventually  they  became  the  property 
of  Israel  Longley,  Esq., — the  grandson  of  their  original 
senior  proprietor — who  sold  them  to  Thomas  Hazen,  a 
grandson  of  the  other  original  proprietor.  Mr.  Hazen 
rebiulded  these  mills  in  1837.  Subsequently  they  became 
the  property  of  Israel  Longley,  a  great-grandson  of 
one  of  the  first,  and  a  son  of  their  third  owner.  After- 
wards they  were  partially  owned  by  Hazens  of  the 
fourth  generation  Irom  the  original  proprietor  of  that 
name.     In   1872  the  mills  were  purchased  by  Mr.  N.  C. 


40  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Munson,  and  the  grist-mill  was  converted  to  other 
purposes.  The  saw-mill  is  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  Mr.  George  Davis  who  is  a  very  enterprising 
lumberman.  He  furnishes  material  in  large  or  small 
quantities  to  house-builders  and  repairers,  coopers  and 
cabinet-makers,  and,  indeed,  almost  every  kind  of  artisan 
needing  stock  from  a  well-assorted  lumber  yard.  But 
although  this  and  other  callings  involve  a  large  private 
business,  Mr.  Davis  has  been  frequently  called  to  fill 
places  of  public  trust.  He  has  acted  as  an  assessor,  over- 
seer of  the  poor,  and  selectman,  and  has  once  represented 
his  district  constituency  in  the  popular  branch  of  the 
Massachusetts  Legislature. 

The  second  grist-mill  was  set  up  on  Mulpus  brook,  in 
a  pleasant  little  village  since  known  as  Woodsville.  Like 
its  predecessor  in  town  it  was  very  limited  in  its  dimen- 
sions ;  it  contained  but  a  single  run  of  stones,  and  was 
without  many  conveniences  now  considered  essential  to  the 
success  of  such  an  establishment.  It  supplied,  neverthe- 
less, an  irnportant  want  to  the  people.  Being  situated 
near  the  border  of  the  town,  opposite  the  Longley  mill,  it 
was  an  especial  accommodation  to  the  families  living  in 
the  northern  section,  by  abridging  the  travel  before  re- 
quired of  them  for  milling  purposes. 

Francis  Harris  was  the  original  proprietor  of  this  mill, 
and  his  son-in-law,  James  Dickerson,  erected  a  saw-mill  to 
match  it,  both  of  which  were  subsequently  merged  in  one 
.proprietorship.  After  passing  through  the  hands  of  five 
or  six  owners  these  mills,  in  1822,  became  the  property  of 
Jonathan  Kilburn,  who  continued  their  owner  unto  the 
time  of  his  death  which  occurred  in  1881. 

Mr.  Kilburn  spared  neither  time  nor  expense  to  adapt 
his  mills  to  the  public  requirements.  His  grist-mill  con- 
sisted of  two  runs  of  stone,  and  apparatus  for  sifting  wheat 
as  it  enters  the  hopper  and  for  bolting  it  after  it  is  ground. 
The  mill  is  also  furnished  with  a  second  bolt  which  is 
used  for  sifting  flour  from  meal  of  the  coarser  cereals. 
Thus  prepared  Mr.  K.   could  turn  out   flour  of  a   quality 


GO 

CXI 

r- 


O 


o 

o 

> 


GO 

o 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  41 

that  did  not  suffer  by  a  comparison  with  similar  products 
from  the  south  and  west,  and  he  was  enabled  to  keep  on 
sale,  all  the  offerings  of  the  mill,  and  the  various  kinds  of 
grain  in  use. 

He  had  equal  success  in  the  manufacture  of  lum- 
ber, and  consequently  for  a  time  secured  a  generous 
patronage  in  both  departments  of  business. 

In  process  of  time  the  proprietors  of  the  Longley  mills 
— having  had  long  success  in  business,  and  growing  some- 
what remiss  in  the  fulfilment  of  their  engagements  to  their 
customers — were  quickened  into  renewed  activity  by  the 
establishing  of  a  new  corn-mill  a  little  way  up  the  Cata- 
cunemaug,  and  on  the  same  side  of  the  stream.  This 
third  mill,  within  the  limits  of  the  town,  was  erected  by 
John  Edgarton,  Esq.,  but  it  was  too  near  the  old  establish- 
ment to  succeed,  especially  as  its  rival  took  the  wise  hint 
to  enlarge  its  facilities,  and  to  more  promptly  meet  the 
wants  of  its  patrons.  After  a  few  years  trial  the  new  en- 
terprise yielded  to  its  competitor  and  was  abandoned  or 
was  converted  to  some  other  purpose. 

The  fourth  grist-mill,  with  which  a  saw-mill  was 
connected,  was  builded  by  Joshua  Longley,  Esq.,  in  I790' 
It  stood  on  the  banks  of  the  Nashua,  and  it  occupied  the 
only  water-privilege  offered  by  that  noble  stream  in  its 
passage  through  the  town.  After  the  death  of  Mr. 
Longley,  these  mills  were  sustained  by  different  owners 
for  several  years,  when  they  gave  place  to  other  enter- 
prises ;  but  were  subsequently  renewed  in  all  their  original 
vigor,  (to  which  a  shingle-mill  was  added,)  by  Eli  Page 
and  Sons,  who  in  other  ways  greatly  increased  the  facil- 
ities of  their  water-power.  Being  in  that  portion  of 
Shirley  recently  annexed  to  Ayer,  an  account  of  their  sub- 
sequent changes  does  not  properly  claim  a  place  in  this 
history. 

In  the  winter  of  1829,  Samuel  Hazen  erected  a  saw- 
mill on  the  northern  branch  of  the  Catacunemaug,  which 
was  made  readv  for  use  on  the  first  day  of  the  following 
March.     It  was  continued  until  the  summer  of  1856,  when 

0 


42  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

it  was  swept  away  by  the  reservoir  disaster,  an  account  of 
the  devastations  of  which  event  the  reader  will  find  fully 
given  in  another  part  of  this  history. 

The  building  of  this  saw-mill  prepared  the  way  for 
the  establishment  of  a  small  village,  known  by  the  name 
of  "the  North  Bend," — the  seat  of  other  enterprises 
which  will  be  noticed  in  their  appropriate  places.  When 
Mr.  Hazen  broke  ground  to  set  up  his  mill  the  site  of  this 
village  was  a  swamp,  covered  by  a  coarse  jungle, — over 
which  a  few  forest  trees  were  scattered, — and  of  little 
interest  to  any  human  being,  except  the  occasional  hunter, 
and  his  kinsman  the  trapper. 

In  the  3^ears  1836-7  a  saw-mill  was  built  on  Mulpus 
Brook — a  few  rods  above  its  junction  with  the  Nashua 
river — by  Peter  Page.  After  one  or  two  years  its  original 
proprietor  died,  and  the  ownership  of  the  mill  passed 
through  that  state  of  fluctuation  which  awaits  embarrassed 
property,  until  the  year  1856,  when  it  was  purchased  b}' 
Wm.  White  &  Co.,  and  has  since  probably  done  a  larger 
business  than  any  similar  establishment  in  town.  On  the 
8th  of  March,  1857,  it  was  consumed,  with  all  its  con- 
tents, by  fire  communicated  through  a  defect  in  the  stove. 
It  has  since  been  rebuilt  with  enlargements  and  improve- 
ments. 

Of  course  the  first  want  of  a  new  settlement  is  food, 
and  this  want  must  be  supplied  by  the  labor  of  the  hands. 
The  brooks  and  rivers  ma}^  abound  in  fish,  and  the  forests 
with  game,  and  from  these  sources  much  good  may  come, 
but  all  cannot  take  the  place  of  bread.  That  must  be 
supplied  by  a  different  and  more  trying  process..  The 
lands  must  be  cleared  and  tilled,  for  grain-culture,  and 
this  requires  a  large  amount  of  labor.  And  it  was  no 
small  trial,  with  the  settlers  of  Shirley,  to  have  this  grain 
converted  into  meal ;  but  all  this  labor,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  generalh'  devolved  on  the  male  population.  Yet, 
think  not  that  the  other  sex  were  excused  from  a  mighty 
exercise  of  toil  and  trial,  such  as  devolves  upon  life  in 
new  settlements.     It  was  by  their  hands  that  the  clothing 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  43 

was  wrought.  It  is  true  they  avoided  many  labors  now 
too  common  and  too  much  sought.  They  had  few  large 
houses,  with  varied  suits  of  rooms,  to  keep  clean  and 
adorn  ;  little  costl}^  furniture  to  daily  inspect  and  carefully 
adjust ;  no  time  required  to  observe  special  rules  of 
etiquette  ;  no  dress  fashions  to  follow,  to  fret  the  mind  and 
enslave  the  body,  no  frequent  varying  of  the  attire  to 
claim  the  thought  and  attention  and  action.  For,  they 
mostly  lived  in  rude,  unfinished  cottages,  used  household 
implements  of  the  commonest  and  coarsest  kinds,  and 
wore  fabrics  for  clothing,  their  own  handy  work, 
manufactured  and  made  within  their  scanty  domiciles — 
manufactures  that  well  performed  the  office  required  of 
their  makers.  And  here  their  chief  toil  lay,  to  convert 
the  raw  material,  as  it  came  from  the  field  and  the  flock, 
into  garments  of  use,  comfort  and  comeliness,  and  thus 
supply  the  second  great  want  of  human  existence.  This 
constitutes  a  source  of  the  highest  praise  of  the  mothers 
and  daughters  of  early  New  England  ! 

Until  comparatively  within  a  few  years,  it  was  the 
custom  of  the  northern  settlers  of  our  country  to  keep  a 
few  sheep,  enough  to  furnish  wool  to  supply  the  "every- 
day wear"  of  the  family,  and  not  unfrequently  the 
"Sunday  suits"  of  the  younger  members.  The  winter  bed- 
material  was  supplied  from  the  same  source.  It  was  the 
intention  of  the  farmers  to  annually  raise  a  little  flax  also, 
that  the  summer  wants  of  the  family  might  be  supplied. 
The  work  of  the  father  and  sons  was  completed  when  the 
sheep  were  shorn  of  their  fleeces,  and  the  flax  cleared 
from  its  rough  stalks.  The  work  of  the  mothers  and 
daughters  then  commenced.  Both  the  wool  and  the  flax 
were  converted  into  rolls  by  the  slow  and  laborious 
process  of  hand  carding.  These  rolls  were  spun  into 
yarn,  and  the  yarn  was  w'oven  into  cloth,  by  hand-power 
machinery. 

At  a  subsequent  period  the  breaking  and  rolling  was 
done  by  water-power  machinery,  while  the  spinning  and 
weaving  were  yet  performed  at  the    family  hearth-stone. 


44  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

The  outfit  of  girls,  entering  married  life,  at  that  period 
did  not  consist  of  gilt  mirrors,  costly  piano-fortes,  and 
Turkey  carpets,  but  of  hand  cards,  spinning-wheels,  flax 
hatchels,  warping-bars  and  looms  ;  these  were  essentials 
in  every  household  establishment,  and  the  girl  who  was 
unskilled  in  the  use  of  these  implements  was  hardly  con- 
sidered worthy  of  the  family  relation.  Let  it  not  be 
forgotten  that  the  health  and  strength  of  the  damsels  of 
that  day,  who  were  trained  in  these  onerous  employments, 
were  as  much  superior  to  what  is  enjoyed  by  the  modern 
belles,  as  the  fabrics  their  hands  wrought  were  superior,  in 
durability,  to  the  linsey-woolsey  of  the  present  day,  which 
oftentimes  passes  under  the  specious  name  of  superfine 
broadcloth. 

As  establishments  for  dyeing  and  dressing  cloth  had 
not  been  invented  when  the  colonists  spread  themselves 
over  the  northern  regions  of  our  land  ;  and,  as  even  the 
small  dve-pot,  with  its  uses  and  perfumery,  had  not  then 
been  made  to  grace  the  chimney  corner,  some  other  means 
must  be  adopted  whereby  apparel  could  be  made  comely 
as  well  as  comfortable.  Sheep  were  accordingly  bred  of 
diflerent  colors — black  and  white — and  when  the  mixture 
was  converted  into  cloth,  it  made  a  fabric  of  sober  gray, 
and  formed  garments  of  which  no  Puritan  descendant 
need  be  ashamed.  From  this  material  both  sexes  were 
prepared  with  a  defence  against  cold  by  day  and  by 
night.  The  wide  striped  frock  and  trousers  were  for 
everv-day  wear,  and  the  grey  coat  and  small-clothes  made 
a  comfortable  rig  for  Sunday.  The  women  wore  fabrics 
of  a  similar  texture,  yet  of  finer  stripe.  The  boys  had 
their  crrev  roundabouts  and  trousers,  made  when  the 
winter  school  term  commenced  ;  and  could  sport  their  new 
tow  trousers  as  soon  as  election  day,  which  was  a  season 
of  relaxation,  when  they  would  wend  their  joyful  way, 
with  fish-pole  and  tackle,  to  some  pond  or  brook  for  a 
holiday  enjoyment.  These  were  halcyon  times,  when 
labor  prevented  ennui,  and  sameness  of  life  prevented 
rivalry. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  45 

Think  of  the  mothers  and  their  daughters  in  the 
humble  garret,  laboring  with  hand-cards  on  massive  piles 
of  wool  and  flax — or  plying  the  spinning-wheel,  with  a 
gentle  hum  of  music,  an  affected  imitation  of  the  last 
psalm  tune  sung  at  church — or,  sending  forth  continuous 
jolts  of  the  lumbering  loom, — while  in  a  vessel  over  the 
kitchen  lire  below,  gently  boiled  an  Indian  pudding  for  the 
family  dinner,  and  you  have  a  partially  wrought  picture 
of  those  early  times.  To  be  sure  the  wheel  and  the  loom 
did  not  create  the  musical  harmony  of  the  modern  piano  ; 
3'et  they  wrought  out  a  work,  which  ministered  to  the 
comfort  which  was,  in  one  relation,  the  physical  salvation 
of  the  family. 

Let  it  be  remembered  also  that  the  damsels  of  that 
day  wore  natural  teeth  until  past  middle  life,  unimpaired 
b}^  decay,  and  not  often  the  medium  of  pain  ;  they  also 
carried  two  lips  and  a  pair  of  cheeks  as  radiant  of  the  pink 
and  rose,  as  an}^  in  modern  times.  They  were  as  agile  as 
trained  dancers,  and  many  of  them  were  of  sufficient 
strength  to  accomplish  the  work  of  men.  In  all  things 
they  were  worthy  maternal  ancestors  of  a  worthy  race. 

In  the  course  of  events  these  burdens  were  in  a 
measure  removed  by  the  introduction  of  water-power 
inachinery.  The  brooks  and  rivers  that  run  through  the 
town,  and  had  only  been  required  to  propel  the  wheels  of 
saw  and  grist-mills,  were  now  called  to  an  additional 
tribute  for  their  passage.  The  people,  both  male  and 
female,  had  grown  tired  of  the  colors  with  which  unaided 
nature  had  adorned  their  apparel ;  they  therefore  sought 
the  aid  of  art  in  making  their  homespun  and  home-woven 
garments  of  lighter,  smoother,  and  finer  texture.  Hence, 
the  dyeing,  fulling,  shearing  and  pressing  processes  were 
added  to  give  domestic  cloth  a  higher  finish.  These 
processes  were  run  in  one  establishment,  and  were  unitedly 
called  a  clothing-mill.  Mills  of  this  character  were  intro- 
duced into  the  colonies  sometime  during  the  first  centur}' 
of  their  settlement,  and  very  soon  the  process  of  breaking 
and  rolling  wool  was  added,  thereby  greatly  relieving  the 
home  labor  of  cloth-making. 


46  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

The  tirst  clothier's  mill  was  erected  on  the  Squanna- 
cook  river,  near  the  village  of  that  name,  but  on  the 
Shirley  side  of  the  stream.  It  was  built  by  Elisha  Rock- 
wood  in  1739.  Mr.  Rockwood  came  from  Wrentham  the 
same  year.  His  mill  was  in  Shirley,  but  his  residence 
was  in  Groton.  His  house  was  located  on  the  site  of  the 
residence  of  the  late  Asa  Tarbell,  Esq. 

When  by  age  and  infirmity  Mr.  Rockwood  could  no 
longer  attend  to  his  business,  his  mill  passed  into  the  care 
of  his  son — Samuel  Rockwood — who  continued  to  dye 
and  dress  cloth  until  near  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1804.  It  then  became  the  property  of  his 
sons — Samuel  Rockwood  and  Sewall  Rockwood — who 
attended  to  the  calls  of  patrons,  and  kept  up  the  establish- 
ment until  the  business  was  superceded  by  the  modern 
modes  of  manufacture. 

In  181 2  a  carding-mill  was  appended  to  the  dyeing 
and  dressing  departments,  by  William  Flint  and  Thomas 
Sweetser,  which  was  continued  until  about  the  year  1836, 
when  it  stopped  from  a  want  of  employment. 

Francis  Harris,  Esq., — whose  name  frequently  ap- 
pears in  the  town  records,  and  who  had  a  position  of 
influence,  both  as  a  public  official  and  private  citizen, — 
built  the  second  clothier's  mill.  It  was  situated  on  the 
Mulpus,  and  was  connected  with  the  corn-mill  that  he 
had  previously  erected.  Hence,  it  became  a  standing 
remark  of  the  time,  that  'Squire  Harris  provided  his 
fellow-townsmen  with  both  food  and  clothin"'. 

The  third  clothier's  mill  was  built  by  Joseph  Edgarton, 
on  the  Catacunemaug,  but  it  never  was  very  prosperous. 
The  Rockwood  mill  had  been  so  tharoughly  tried  and 
faithfully  proved,  that  all  competition,  within  an  extensive 
circle,  was  found  unavailing.  The  establishment  of  Mr. 
Edgarton,  therefore,  was  converted  to  some  other  and 
more  lucrative  employment. 

Mr.  James  Wilson,  an  Irish  immigrant — and  the  first 
and  only  one  that  obtained  naturalization  in  Shirley  for 
nearly  three-quarters  of  the  first  century  of  its  incorpor- 
ation— erected  the  ybwr//^,   and  last  clothing-mill.     It  was 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  4? 

situated  upon  the  Mulpus,  and  was  rented  to  Levi 
Wheeler,  who  did  a  snug  business  for  three  or  four  years. 
But  the  same  fate  awaited  his  endeavors  that  had  been 
visited  upon  all  of  his  craft ;  families  came  into  the  use  of 
foreign  fabrics  for  clothing,  and  "home-made  wear"' 
became  an  obsolete  phrase. 

In  immediate  connection  with  this  mill  Mr.  Wilson 
had  a  carding  manufactory.  Here  he  wrought  with  his 
own  hands,  until  infirmity  deprived  him  of  the  use  of  his 
limbs.  This  mill  lived  to  witness  the  departure  of  all  of 
its  kind  within  a  wide  vicinity,  and  received  the  fleeces  of 
the  cossets,  that  were  attached  to  man\'  farms,  long  after 
the  larger  flocks  had  departed. 

The  manufacture  of  cotton  yarn  and  cotton  cloth  by 
power  machinery,  secured  an  early  advent  in  Shirle}-. 
The  /f^'5/  cotton-mill  was  set  up  in  1812.  It  was  situated 
on  the  Catacunemaug,  nearly  on  the  site  of  the  present 
manufactory  of  cottons,  owned  b}'  N.  C.  Munson.  It  was 
built  by  a  company  from  Harvard,  consisting  of  Samuel 
Willard,  Joel  Willard  and  Zaccheus  Gates.  Before,  how- 
ever, it  was  completed  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  Joseph 
Edgarton,  who  sold  it  to  Merrick  Rice  of  Lancaster. 
Moses  Carlton,  also  of  Lancaster,  soon  bought  a  joint 
interest  in  the  stock,  and  eventually  became  sole  pro- 
prietor. After  losses  occasioned  by  a  fluctuation  of 
profits,  and  by  litigation,  the  property  was  transferred 
back  to  Joseph  Edgarton  and  Company  in  1818.  This 
company  continued  tlie  manufacture  of  cottons,  with  varied 
success,  unto  the  year  1834,  when  the  great  depression 
came  upon  the  manufacturing  interests  of  New  England, 
and  Edgarton  &  Co.  were  swept  away  in  the  current 
of  failures  that  overspread  the  land.  The  building  that 
had  so  long  been  occupied  as  a  cotton-mill,  stately  in 
appearance,  and  clustering  with  varied  associations,  now 
passed  to  other  uses  which  will  be  referred  to  in  their 
places. 

The  second  cotton  manufactory — which  is  known  as 
the  Fort-Pond  Mill — was  built   by  Joseph  Edgarton  and 


48  '  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Lemuel  Willard.  It  is  situated  on  the  southern  branch  of 
the  Catacunemaug,  and  is  on  the  more  western  privilege 
of  that  stream.  In  about  the  year  1840  it  became  the 
property  of  Hiram  Longley,  who  greatly  enlarged  and 
improved  it.  Subsequently  it  passed  into  the  possession 
of  Israel  Longley,  who  connected  it  with  the  Shirley 
Cotton  Mill,  and  occupied  it  as  the  weaving  department 
of  his  general  manufactory.  It  was  at  this  time  supplied 
with  fifty-six  looms,  but  in  1868  it  was  consumed  by  fire 
with  all  its  machinery. 

In  1877  this  privilege,  with  the  mills  that  had  been 
erected  upon  it,  the  appertaining  dwellings  and  contiguous 
buildings,  were  purchased  by  Nathaniel  W.  Cowdrey,  late 
of  Lunenburg,  an  enterprising  business  man  and  manu- 
facturer. He  introduced  the  making  of  "leather  board" 
and  has  continued  the  occupation  unto  the  present  time, 
turning  out,  upon  an  average,  five  tons  of  this  product 
per  week. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  year  1881,  Mr.  Cowdrey 
added  to  his  existing  works  a  new  mill  for  sawing  lumber 
and  stave  material,  and  during  the  year,  just  closed,  has 
sawed  out  700,000  feet  of  lumber  and  600,000  staves.  In 
these  different  occupations  Mr.  Cowdrey  has  kept  in  his 
service  an  average  of  fifteen  employes. 

Immediately  connected  with  this  sawing  establishment 
is  a  coopering  manufactory,  which  is  under  the  conduct 
of  Granville  Fairbanks,  who  turns  out  12,000  casks,  of  dif- 
ferent dimensions,  per  month. 

The  third  cotton  manufactory  was  built  on  the  site  of 
the  first  corn-mill,  and  its  machinery  was  propelled  by  the 
waters  of  the  Catacunemaug.  Israel  Longley,  Sen.,  was 
Its  original  proprietor,  but  he  dying  before  its  completion, 
it  became  the  property  of  Thomas  Hazen.  It  was  ready 
for  use  in  1824,  and  was  for  many  years  rented  by  John 
Smith,  Esq.,  who  subsequently  removed  to  Barre,  and 
was  there  extensively  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
cotton  fabrics  unto  the  period  of  his  death.  This  manu- 
factory— known  as  the  Shirley  Cotto)i  Mill — was  subse- 
quently   stocked  with   machiner}',  and  operated  by  Israel 


kJ 


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o 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  49 

Longley — son  of  the  original  proprietor — for  many  years. 
It  had  2,400  spindles,  and,  in  connection  with  Fort-Pond 
Mill,  manufactured  698,880  yards  of  brown  sheetings 
annually.  This  mill  was  destroyed  by  fire  May  26, 
1867. 

The  fotirth  cotton  manufactory  is  also  situated  upon 
the  Catacunemaug,  a  few  rods  below  the  bridge  which 
spans  the  river  at  the  principal  thoroughfare  of  the  village. 
It  bears  the  name  of  Frcdonia  Mill,  and  was  built  by  a 
company  of  the  same  name,  which  was  incorporated 
Feb.  16,  1832.  It  is  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  long, 
thirty-six  feet  broad  and  three  stories  in  height.  It  runs 
3,280  spindles,  and  sixty-eight  looms,  and  employs  fifty-six 
operatives.  It  manufactures  1,189,000  yards  of  light 
brown  sheetings  per  annum.  Unto  the  year  1863,  from 
its  commencement,  Messrs.  Israel  Longley  and  Willard 
Worcester  were  the  proprietors  of  this  establishment,  who 
from  an  early  date  ceased  its  operation  under  its  original 
act  of  incorporation.  Upon  the  death  of  one  of  these 
gentlemen  it  passed  into  the  possession  of  L.  and  C.  W. 
Holbrook  and  C.  W.  Smith,  under  the  name  of  Levi  Hol- 
brook  &  Co.,  and  so  remained  unto  the  year  1868,  when 
the  Holbrooks  sold  their  interest  in  the  company  to  J.  E. 
Smith.  The  firm  is  now  known  as  that  of  C.  W.  &  J.  E. 
Smith.  They  are  the  enterprising  sons  of  John  Smith, 
who  for  a  time  rented  and  run  the  Shirley  Cotton  Mill. 
Connected  with  the  Fredonia  mill  is  a  spacious  boarding 
house,  and  several  smaller  houses  erected  for  the  accom- 
modation of  married  operatives.  The  whole  is  under  the 
personal  charge  of  Mr.  Levi  Holbrook,  whose  careful 
habits  and  courteous  manners  well  adapt  him  to  the 
responsible  position  to  which  he  has  been  appointed. 

Near  the  saw-mill  erected  in  1829  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Hazen,  at  the  village  called  "The  North  Bend,"  the  same 
enterprising  proprietor  built  a  cotton-mill  in  1840,  with 
several  tenement  houses.  It  bore  the  name  of  ''Lake 
Mill,''  and  was  first  occupied  for  a  short  time  by  Mr. 
Oliver  Barrett.     It  was  subsequently  enlarged  and  run  by 

7 


50  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

the  proprietors  of  the  Fredonia  mill  for  a  few  years, 
when  it  passed  into  the  occupancy  of  a  company  from 
Boston  who  continued  to  rent  it  up  to  Sept.  17,  1866,  when 
it  was  destroyed  by  fire,  communicated  by  a  defect  in  the 
picking  machine.  This  mill,  \\\^  fifth  cotton  manufac- 
tory, was  furnished  with  two  thousand  spindles,  fifty- 
two  looms,  and  manufactured  524,000  yards  of  brown 
sheetings  per  annum. 

The  sixth  cotton  manufactory  stands  on  the  lower 
privilege  of  the  Catacunemaug,  but  a  short  distance 
above  its  junction  with  the  waters  of  the  Nashua,  and  but 
a  few  rods  below  the  Fredonia  mill.  It  was  built  by  the 
Shaker  Community,  who  gave  it  the  name  of  " Phcenix 
Mill.''  Its  foundation  was  laid  in  1849,  ^"^  ^^^  super- 
structure completed  in  1850.  The  building  is  of  brick, 
and  is  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  long,  fifty  feet  broad,  and 
three  stories  high  exclusive  of  the  attic,  which  is  filled 
with  machinery.  It  is  surmounted  by  a  tower  in  which  is 
a  fine-toned  bell.  The  whole  structure  was  finished  with 
great  care  and  expense.  Connected  with  it  are  three 
blocks  of  brick  houses,  two  stories  high,  and  each  block 
has  four  tenements.  These  are  designed  for  those  opera- 
tives who  have  small  families  and  wish  to  be  housekeepers. 
Exclusive  of  these,  is  a  large  boarding  house,  built  of 
brick,  three  stories  high,  and  sufficiently  large  to  accom- 
modate all  operatives,  not  connected  with  families,  and 
who  wish  to  be  boarders.  A  large,  beautiful  and  well 
situated  mansion,  for  the  use  of  the  company's  agent, 
belongs  to  the  establishment, — furnished  at  the  expense 
of  the  proprietors. 

When  ready  for  occupancy  the  buildings  and  privilege 
were  rented  to  a  firm  from  New  Bedford,  that  originally 
bore  the  name  of  "Steam  Mill  Company  ;"  but  which,  on 
coming  to  Shirley,  dropped  that  appellation  and  assumed 
that  of  "Phoenix  Company."  The  lessees  supplied  the  mill 
with  shafting  and  machinery  and  took  possession  of  it  in 
the  spring  of  1852.  They  give  employment  to  about  one 
hundred  persons,  a  large  portion  of  whom  are  foreigners. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  51 


and  more  than  one-half  females.  The  mill  runs  5,( 
spindles, — 3,i68  mule  spindles  and  2,520  ring  and  traveler 
spindles, — and  130  looms.  The  fabrics  made  are  brown 
and  bleached  sheetings.  The  amount  capable  of  manu- 
facture in  a  year — the  mill  in  full  operation — is  1,050,000 
yards.  Through  the  careful  supervision  of  the  agents, 
the  community  connected  with  this  manufactory  have 
observed  the  moral  proprieties  of  life,  though  many  of  its 
members  are  of  the  lower  class  of  foreigners,  and  pos- 
sessed of  little  mental  or  educational  culture. 

This  mill  has  added  much  to  the  valuation  of  the 
town,  and  to  its  business  facilities ;  and,  notwithstanding 
the  disasters  to  which  it  has  been  subjected  during  its 
brief  history,  it  has  been  a  source  of  no  mean  income  to 
its  original  or  its  present  proprietors.  The  capital  stock 
of  the  company  is  $60,000.* 

To  give  this  mill  a  supply  of  water  in  times  of 
drought,  and  also  to  secure  the  same  facilities  for  other 
privileges  on  the  stream,  a  reservoir  company  was  formed 
by  the  interested  parties,  by  whose  efforts  the  value  of 
the  water-power  in  the  valley  of  the  Catacunemaug  was 
greatly  increased.  The  northern  branch  of  this  river 
is  supplied  by  two  large  ponds,  which,  in  their  natural 
state  cover  areas,  one  of  sixty  acres,  and  the  other  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres.  In  the  year  1852  the  Reser- 
voir Company  threw  a  dam  across  the  stream  at  a  feasible 
point,  and  thus  enlarged  their  area  of  water  by  the  addition 
of  seven  hundred  acres  of  pond.  And  should  the  manu- 
facturing business  of  the  valley  demand  the  expenditure,  a 
similar  improvement  may  be  made  on  the  southern  branch 
of  the  river,  which  has  for  its  source  Fort  Pond  in  Lancas- 
ter. In  its  present  state  this  pond  covers  an  area  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  acres. 

On  the  second  day  of  July,  1856,  the  reservoir  dam 
gave  way,  and  the  mass  of  water  which  it  had  held  in 
reserve  poured  down  the  valley,  overflowing  its  banks, 
and  inundating  fields  and  meadows  with  its  turbid  waves. 


^See  Appendix  D. 


52  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Four  road  bridges,  five  mill-dams,  two  blacksmith  shops, 
one  saw-mill,  and  some  smaller  buildings,  with  one  rail- 
road bridge,  were  swept  away,  and  other  structures  were 
partially  undermined  and  injured.  This  was  a  sad  day 
for  the  town  in  general  and  for  its  manufacturing  interests 
in  particular.  The  estimated  loss  occasioned  by  this  dis- 
aster— public  and  private — was  about  $50,000. 

The  cause  of  this  calamity  has  not  been  fully 
determined.  The  dam  had  braved  all  the  force  of  the 
spring  freshets,  and  at  the  time  of  its  failure  the  water  was 
two  and  a  half  feet  below  the  mark  of  high  water. 
Undaunted  by  disappointment  and  loss,  the  Reservoir 
Company  immediately  commenced  a  reconstruction  of 
their  dam,  and  in  prosecuting  their  work  they  aimed  to 
place  their  structure  in  a  position  of  such  security  as  to 
bear  any  pressure  of  water  to  which  it  could  be  subjected. 
The  roll  is  of  stone,  bedded  on  a  solid  foundation  and 
jointed  with  great  care.  This  foundation  is  protected  by 
plank  spiles  driven  five  feet  into  the  solid  earth.  These 
spiles  are  continued  the  whole  length  of  the  dam,  and  its 
massive  embankments  are  sustained  by  a  central  wall  of 
strong  brick  masonry,  and  the  whole  is  declared  finished 
in  a  substantial  and  workmanlike  manner.  The  Phoenix 
Mill,  with  its  dependencies  of  canals,  dams  and  general 
fixtures,  is  a  work  highly  creditable  to  the  enterprise  of 
that  peaceful,  retiring,  and,  as  some  falsely  suppose,  inert 
people,  the  Shakers.  After  a  time,  they  conveyed  this 
property  to  the  company  that  had  occupied  the  mill  from 
its  erection.  In  1881,  however,  it  was  purchased  by  C. 
W.  and  J.  E.  Smith,  the  enterprising  proprietors  of  the 
Fredonia  manufactory,  who  turn  out  the  same  kind  and 
quality  of  goods  as  their  predecessors.* 

The  seventh  cotton  manufactory  in  town  came  into 
being  these  latter  days,  being  founded  in  1865,  by  N.  C. 
Munson, — whose  name  will  frequently  appear  in  these 
pages.  It  stands  on  the  privilege  of  the  first  cotton-mill 
and    very    properly    bears    the    name    of  "The    Edgarton 


*See  Appendix  D. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  53 

Manufactory."  It  is  an  imposing  structure,  three  stories 
in  height,  one  hundred  and  fourteen  feet  in  length,  and 
forty-five  feet  in  breadth.  It  runs  3,400  spindles,  80  looms, 
and  employs  fifty  operatives.  The  fabric  which  it  manu- 
factures is  brown  sheetings, — 14,000  yards  per  week. 
It  is  composed  of  brick,  and  is  an  exhibition  of  correct 
taste,  both  in  the  form  of  its  structure  and  neatness  of  its 
finish.  It  is  warmed  by  steam,  which  pervades  every 
part  of  it  and  emits  a  very  even  and  healthy  temperature. 
It  gives  employment  to  several  families,  adds  to  tlie  val- 
uation of  the  town,  and  is  a  monument  of  the  enterprise  of 
its  proprietor. 

The  paper  enterprise,  in  point  of  time  and  impor- 
tance— stands  next  to  the  manufactory  of  cottons.  In  the 
latter  years  of  the  last  century,  Jonas  Parker — a  native  of 
Shirley — and  his  brother  Thomas  Parker,  left  their  home 
and  resided  one  year  in  Waltham,  where  they  acquired 
the  art  of  paper-making.  They  returned  to  Shirley,  and 
in  connection  with  John  Edgarton,  Esq.,  built  the  frst 
paper-mill.  It  was  located  on  the  Catacunemaug — on  the 
spot  afterward  occupied  by  the  fork  manufactory  of 
Messrs.  Pope  &  Co.  The  announcement  that  paper- 
making  was  about  to  be  added  to  the  other  enterprises  of 
the  town  created  quite  a  sensation  among  its  yeomanr}-, 
and  all  looked  with  anxiet}^  for  a  full  development  of  the 
plan.  It  was,  however,  but  a  humble  effort  compared 
with  what  has  since  been  put  forth  in  the  same  direction. 
The  mill  had  but  one  engine,  and  that  of  an  inferior 
quality  ;  and  no  other  drying  process  was  then  known  but 
the  slow  one  by  sun  and  air.  The  enterprise  was,  not- 
withstanding, a  great  novelty  in  this  vicinity. 

After  a  few  years  of  trial,  without  any  marked 
results,  the  Parkers  sold  their  interest  in  the  concern  to 
Lemuel  Willard  and  Brother,  who  eventually  conveyed 
the  property  to  Joseph  Edgarton  &  Co.  This  firm,  after 
an  indifferent  run  of  business  for  several  years,  suspended 
it  in  that  place,  and  the  building  was  converted  into  a 
batting-mill.  It  continued  in  that  use  until  the  year  1837. 
when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire. 


54  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

The  Edgarton  Compan}^  having,  by  this  initiatory 
experience,  become  interested  in  the  paper-making  busi- 
ness, now  resolved  to  push  forward  the  enterprise  on  an 
enlarged  scale.  They  accordingly,  in  1828,  built  a 
second  mill  on  the  Nashua  river,  near  the  saw  and  corn- 
mills  erected  by  Joshua  Longley,  noticed  on  a  preceding 
page. 

Henry  P.  Howe  was  appointed  superintendent  of  this 
mill,  which  was  two  stories  in  height,  the  upper  part  being 
entirely  occupied  for  drying  purposes.  Mr.  Howe  was  a 
skilful  machinist,  and  he  devised  various  artificial  methods 
to  remedy  the  long  process  of  air  dr3ing.  He  finally  hit 
upon  the  plan — which  was  subsequently  patented — of  the 
"fire-dryer."  The  wonderful  machine,  after  many  trials, 
alterations  and  amendments,  was  at  length  completed,  and 
put  in  operation  with  satisfactory  results.  It  is  hardly 
possible  to  describe  the  astonishment  which  the  new  enter- 
prise created.  The  dull  way  of  grinding  the  material, 
pressing  it  into  sheets,  and  then  passing  it  through  a  long 
season  of  air  drying,  was  a  tedious  method  of  producing 
one  of  the  most  important  articles  of  domestic  and  business 
use  ;  and  such  was  the  imperfection  of  the  material  thus 
produced  that  it  would  hardly  be  regarded  worthy  the 
meanest  service  to  which  paper  is  devoted  at  the  present 
day.  By  the  invention  of  Mr.  Howe,  ih^pulp  was  received 
at  one  extreme  end  of  the  machine,  and  after  passing 
through  a  complicated  process  of  change  and  preparation, 
was  discharged  at  the  other  end,  finished  paper,  ready 
for  immediate  use. 

The  reputation  of  the  inventor  was  now  sufiiciently 
established  to  warrant  him  in  undertaking  the  manufacture 
of  paper-making  machinery  with  the  Jire-drycr.  He 
accordingly  fitted  up  a  machine  shop — near  the  paper-mill 
— in  1833,  and  there  carried  on  the  business  for  the  space 
of  three  years,  when  he  removed  to  Worcester,  where  he 
soon  after  died.  The  fire-dryer,  which  promised  so  much 
in  the  outset,  has  been  superseded  by  steam  drying,  which 
is  the  most  felicitous  way  of  making  paper  that  ever  has 
or  probably  ever  will  be  invented. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  55 

The  Edgarton  manufactory  now  assumed  a  new- 
appearance.  Four  engines  were  added  to  the  four 
already  in  use,  and  while  an  extension  of  the  building 
was  required,  the  spacious  drying-room  above  was  no 
longer  needed.  Under  the  direction  of  different  con- 
tractors the  work  was  continued  until  June  15,  1837,  when 
it  was  destroyed  by  fire  with  all  its  contents,  including 
several  tons  of  finished  paper.  John  M.  Sherwin,  one  of 
the  operatives,  fell  a  victim  to  the  conflagration. 

For  a  few  years  after  the  destruction  of  this  mill  the 
privilege  remained  unoccupied  ;  but  in  1842  Mr.  Eli  Page 
purchased  it,  and  erected  upon  it  another  building  for  a 
paper-mill.  When  finished  it  was  first  rented  to  Moses 
Carlton  of  Lancaster,  but  soon  after  it  was  transferred  to 
John  L.  Hollingsworth,  who  greatly  enlarged  and  im- 
proved the  establishment.  Its  pecuniary  capital — while  in 
charge  of  Hollingsworth — was  $20,000,  and  the  amount 
of  paper  manufactured  yearly  was  50,000  reams. 

In  1852  it  passed  into  the  occupation  of  Stephen 
Roberts,  an  old  paper-maker,  who,  for  several  years  did 
a  large  business,  and  a  business  as  profitable  as  large. 
When  in  successful  operation  he  turned  out  one  ton  of 
manilla  paper  per  day.  It  was  made  of  ropes — the  cast- 
oft'  cordage  of  vessels — and  dyed  with  ochre.  It  had  a 
smooth  surface,  strong  texture,  and  was  used  for  wrappers, 
envelopes,  and  various  other  purposes.  To  keep  the  mill 
in  constant  action  required  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons  of 
coal  per  annum. 

When  Mr.  Roberts  left  the  town,  the  old  mill  building 
was  removed,  and  a  new  and  stately  structure  was  erected 
in  its  place.  This  was  occupied  by  John  Roberts,  son  of 
Stephen,  for  a  short  time,  when  it  shared  the  fate  of  so 
many  of  the  Shirley  manufactories,  being  destroyed  by  fire. 

Its  place  was  soon  supplied  with  another  building,  but 
since  the  territory  on  which  it  stands  has  ceased  to  be  a 
portion  of  the  town,  we  must  leave  any  further  account  of 
it  to  the  future  historian  of  Ayer. 

The  next  paper  manufactory  was  set  up  in  the  South 
village,   by   William   Edgarton,  son  of  Joseph  Edgarton, 


5G  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

the  veteran  manufacturer  of  Shirley,  whose  name  is  more 
largely  connected  with  manufacturing  enterprise  than  any 
other.  And  it  is  worthy  of  note,  that  in  this  establishment 
of  his  son  he  spent  his  concluding  days  of  labor,  and  went 
from  the  daily  toils  of  the  mill  to  the  retirement  of  domes- 
tic regard  and  attention  to  die  !  It  is  also  a  singular 
coincidence  that  the  very  edifice  which  was  the  first  dawn 
of  the  manufacturing  interest  in  town, — where  the  first 
cotton  machinery  was  employed,  and  where  Mr.  Edgarton 
expended  a  large  share  of  his  business  life, — should  be  so 
far  recuperated,  after  years  of  neglect,  as  to  open  to  him  a 
theatre  of  industrial  action  for  the  waning  period  of  his 
existence.  But  so  it  was.  After  the  business  pressure  of 
1834,  ^^  ^^^^  dismantled  of  its  cotton  machinery  ;  its  upper 
rooms  w^ere  never  more  improved,  and  it  presented  only 
the  outward  semblance  of  its  former  glory.  The  base- 
ment, however,  was  improved  as  a  paper  manufactory,  as 
the  reader  has  seen.  It  was  furnished  with  a  steam-dryer, 
and  turned  out  about  four  hundred  reams  per  week.  It 
was  a  coarse  wrapping-paper,  the  material  out  of  which  it 
was  wrought  being  principally  straw. 

In  1837  the  building  on  the  Squannacook  river, 
which  was  erected  by  the  Messrs.  Rockwood  as  a 
clothier's  establishment,  was  enlarged  and  made  the 
fourth  paper-mill  in  Shirley.  It  was  conducted  by  dif- 
ferent proprietors  until  1853,  when  it  became  the  property 
of  Oliver  Howe,  who  rented  it  for  a  few  years  to  Harrison 
G.  Hartwell.  In  1857  Mr.  Howe  sold  his  interest  in  the 
mill  to  Benjamin  F.  Bartlett  of  Pepperell,  who  for  a  season 
devoted  it  to  the  manufacture  of  coarse  wrapping-paper. 
It  is  now  owned  by  Edwin  H.  Sampson,  the  enterprising 
proprietor  of  the  larger  works  on  the  Groton  side  of 
the  river.  Another  structure,  with  a  steam  engine,  has 
been  connected  with  it,  and  both  mills  are  used  for  the 
manufacture  of  leather-board.  The  amount  manufac- 
tured on  the  Shirley  side  of  the  river  is  one  ton  per  day. 

In    1868  Mr.  Samuel  Hazen  built  the  _/^?//  paper-mill 
in  town.     It  was  located  near  the  site  of  the   Lake  Mills, 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  57 

then  recently  destroyed  by  fire.  When  completed  it  was 
occupied  for  a  time  by  Andrew  and  Granville  Williams, 
but  eventually  was  rented  to  Stephen  Shepley,  a  native 
ot'  Shirley,  but  who  then  resided  in  Fitchburg,  and  who 
was  largely  engaged  in  paper-making  and  in  book  and 
stationery  traffic.  From  Mr.  Shepley  it  passed  into  the 
occupancy  of  its  present  proprietor,  B.  S.  Binney,  who 
manufactures  four  tons  of  paper  per  week,  all  of  which  he 
converts  into  bags  for  the  use  of  grocers,  etc.  These  bags 
are  made  by  machinery,  and  are  turned  oft'  at  the  rate  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  per  day. 

The  manufacture  of  farming  implements  from  iron  and 
steel,  has  engaged  the  attention  of  individuals  from  time 
to  time  in  Shirley. 

Not  far  from  the  close  of  the  Revolutionarv  war, 
Ebenezer  Pratt  erected  a  "forge" — as  it  was  denominated 
in  the  parlance  of  that  day — near  the  spot  on  which  the 
Wilson  carding-mill  afterward  stood,  on  the  waters  of 
the  Mulpus.  Here,  in  company  with  three  of  his  sons,  he 
made  scythes  for  a  few  years ;  but,  as  the  facilities  of 
despatch  in  this  kind  of  business  which  have  recently 
made  it  profitable  were  then  unknown,  it  was  found  to 
require  much  labor  for  a  small  return,  and  was  accord- 
ingly discontinued  after  a  fair  trial, — and  the  building, 
having  fallen  into  disuse,  was  left  to  decay. 

A  few  years  later  John  and  Benjamin  Edgarton  built 
a  similar  establishment  on  the  Catacunemaug,  which  was 
conducted  for  several  years  by  the  latter  gentleman,  but  it 
was  never  attended  with  very  signal  success,  and  at'ter  a 
trial  of  some  ten  years  was  abandoned. 

In  the  autumn  of  1850  a  mill  was  established  on  the 
Catacunemaug,  for  the  manufacture  of  farmers'  tools,  and 
was  kept  in  successful  operation  for  several  years. 
Messrs.  Pope  and  Parsons  were  the  proprietors.  Hay  and 
manure  forks  were  the  implements  to  which  their  attention 
was  mainly  given,  though  their  craft  was  by  no  means 
confined  to  these.  While  in  successful  operation  they  em- 
ployed   from    eight    to    ten    workmen.      They    consumed 

s 


58  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

nearly  i,ooo  bushels  of  charcoal  and  fifty  tons  of  pit  coal, 
and  wrought  into  utensils  some  eight  tons  of  cast  steel,  per 
annum.  The  annual  amount  of  finished  articles  did  not 
fall  short  of  five  hundred  dozens.  The  forks  that  were 
made  in  this  establishment  were  of  excellent  finish  and 
character,  and  it  was  a  matter  of  common  regret  that  the 
business  should  be  abandoned  in  town. 

Nail-making  has  also  received  some  patronage  in 
Shirley.  Not  far  from  the  year  1810,  William  Mcintosh 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cut  nails,  to  which  business 
he  devoted  his  labor  for  several  years,  but  he  eventually 
left  it  for  other  employments. 

In  the  year  1850  the  "Old  Red  Mill,"  which  was  the 
first  cotton  manufactory  in  town,  and  afterward  became  a 
paper-mill,  was  converted  into  a  shingle  and  planing  es- 
tablishment. It  was  used  for  this  purpose  until  May  of 
1855,  when  it  assumed  its  last  phase  of  usefulness.  It 
became  a  nail  factory.  William  B.  Edgarton  and  brothers 
employed  its  water-power  in  making  horse  nails.  Six 
machines  were  used  for  this  purpose,  and  the  business,  in 
that  and  in  the  building  which  succeeded  it,  was  con- 
tinued unto  the  year  1865.  Each  machine  was  expected 
to  manufacture  twenty-five  pounds  of  nails  per  day. 

On  the  eighteenth  of  September,  of  the  year  in  which 
the  "Old  Red  Mill"  became  a  nail  factory,  it  was  con- 
sumed by  fire.  This  occurred  on  a  clear,  still  evening, 
and  the  flames  had  unbroken  ascent,  in  spiral  forms,  pre- 
senting the  spectator  with  an  imposing  scene,  and  giving 
him  to  understand  that,  though  he  could  not  wrest  their 
victim  from  their  grasp,  they  should  seek  no  further  sacri- 
fice at  that  time.  Thus,  after  an  existence  of  thirty-eight 
years,  fell  this  early  monument  of  the  Shirle}'  manufactur- 
ing enterprise.  It  may  be  said  to  have  passed  away  b}' 
degrees,  for  nothing  but  its  basement  story  was  occu- 
pied after  its  true  glory  had  departed,  with  its  cotton 
machinery,  in  1837. 

Mrs.  Sarah  C.  E.  Mayo — whose  name  has  before 
occurred  in  these  pages  as  one   who  sung  the   praises  of 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  59 

the  river  on  the  banks  of  which  this  manufactory  stood — 
resumed  her  lyre,  at  a  subsequent  date,  in  honor  of  the 
"Old  Red  Mill."  She  did  not  live  to  witness  its  Jie?'y  end, 
else  that  might  have  found  a  prominent  place  in  her  song. 
In  the  extract  which  is  here  made  from  her  poem,  the 
reader  will  notice  the  tenderness  with  which  she  alludes  to 
her  father,  whose  last  labor  was  in  this  mill,  and  to  her 
sister,  a  few  years  her  elder,  and  but  a  few  years  before 
her  in  the  spirit  land  : 

"  Bright  in  the  foreground  of  wood  and  hill, 
Close  by  the  banks  of  my  native  rill, 
Rumbling  early  ere  dawn  of  light. 
Rumbling  late  through  the  winter  night. 
When  all  the  air  and  the  earth  is  still, 
Toileth  and  groaneth  the  old  red  mill. 


"  Fair  forms  once  moved  through  those  spacious  rooms, 
Fair  hands  once  tended  the  clattering  looms ; 
Those  walls,  with  the  spider's  tapestry  hung. 
With  the  music  and  laughter  of  youth  have  rung ; 
But  now  the  song  and  the  laugh  are  still. 
In  the  upper  lofts  of  the  old  red  mill. 

"  But  down  below,  still  the  work  goes  on ; — 
In  the  groaning  vortex  the  "waste"  is  thrown; 
While  heavily  turneth  the  ponderous  wheel. 
And  the  web  comes  forth  o'er  the  whirling  reel ; 
Good,  honest  service  it  doeth  still. 
That  shattered  and  wind-swept  old  red  mill. 

"  And  one, — who  with  long  and  patient  care 
Kept  guardian  watch  o'er  the  labors  there. 
Who  at  early  hiorning,  and  evening  late. 
By  those  groaning  engines  was  wont  to  wait, 
That  he  with  comfort  his  home  might  fill, — 
No  longer  treads  through  the  old  red  mill. 

"  No  more  we  see  him,  with  silvery  hair, 
Slowly  ascending  the  broken  stair 
That  leads  from  the  doorway,  with  rubbish  strewed. 
Up  the  steep  green  bank  to  the  village  road  ; 
Or,  pausing  awhile  on  the  brow  of  the  hill, 
Gaze  thoughtfully  down  on  the  old  red  mill. 


GO  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

"  He  has  passed  away  with  his  kindly  smile, 
With  his  heart  so  cheerful  and  free  from  guile  ; 
Sweet  is  his  memory,  sweet  and  dear 
To  the  friends  that  loved  him  while  he  was  here; 
And  long  will  the  deeps  of  our  being  thrill 
To  the  memories  linked  with  the  old  red  mill. 

"  The  sire  has  passed,  and  ah  !  not  alone, 
Another  link  from  our  chain  is  gone  ! 
Another,  whose  heart  of  love  is  cold ; 
Whose  form  has  passed  to  the  dust  and  mould  ; 
No  more  will  she  cross  our  cottage  sill, 
Or  gaze  with  us  on  the  old  red  mill. 

"Then  let  old  Ruin  about  it  lurk; 
Let  it  rumble  on  in  its  dainty  work. 
It  will  pass  away  as  they  have  passed. 
For  we  all  must  tottle  and  fall  at  last ! 
Well  would  it  be  could  we  each  fulfil 
As  patient  a  lot  as  the  old  red  mill." 

In  the  early  part  of  the  present  century,  carriage- 
making  became  an  occupation  in  this  town.  One  Thomas 
Hunt  estabhshed  the  craft  in  the  south  village.  He  owned 
and  occupied  a  house — to  which  a  shop  was  attached — 
which  stood  on  the  ground  upon  which  Dr.  Augustus  G. 
Parker  afterward  erected  the  house  that  was  lately  owned 
by  Mr.  Hiram  Longley  of  Chicago.  The  work  of  Mr. 
Hunt  was  generally  of  a  coarse  description,  and  did  not 
extend  beyond  the  labor  of  his  own  hands.  After  he  left 
town  the  work  was  discontinued  in  that  place. 

In  1816  Joseph  Hoar  erected  a  wheelwright's  shop 
on  the  Mulpus,  in  the  easterly  part  of  the  town.  He  em- 
ployed four  workmen,  and  continued  the  business  for 
about  three  years.  In  1819  he  sold  his  shop  and  tools  to 
Joseph  Estabrook,  who  prosecuted  the  trade  until  1835, 
when  he  sold  the  establishment  to  Andrew  Shattuck.  In 
182 1  the  shop  and  contents  were  destroyed  by  fire,  but 
the  place  was  soon  furnished  with  a  new  building,  and  the 
business  was  retarded  but  for  a  brief  period. 

In  1840  the  place,  with  all  its  appurtenances,  passed 
into  the  possession  of  Harvey  Woods  &  Brothers,  who 
greatly    enlarged    and    improved    its    facilities.       It     was 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  61 

owned  by  them  for  several  years.  The  business '  passed 
from  this  firm  to  another  brother,  Moses  Woods,  and  from 
him  to  Henry  Brown  and  Oliver  Wing,  and  was  finallv, 
for  a  season,  under  the  sole  conduct  of  Mr.  Wing. 

These  men  manufactured  carriages  of  all  descriptions, 
and  in  almost  all  their  parts.  They  also  made  harnesses, 
and  some  kinds  of  upholstery.  For  several  years  there 
were  annually  made  at  the  establishment  six  hundred  rail- 
road carts,  and  in  the  times  of  the  Mexican  war,  and 
during  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  many  military  baggage 
wagons  and  ambulances  were  also  manufactured  here, 
and  the  proprietors  enjoyed  a  well-earned  reputation  for 
their  fidelity  as  business  operators.  In  187 1  the  whole 
establishment,  with  all  its  valuable  tools,  together  with  a 
large  boarding  house,  was  destroyed  by  fire,  which  was 
supposed  to  be  the  work  of  an  incendiary.  Messrs. 
Woods  employed  some  thirty  workmen,  and  their  enter- 
prise was  of  so  much  importance  to  the  little  village  where 
their  works  were  located  that  it  assumed  the  name  of 
Woodsvillc. 

In  1853  Emery  Williams  engaged  in  what  is  termed 
the  wheelwright  business,  at  the  South  Village.  His  shop 
was  connected  with  the  Hazen  Mills,  and  on  the  same 
water-privilege.  He  generally  employed  six  workmen, 
and  confined  his  labor  mostly  to  the  manufacture  of  car- 
riages for  the  use  of  farmers.  He  also  invented  a  washing 
machine  for  which  he  secured  a  patent. 

Connected  with  the  shop  of  Mr.  Williams  was  a 
window-blind  and  sash  manufactory,  of  which  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Sawtel  was  proprietor.  This  business  is  still  con- 
tinued in  the  neighborhood  in  a  limited  form,  but  the 
making  of  carriages  has  for  the  present  passed  away. 

The  manufacture  of  leather  has  been  prosecuted  to 
some  extent  in  Shirley.  About  the  year  1793  Nathan 
Adams,  of  Lunenburg,  came  to  town  and  purchased  the 
former  residence  of  Obadiah  Sawtel,  situated  on  Mulpus 
brook,  where    he  established    a   tannery.     He    continued 


Q2        .  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

there  until  1801,  when  he  sold  the  estate  to  Stephen 
Barrett,  of  Concord,  and  returned  to  Lunenburg. 

Mr.  Barrett  was  engaged  as  tanner  and  currier 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1856.  During  some 
twelve  years  of  this  period  he  and  his  sons  turned  out 
three  hundred  sides  of  leather  from  domestic  hides,  one 
thousand  from  foreign  hides,  and  two  hundred  calf-skins. 
Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Barrett  the  manufacture  of  leather 
has  been  discontinued  as  a  part  of  the  business  of  the 
town. 

In  the  year  1856  Alvin  White  and  William  White 
came  to  Shirley  and  purchased  the  estate  of  the  late  Peter 
Page,  located  on  Mulpus  brook,  and  connected  with  which 
is  a  saw-mill.  With  this  mill  they  united  a  basket  manu- 
factory. They  make  baskets  of  every  grade  and  size, 
from  those  that  hold  four  quarts  to  those  that  hold  four 
bushels.  Through  the  aid  of  power  machinery  the  basket 
material  is  rapidl}^  prepared  for  weaving,  and  during  the 
early  years  of  their  operation  they  turned  out,  of  all  sizes, 
about  twenty  thousand  per  annum. 

In  1861  Alvin  White  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the 
estate  to  his  brother,  and  purchased  another,  higher  up 
the  river,  which  he  has  greatly  enlarged  and  improved, 
and  where,  with  his  son,  he  makes  over  ten  thousand 
baskets  per  annum. 

William  White  and  Edwin  White  continue  their 
business  at  the  old  stand,  and  their  average  manufacture 
of  baskets  is  fifteen  thousand  per  annum  ;  and,  besides  the 
lumber  which  they  saw,  they  annually  prepare  five  hun- 
dred thousand  staves  and  shingles. 

The  Shakers  of  Shirley  have  always  been  devoted  to 
certain  branches  of  manufactures.  What  they  do  they  do 
well,  and  their  work  sustains  a  salable  reputation  at  all 
times.  They  vary  their  employments,  adapting  them- 
selves to  the  wants  of  the  people.  They  have  made 
agricultural  implements,  wooden  ware,  hair  sieves,  corn 
brooms,  grass  bonnets,  husk  mats,  feather  fans,  and  fancy 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  63 

articles  of  various  kinds.  They  cure  herbs,  make  apple 
sauce,  tomato  preserve,  distil  rose-water,  and  thus  meet  a 
want  nowhere  else  supplied.  Their  staunch  honesty,  in- 
dustrious habits  and  frugal  lives  may  be  seen  and  under- 
stood of  all  men.  This  gives  their  productions  a  ready 
sale,  the  proceeds  of  which  enable  them  to  live  above 
physical  want,  and  above  any  fear  of  future  poverty. 
Thev  are  neither  rich  nor  poor,  but  pursue  that  medium 
course  which  makes  them  satisfied  with  themselves  and  the 
world,  and  leaves  open  to  them  a  consistent  faith  in  another 
and  better  state. 

In  1861  Mr.  George  Sanderson  commenced  the 
manufacture  of  hoop  skirts,  and  his  business  has  been 
nearly  commensurate  with  the  article  with  which  he  has 
furnished  the  sex  to  whose  use  it  is  devoted.  He  has  kept 
in  general  employment  some  fifteen  workwomen,  and  has 
turned  out  weekly  about  864  skirts,  using  in  the  process 
880  lbs.  of  crinoline  wire  and  100  lbs.  of  crinoline  tape. 

The  enterprise  of  the  female  portion  of  the  Shirlev 
community  ought  not  to  be  overlooked  in  this  general 
record  of  its  business  operations.  For  many  years  almost 
every  family  had  some  of  its  members  engaged  in  braiding 
palm-leaf  hats.  This  business  was  so  profitable,  for  a 
time,  as  to  give  entire  households,  that  were  destitute  of 
most  other  means  of  support,  comfortable  and  sometimes 
thriving  livelihoods.  It  assisted  others  to  redeem  their 
estates  when  under  deep  pecuniary  embarrassments  ;  and 
others,  still,  to  purchase  and  maintain  permanent  homes. 
In  the  year  1837  seventy  thousand  of  these  hats  were 
manufactured,  and  were  valued  at  $12,333:00. 

Sometime  in  the  year  1872  Charles  A.  Edgarton  & 
Co.  commenced  the  manufacture  of  tape, — by  the  aid  of 
ingenious  machinery  then  recently  patented, — occupying 
a  mill  located  on  the  site  of  the  Fort-Pond  cotton  manufac- 
tory (which  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1868).  The  manu- 
facture of  suspender  webbing  and  elastic  goods  was  added 
to  the  business,   and  eventually  grew  to  be  the  principal 


64  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

line  of  manufacture.  In  1878  new  and  improved  ma- 
chinery was  introduced,  whereby  the  company  were  en- 
abled to  turn  out  a  superior  quality  of  goods  ;  and  the 
business  so  far  increased  that  enlarged  accommodations 
became  a  necessity.  Accordingly,  in  1881,  the  company 
(having  now  changed  to  Charles  A.  Edgarton  &  Son,) 
erected  a  new  factory,  in  dimensions  28  x  80  feet,  and  two 
stories  high,  independent  of  the  basement.  This  building 
stands  upon  the  banks  of  the  Catacunemaug,  a  little  above 
the  first  privilege  used  by  the  early  settlers  for  mill  pur- 
poses, and  its  machinery  is  worked  by  a  steam  engine  of 
tifteen  horse  power.  It  runs  eighty  looms  and  other  re-  , 
quired  apparatus,  through  which  the  company  are  able  to 
turn  off  one  thousand  dozens  of  suspenders  per  week  from 
the  yarn.  And  for  character  of  material  and  skilfulness 
of  workmanship,  Messrs.  Edgarton  &  Son  may  safely  chal- 
lenge comparison  with  any  similar  establishment  in  the 
country. 

This  manufactory  has  added  much  to  the  business 
interest  of  the  town,  and  provides  a  healthy  and  lucrative 
occupation  for  fifty  employes,  of  different  ages — twenty-five 
from  each  sex. 

Such  is  a  brief  sketch  of  the  enterprise  of  the  past 
and  present  generations  of  Shirley  in  the  arts  above  spec- 
ified. For  some  three  score  years  there  has  been  a  blend- 
ing of  the  manufacturing  interest  with  that  of  agriculture. 
And  the  union  has  conduced  to  raise  the  general  standing 
of  the  town,  and  give  it  an  honorable  place  among  those 
by  which  it  is  surrounded. 

Indeed,  in  its  manufacturing  interests,  it  has  excelled 
all  of  its  immediate  vicinity,  except  Ayer,  and  "that  is  a 
place  of  yesterday."  Let  its  inhabitants  carefully  improve 
its  privileges  and  it  will  experience  that  steady  and  solid 
growth  that  can  neither  rescind  or  decay. 


M 
GO 

3 

o 


> 

o 
o 

o 


CHAPTER   IV. 

Sc/woh — Parker   School  Fund — Libraries^    and   College 
Graduates. 

While  Shirley  remained  a  part  of  Groton  territory  no 
school  was  established  within  its  bounds.  The  limited 
pecuniary  ability  of  the  settlers  precluded  the  ancient  town 
the  privilege  of  attending  to  the  literary  wants  of  the  in- 
habitants that  were  located  in  her  remote  sections,  (or 
"angles,"  as  the  outside  districts  were  called,)  and  these 
were  necessarily  left  without  any  public  means  of  instruc- 
tion. 

Even  after  Shirley  became  a  corporate  district,  it  was 
four  years  before  any  town  movement  was  made  to  estab- 
lish the  means  of  public  instruction.  Hence,  a  large  part 
of  an  entire  generation — the  last  of  which  "have  been 
gathered  to  their  fathers"  within  a  few  years — never  en- 
joyed the  privilege  of  passing  a  day  within  a  public 
school-voom.  And  yet,  as  there  were  but  few  of  that 
generation  who  could  not  read,  write,  and  cast  up  common 
accounts,  it  is  certain  that  home  instruction  was  not  neg- 
lected. Indeed,  it  is  known  that  several  individuals,  of 
respectable  standing  as  townsmen  and  town  officials, 
acquired  even  the  rudiments  of  learning  in  their  mother- 
tongue  after  they  had  arrived  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years, 
and  with  little  other  than  self-help  !  In  one  instance  an 
aged  man  told  the  writer  of  this  history  that  he  did  not 
know  even  the  lirst  letter  of  the  alphabet  until  after  he  was 
married ;  when,  through  the  assistance  of  his  wife,  he  se- 
cured such  a  knowledge  of  the  Hterary  requirements  of 
the  day,  as  enabled  him  to  hold  a  respectable  place  in 
society. 

u 


66  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

In  May,  1757,  the  town  voted  "to  have  a  school  for 
three  months,  and  to  have  it  commence  in  August  or  Sep- 
tember." This  school  was  convened  in  an  apartment  of 
the  dwelling-house  of  Mr.  Jonas  Longley.  The  same 
house  was  afterward  owned  and  occupied  by  Andrew 
Jackson  Reed,  and  stood  on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Augustus  Holden.  This  house — together  with  a  large 
barn,  then  recently  erected,  and  filled  with  hay  and  grain — 
was  destroyed  by  fire  Aug.  16,  185 1.* 

Schools  were  held  in  other  places,  from  time  to  time, 
down  to  the  opening  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  when 
— owinir  to  the  straitened  condition  of  the  town  finances — 
they  were  suspended  until  the  close  of  the  struggle  for 
independence.  The  happy  termination  of  this  struggle 
imparted  new  hope  to  the  people,  and  secured  increased 
educational  effort.  The  schools  were  then  resumed,  in- 
creased and  enlarged,  as  occasion  required,  giving  every 
child  an  opportunity  to  participate  of  the  benefits  of  public 
instruction. 

The  first  school-house  was  built  in  the  centre  of  the 
town,  for  the  use  of  all  the  children  in  town,  and  stood  on 
the  land  and  near  the  present  residence  of  Rev.  Seth 
Chandler.  It  was  a  very  humble  edifice,  about  twenty 
feet  square,  singly  covered  with  rough  boards,  without 
inside  ceiling,  but  was  furnished  with  a  cellar,  to  which 
access  was  gained  through  a  trap-door  in  the  centre  of  the 
room.  In  one  corner  of  the  apartment  stood  a  huge  fire- 
place, built  of  rough  stones,  and  surmounted  b}^  a  chimney 
of  the  same  material.  The  room  was  furnished  with  a 
few  seats  made  of  rough  planks,  and  with  writing  benches 
constructed  of  boards  over  which  a  plane  never  passed. 
To  facilitate  the  means  of  supporting  a  school  for  a  few- 
weeks  each  year,  it  was  customary  to  rent  the  building  to 
some  -pedagogue  or  school-niarm  as  a  tenement,  in  part 
payment  for  his  or  her  services  in  "teaching  the  young 
idea  how  to  shoot."   ■ 


*See  Appendix  E. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  67 

Dame  Nutting — as  she  was  reverently  called  at  the 
time,  by  people  of  every  age — occupied  this  responsible 
station  for  many  seasons.  Such  was  the  obesity  of  this 
female  official,  that  she  might  have  stood  beside  Falstaff 
himself  without  losing  aught  by  the  comparison.  To 
supply  therefore  the  defect  of  an  unwieldy  movement,  she 
kept  herself  supplied  with  a  stick — some  six  feet  in  length 
— with  which  she  reduced  her  urchin  crew  to  a  state  of 
due  subordination  while  seated  in  her  chair-throne,  from 
which  she  seldom  moved.  Hand  bells  had  not  then  been 
invented,  and  as  a  substitute  the  dame  would  step  outside 
the  door  and  ply  her  stick  to  the  weather-beaten  ceiling, 
as  a  warning  to  her  noisy  crew  that  her  recess  had  come 
to  a  close.  And  woe  to  the  recusant  wight  who  did  not 
heed  the  signal, — as  the  recent  notions  in  regard  to  cor- 
poral punishment  formed  no  part  of  the  school-code  in 
those  days. 

The  work  of  school-teaching  was  assumed  by  Dame 
Nutting  at  a  late  period  of  her  life.  In  her  younger  days 
she  broke  the  monotony  of  household  duties  by  a  very  dif- 
ferent employment.  She  made  occasional  excursions  to 
Boston,  and  procured  young  negroes — either  by  gift  or 
purchase, — for  whom  she  secured  homes,  at  a  price,  in 
Shirley  and  vicinity.  She  traveled  on  horseback,  and 
conveyed  her  infant  charge  in  panniers.  Andrew 
Mitchell,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution 
— and  from  whom  descended  several  families — was  one  of 
the  proteges  of  this  afterward  famous  school-dame. 

It  was  soon  found  that  the  one  school-house  would 
but  poorly  accommodate  all  the  children  in  town,  even 
when  distance  was  not  considered  ;  and,  hence,  three  sep- 
arate districts  were  established,  having  the  names  of  the 
Centre^  the  North  and  the  South.  The  Centre  claimed 
the  only  school-building, — that  which  has  been  described, 
— while  the  other  two  held  their  school-sessions  in  private 
houses.  The  North  was  convened  in  the  house  near  the 
present  north  school-house,  known  as  the  Reuben  Hartwell 
place,  and  the  South   in  different  places,    as   convenience 


68  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY, 

allowed.  Near  the  close  of  the  century  the  three  districts 
furnished  themselves  with  school-buildings  as  good  as  the 
times  would  permit.  That  at  the  north  occupied  the  site 
of  the  present  structure.  It  received  one  or  two  revisals 
in  the  course  of  its  time,  and,  in  1844,  gave  place  to  the 
one  now  in  use  ; — was  removed  and  devoted  to  the  purpose 
of  a  blacksmith  shop — the  same  now  owned  by  Charles 
Holden.  The  centre  school-house  stood  upon  the  common, 
near  the  present  location  of  the  First-Parish  meeting- 
house. In  the  South  district,  the  first  school-house  stood 
upon  the  side  of  the  road  opposite  the  dwelling  of  John 
Park,  Esq.  It  has  since  been  converted  into  a  dwelling- 
house. 

In  process  of  time  the  town  was  re-divided,  and 
formed  six  districts.  They  were  severally  called  the 
Middle,  South-Middle,  South,  North,  East  and  Southeast. 
Each  of  these  districts  erected  its  school-building,  and 
without  an  exception  they  stood  on,  or  near,  the  sites  of 
the  present  structures.  The  Shakers  had  a  school  by 
themselves,  and  it  constituted  the  Seventh  district.* 

Down  to  the  year  1843  the  buildings  for  the  use  of 
schools  were  erected  at  the  expense  of  the  several  districts. 
As  many  of  the  districts  were  small  they  could  afford 
nothing  but  cheap  edifices,  most  of  which  were  ill-con- 
structed and  uncomfortable.  At  the  last-named  date  the 
town  voted  to  assume  the  buildings,  at  a  fair  appraisement, 
and  they  have  all  been  exchanged  for  new  and,  in  most 
cases,  expensive  structures.  At  the  time  the  school  build- 
ings became  town  property,  each  had  its  number  at- 
tached to  it,  by  a  law  of  the  Commonwealth, — and  they 
have  since  continued  to  be  thus  designated. 

In  1846  District  No.  3  was  very  unnecessarily  di- 
vided, thus  forming  what  has  since  been  known  as  the 
Eighth  district. 

With  the  exception  of  three  of  the  school-buildings — 
those  in  No.  4,  No.  6  and  No.  8 — all  have  been  erected 


*See  Appendix  F. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  69 

since  1855.  They  were  all  constructed  on  a  new  and  im- 
proved plan,  are  of  brick,  and  furnished  with  patent  desks, 
and  in  every  way  well  adapted  to  their  intended  pur- 
poses. No.  3  is  sufficiently  large  to  accommodate  two 
departments  of  a  graded  school ;  it  is  thus  used,  and  the 
building  is  so  constructed  that  there  is  no  necessary  con- 
nection or  commingling  of  the  pupils  that  belong  to  the 
different  departments.  Within  the  last  twenty  years  more 
than  twenty  thousand  dollars  have  been  expended  on 
school-buildings,  the  amount  raised  for  the  support  of 
schools  nearly  trebled,  while  the  increase  of  population 
has  been  comparatively  small. 

The  public  finances,  for  several  years,  have  been 
sufficient  to  sustain  each  school  for  twenty-four  weeks 
during  the  year ;  and  for  the  future  the  time  will  be 
lengthened  to  thirty  weeks,  divided  into  three  terms  of  ten 
weeks  each.  Public  schools  have  been  lentjthened  by 
private  subscription,  from  time  to  time,  and  a  select  school 
of  three  months  has  usually  been  holden  in  the  basement 
of  the  town-hall,  in  the  autumn  of  the  year.  This  room 
is  large  and  well  ventilated,  and  otherwise  well  adapted 
to  the  purpose.* 

Much  larger  benefits  might  be  realized  from  the 
finances  of  the  school  if  all  the  schools  in  town  should  be 
reduced  to  the  principle  of  gradation.  This  might  be 
easily  done  by  transporting,  at  the  public  expense,  the  few 
scholars  who  live  in  the  remote  parts  of  the  town.  Three 
institutions,  of  each  three  grades,  would  complete  the 
school  organization  on  this  plan,  and  give  longer  terms 
and  better  schools,  at  less  cost,  than  at  present  exist. 
The  child  of  four  years  requires  a  different  method  of  in- 
struction and  discipline  from  the  pupil  of  fifteen  years,  and 
in  mixed  schools,  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances, 
difficulties  may  arise  which  not  seldom  defeat  the  ends  of 
instruction,  to  both  descriptions  of  learners. 

There  are  elderly  people  in  all  our  towns  who  can  see 
and  rejoice  over  the  contrast  between  present  school-facil- 
ities  and    those    experienced    in    their    early    days — when 


*See  Appendix  G. 


70  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

school-buildings  were  mere  hovels,  school-terms  limited 
to  six  or  eight  weeks,  and  text-books  confined  to  Dil- 
worth's  Speller,  the  New  Testament  and  Psalter,  and 
perhaps  Webster's  Third  Part,  and  none  but  "written 
Arithmetics."* 

In  1856  the  will  of  the  late  Hon.  Leonard  M.  Parker 
was  published,  and  as  he  had  left  a  bequest  for  the  estab- 
lishment and  support  of  a  High  School,  his  will  came  up 
for  the  action  of  the  town  in  a  public  meeting,  convened 
Aug.  4th  of  the    year  aforesaid. 

The  article  in  the  town-meeting  warrant  was  as  fol- 
lows : — "To  see  what  action  the  town  will  take  in  rela- 
tion to  the  bequest, — in  the  last  will  and  testament  of 
Hon.  Leonard  M.  Parker,  late  of  Shirley,  deceased,  and 
the  codicil  thereto  annexed, — for  the  endowment  of  a  High 
School  for  the  benefit  of  the  youth  of  the  town,  and  act 
anything  in  relation  thereto." 

The  action  of  the  town  in  the  matter  is  given  in  the 
following  record  : — "Voted,  to  accept  the  provisions  of  the 
will  of  Hon.  Leonard  M.  Parker,  late  of  Shirley,  de- 
ceased, testate,  and  of  the  codicil  thereto  annexed,  which 
will  was  proved  at  Probate  court,  in  Lowell,  Sept.  19th, 
1854,  ^y  which  will  the  said  testator  made  to  said  town  of 
Shirley  certain  bequests  for  the  endowment  and  support  of 
a  High  School,  for  the  benefit  of  the  youth  of  the  town." 
"Voted,  that  the  extracts  from  the  will  of  Hon.  Leonard 
M.  Parker,  containing  those  portions  relating  to  the  be- 
quests to  the  town  of  Shirley,  be   put  upon  record." 

The  following  extract  from  the  will  states  the  terms 
on  which  the  bequest  was  made,  and  its  publication  in  this 
place  will  furnish  to  all  who  would  consult  these  terms,  a 
convenient  means  of  reference  : 

"I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  town 
of  Shirley,  aforesaid,  the  sum  of  four  thousand  dollars,  to 
constitute  a  fund  for  the  endowment  and  support  of  a 
High  School  for  the  benefit  of  all  the  youth  of  the  town — 


*See  Appendix  H. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  71 

the  same  to  be  placed  under  the  superintendence  and  direc- 
tion of  the  following  persons,  as  a  board  of  trustees, 
viz  :  Rev.  Seth  Chandler,  Dr.  James  O.  Parker,  Zenas 
Brown,  Thomas  Edwin  Whitney,  Francis  H.  Kinnicutt, 
and  Joseph  Mason,  Esqs.  But  the  board  shaU  consist  of 
five  when  reduced  to  that  number  by  death  or  otherwise. 
They  shall  continue  in  office  five  years — provided  that  one 
of  the  four  first  above  named,  in  the  order  in  which  the}' 
are  named,  shall  go  out  of  office  at  the  end  of  each  of  the 
first  four  years  after  the  organization  of  the  board — the 
other  two  at  the  end  of  the  fifth  year ;  and  all  vacancies,  as 
they  occur,  shall  be  filled  by  the  board,  except  one,  w^hich 
may  always  be  filled  by  the  town,  at  a  meeting  duly 
warned  for  the  purpose,  the  board  to  determine  the 
vacancy  thus  to  be  filled  by  the  town. 

"The  choice  of  a  trustee,  by  the  board  and  by  the 
town,  shall  always  be  made  by  ballot ;  and  the  same  person 
may  be  re-chosen.  Three  members  shall  make  a  quorum 
for  the  transaction  of  business.  The  trustees  shall  not 
charge  for  their  services,  except  by  a  vote  of  the  town. 

"The  board  shall  be  organized  by  the  choice  of  a 
chairman  and  secretary.  They  shall  make  choice  of  all 
other  necessary  officers,  appoint  teachers  and  fix  their 
compensation — shall  determine  the  number,  age  and  qual- 
ification, of  pupils  to  be  admitted  to  the  school — shall  adopt 
all  necessary  rules  and  do  all  things  needful ;  and  they 
shall  keep  a  record  of  their  doings,  and  annually  make  a 
report  to  the  town,  showing  the  condition  of  the  school, 
the  state  of  the  fund,  and  the  manner  in  w^hich  the  income 
has  been  expended  or  invested,  as  the  case  may  be. 

"As  soon  as  the  board  see  fit  they  may  procure  an  act 
of  incorporation,  with  all  needful  powers  to  carry  this 
will  into  effect,  according  to  the  true  intent  and  meaning 
thereof,  and  for  the  most  effectual  investment  of  the  funds, 
to  ensure  to  the  town  their  safety.  And,  as  far  as  maybe, 
the  same  shall  be  invested  in  stocks  of  the  United  States 
and  of  this  State,  in  loans  to  towns  and  to  individuals  ; 
and  in  all  cases  of  loans  to  individuals  the  same  shall  be 
secured  by  mortgage  of  real  estate. 


72  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

"It  is  my  general  plan  and  intention  that  the  school 
shall  be  kept  at  least  six  months,  and,  ere  long,  ten 
months  in  each  year  forever,  as  the  income  of  the  fund  will 
admit.  And,  to  the  end  that  this  intention  may  be  fully  ac- 
complished, the  school  may,  from  time  to  time,  be  omitted 
one  year,  (but  not  exceeding  two  years  in  succession,)  for 
the  purpose  of  adding  the  income  to  the  principal,  and 
also  for  the  further  purpose  of  laying  out  the  income  in  the 
purchase  of  books,  maps,  globes,  apparatus  and  works 
essential  to  the  design  of  the  school, — meaning  also  to 
authorize,  in  due  time,  the  erection  of  needful  buildings. 

"It  is  my  further  plan  that  the  school  shall  be  estab- 
lished in  the  centre  of  the  town,  as  near  as  may  be,  being 
the  most  convenient  point  for  general  accommodation,  be- 
sides combining  quietness,  health,  and  pleasantness  of 
location,  with  much  beauty  of  natural  scenery. 

"The  school  is  always  to  be  kept  free  from  all  secta- 
rianism and  party  spirit,  in  matters  of  religion  and 
politics.  It  is  always  to  be  free  of  expense  to  all  availing 
of  its  benefits,  belonging  to  the  town, — but,  should  it  ever 
so  happen  that  more  may  be  accommodated,  the  trustees 
may  admit  scholars  from  other  towns,  free,  or  otherwise, 
at  their  discretion. 

"The  principal  composing  the  fund,  with  all  its 
accumulations,  shall  always  be  held  sacred  to  the  objects 
specified,  and  shall  never  be  encroached  upon  ;  but  the  in- 
come shall  be  received  and  faithfully  appropriated  by  the 
trustees  to  the  purposes  herein  contemplated.  The  town 
shall  have  the  right,  at  all  times,  to  examine  into  the  state 
of  the  school  and  of  the  funds,  and  the  doings  of  the 
trustees,  and  to  hold  them  to  a  faithful  accountability. 
Intellectual  and  moral  culture, — minds  richly  stored  with 
knowledge,  wisdom  and  virtue  : — these  are  the  best  lega- 
cies which  children  can  receive  from  their  parents. 

"These  are  the  life-preserving  powers  of  our  republican 
government.  The  design  of  this  school  is  to  furnish 
means  for  thus  cultivating  and  thus  enriching  the  minds  of 
the  young  through  coming  generations.     It  is  not  to  take 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  73 

the  place  of  the  common  schools  of  the  town,  but  to  come 
in  aid  of  them,  to  be  in  addition  to  them,  and  of  a  higher 
grade  ;  so  that  all,  at  a  suitable  age,  may  come  from  those 
schools  and  here  be  carried  forward  in  all  the  departments 
of  learning  essential  to  a  thorough  English  education." 

The  will,  of  which  the  above  is  an  extract,  bears  date 
May  25,  1854.  This  will  is  supplemented  b}"  a  codicil 
dated  June  28,  1854,  from  which  the  following  paragraphs 
are  taken  : 

"  Having  in  my  said  will  made  a  bequest  to  the  town 
of  Shirley  for  the  establishment  and  support  of  a  High 
School — and  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  into  effect,  as  far 
as  may  be,  m}'  plan  and  wishes — I  now^  will  and  direct  that 
the  rirst  interest  which  shall  accrue  on  the  amount  so  be- 
queathed by  me,  shall  be  appropriated  to  the  purchase  of 
a  piece  of  land,  northerly  of  my  house,  which  formerly  be- 
longed to  my  father.  I  mean  about  two  acres  ;  being  the 
spot  which,  in  the  account  of  the  proceedings  of  the  lay- 
ing the  corner-stone  of  the  town-house,  is  called  the 
Parker  Grove.  It  is  my  wish  and  intention  that  this 
shall  be  ever  owned  and  kept  by  the  town  as  a  public 
square,  to  be  enclosed,  laid  out  and  improved,  by  the  pres- 
ervation and  cultivation  of  trees,  and  otherwise,  and 
thereby  be  a  lasting  ornament  and  benefit  to  the  town.  It 
is  also  my  intention, — whenever  it  may  be  deemed  advis- 
able to  erect  a  building  for  the  accommodation  aforemen- 
tioned,— that  the  same  shall  be  placed  upon  some  portion 
of  this  ground. 

"It  was  the  earnest  wish  of  my  father  that  this  land 
should  be  owned  and  controlled  by  me  ;  but  circumstances 
caused  it  to  be  otherwise.  I  now  hope  and  trust  that 
whoever  may  be  the  owner,  at  the  time  of  my  decease, 
may  be  disposed  to  receive  a  fair  compensation  for  this 
cherished  vspot  of  my  early  days, — to  the  end  that  it  may 
be  owned  by  the  town  for  the  purposes  above  mentioned. 
And,  that  the  object  may  be  the  more  readily  effected,  I 
10 


74  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

give  and  bequeath  to  the  said  town  the  further  sum  of 
five  hundred  dollars,  to  be  added  to  the  school  fund  estab- 
lished by  my  said  will ;  or — if  the  Trustees  of  said  school 
fund  deem  it  best, — to  be  appropriated  by  them  at  once  to 
the  purchase  and  improvement  of  the  grounds,  aforemen- 
tioned, instead  of  taking  the  first  interest  of  the  school 
fund. 

"I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  said  town  of  Shirley,  the 
following  books,  for  the  beginning  of  a  library  for  the 
school  aforementioned,  to  wit : — My  large  quarto  Bible — 
Ancient  Charter  and  Colony  Laws — Plymouth  Colony 
Laws — Journal  of  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts — 
Revised  Statutes  of  Massachusetts — Sidney  on  Govern- 
ment, 3  vols. — The  Federalist,  2  vols. — Life  of  Jeiferson — 
Virginia  Debates — Heron's  Junius,  2  vols. — Shakespeare's 
Works — Bacon's  Essays — Trial  of  Warren  Hastings — 
Edinburgh  Enc3'clopasdia,  and  sundry  other  of  my  books, 
at  the  discretion  of  my  Executors,  including  agricultural 
works,  and  papers  of  all  kinds. 

"In  case  my  children  shall  prefer  not  to  hold  my  man- 
sion house  and  lands  adjoining,  with  all  the  houses  and 
buildings  thereon,  then  it  is  my  will  that  the  town  of 
Shirle}'  shall  take,  have  and  hold  the  same  in  fee,  at  the 
sum  of  three  thousand  dollars,  in  part  payment  of  the  said 
bequest  of  four  thousand  dollars." 

On  the  1 2th  of  July,  1856,  the  trustees  of  the  Parker 
School  Fund  held  their  first  meeting,  and  organized  by 
the  choice  of  the  two  trustees  first  named  in  the  will,  as 
president  and  secretary  for  the  ensuing  year.  The  exec- 
utors of  said  will  then  paid  over  to  them  the  bequest  to  the 
town,  that  appeared  in  said  will,  which  with  the  interest 
that  had  accrued  thereon  amounted  to  $4,772.62.  To  con- 
stitute this  sum  the  real  estate,  which  formed  a  part  of  the 
bequest,  was  valued  at  $3,000,  the  price  set  upon  it  by  the 
legator.  At  this  meeting  the  trustees  adopted  a  code  of 
by-laws  that  had  been  previously  prepared,  which  by-laws 
required  the  treasurer  to  give  suitable  bonds  for  the  faithful 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  75 

discharge  of  the  trust  committed  to  him.  The  article  re- 
quiring the  treasurer  to  give  bonds  was  aboHshed  at  the 
annual  meeting  in  June,  1872. 

In  1865  the  trustees  sold  the  real  estate,  which  com- 
prised the  mansion  house  and  adjoining  grounds,  for  the 
sum  of  $1,825,  the  other  parts  having  been  previously  dis- 
posed of  for  $525.  Thus,  after  nine  years,  the  whole  fund 
amounted  to  only  $5,653.04, — which  has  been  invested 
according  to  the  will  of  the  donor — and  now  (1872) 
amounts  to  $7,443.90.  The  rents  and  profits  of  the  real 
estate — while  in  the  hands  of  the  trustees — but  little  more 
than  paid  the  expense  that  was  incurred  in  repairs  and 
taxes  ;  and  the  sacrifice  that  attended  its  sale  accounts  for 
the  slow  growth  of  the  fund  exhibited  by  the  above 
figures. 

Although  but  little  benefit  can  be  realized,  for  many 
years,  as  the  result  of  the  Parker  School  Fund,  future 
generations  will  have  occasion  to  rejoice  in  the  wisdom 
and  goodness  of  the  man  who  furnished  them  with  such 
large  educational  advantages. 

Next  to  the  educational  institutions  for  the  instruction 
of  youth,  public  libraries  may  be  regarded  among  the 
efficient  means  of  mental  cultivation. 

These  meet  the  wants  of  persons  of  every  age,  for 
after  the  school-days  are  past,  books  not  only  assist  the  in- 
tellect to  retain  what  it  has  gained  through  teachers,  but 
help  it  to  advance  in  its  efforts  after  new  acquirements. 
And  as  few  families  can  be  furnished  with  a  choice  assort- 
ment of  even  the  common  literature  of  the  day,  combina- 
tions of  pecuniary  strength  is  a  New-England  resort  to 
supply  the  defect  of  individual  weakness. 

Shirley  has  never  exhibited  large  enterprise  in  the 
way  of  raising  and  sustaining  library  institutions,  and  yet 
this  source  of  cultivation  has  not  been  wholly  neglected. 
Not  far  from  the  year  1790  several  of  the  larger  families 
of  the  town,  aided  and  led  by  Rev.  Mr.  Whitney  who 
projected  the  work,  established  a  social  library  of  over 
one   hundred   volumes — to   which   a  few   were   afterwards 


7(5  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

added — of  the  choicest  literature  of  the  time,  and  much  of 
which  would  be  profitable  reading  in  all  time.  There 
were  no  works  of  fiction,  nothing  of  an  ephemeral  charac- 
ter,^but  standard  history  and  geography,  biography 
and  natural  science.  Remnants  of  this  library  are 
scattered,  here  and  there,  among  families  that  have 
descended  from  the  original  proprietors,  who  have  all 
passed  away.  It  has  had  its  day,  and  long  since  ceased 
to  be  an  object  of  interest ;  and  to  the  present  generation 
its  very  existence  is  generally  unknown.  Thomas  Whit- 
ney, Esq.,  David  Livermore  and  Zenas  Brown,  held, 
successively,  the  office  of  librarian.  Small  as  was  the 
collection,  it  was  of  great  value  when  family  collections 
were  confined  to  the  Bible,  a  volume  of  psalms  and  hymns, 
and  a  few  school-books,  and  v^hen  periodical  literature 
was  an  unknown  luxury. 

In  the  spring  of  1839  a  few  ladies,  connected  with  the 
First  Congregational  parish,  organized  an  association  for 
the  purpose  of  establishing  a  library  of  such  books  as 
would  "be  both  interesting  and  useful."  The  plan  of  their 
association  is  simple.  A  committee  of  three  is  annually 
chosen  whose  duty  it  is  to  have  the  general  care  and  over- 
sight of  the  books,  collect  and  make  proper  disposition  of 
the  funds,  and  appoint  a  librarian.  The  constitution  of 
the  association  requires  each  applicant  for  membership  to 
pay  a  fee  of  initiation,  and  each  member  to  pay  an  annual 
tax.  The  funds  that  have  in  this  way  been  derived, 
though  small,  by  judicious  management  have  enabled  the 
committee  to  make  yearly  additions  to  the  number  of  books 
in  the  library.  At  the  present  time  it  has  almost  seven 
hundred  volumes  that  may  be  changed  and  distributed 
each  week.  They  contain  much  of  the  current  literature 
of  the  day,  including  works  on  religion  and  ethics — his- 
tory and  biography — voyages  and  travels — philosophy  and 
the  arts — poetry  and  romance — and  general  miscellany. 
The  association  has  found  liberal  patrons  in  the  late 
William  Parker  and  William  F.  Whitney,  of  Boston.     The 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  77 

first  furnished  several  volumes  of  a  miscellaneous  char- 
acter, and  the  latter  gave  the  complete  histories  of  the  late 
William  H.  Prescott.  The  library  is  now  in  successful 
operation ;  has  sustained  the  unabated  interest  of  its 
patrons  and  their  families,  and  has  been  to  them  all  a 
source  of  comfort  and  information.  "Blessed  is  he  that 
readeth." 

Five  out  of  the  seven  school-districts  availed  them- 
selves of  the  state  appropriation  offered  in  1842 — on  con- 
dition that  as  much  more  should  be  added  by  a  town  tax 
or  b}'  individual  subscription — and  procured  the  "School 
Library"  published  under  the  direction  and  superintend- 
ence of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Education,  by  Marsh, 
Capen  &  Lyon,  late  of  Boston.  These  libraries  are  very 
much  neglected  by  the  people,  and  will  soon  be  entirely 
forgotten. 

The  several  Sunday-schools  have  juvenile  libraries, 
(with  which,  in  some  parishes,  books  for  adults  are  con- 
nected,) numbering  from  one  hundred  to  one  thousand 
volumes  in  each  parish. 

There  has  also  been  instituted  in  the  town  a  select 
agricultural  library,  but  it  does  not  receive  that  attention 
from  its  proprietors  that  its  merits  demand. 

The  number  of  persons  from  this  town  who  have 
sought  and  obtained  the  benefits  and  honors  of  a  collegiate 
education  is  small.  This  is  owing,  undoubtedly,  to  its 
limited  population,  the  pecuniary  inability  of  parents  to 
give  their  sons  the  privileges  of  a  public  education,  and 
the  general  inclination  of  the  young  men  of  the  town  to 
engage  in  mechanical  and  agricultural  pursuits. 

Nicholas  Bowes  Whitney  stands  first  on  the  list. 
He  was  a  son  of  Rev.  Phinehas  Whitney,  and  graduated 
at  Cambridge  in  1793,  having  pursued  his  preparatory 
course  in  the  academies  of  Groton,  and  New  Ipswich, 
N.  H.  He  adopted  his  father's  profession,  and  read 
divinity  under  his  direction  and  that  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Chaplin  of  Groton. 


78  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

On  the  first  day  of  January,  1800,  he  was  ordained 
over  the  Second  Congregational  Church  in  Hingham,  as 
colleairue  with  the  Rev.  Dr.  Shute.  Here  he  remained 
until  1833,  when,  at  his  own  request,  he  was  dismissed. 
He  died  Nov.  26,  1835,  aged  nearly  sixty-four  years. 

Mr.  Whitney  was  conservative  in  his  views,  both  as  a 
theologian  and  as  a  preacher.  He  was  Arminian  in  senti- 
ment, and  yet  he  called  no  man  master.  The  Scriptures 
were  his  sole  guide,  in  both  doctrine  and  practice,  and  he 
strove  to  secure  the  objects  of  his  calling  by  presenting 
bible  truth  in  its  natural  simplicity.  His  ministry  was 
marked  by  quietness,  and  was  blessed  with  the  usual  suc- 
cess of  the  age  in  which  he  lived.  He  was  retiring  in  his 
habits,  having  little  disposition  to  seek  notoriety  outside 
of  his  appointed  sphere  of  labor.  The  only  printed  pro- 
duction which  he  left  was  a  sermon  preached  to  his  own 
people  Sept.  16,  1821,  "occasioned  by  the  death  of  Josiah 
Lane,  Jr.,  who  was  drowned  from  on  board  the  schooner 
Ida." 

At  the  funeral  of  Mr.  Whitney  an  impressive  dis- 
course was  preached  by  Rev.  Charles  Brooks,  then  minis- 
ter of  the  Third  Congregational  Parish  in  Hingham. 

John  Dwight,  also  a  graduate  at  Cambridge,  in 
1800,  was  a  son  of  John  and  Susanna  Dwight,  and  was 
born  in  Shirley,  Dec.  22,  1773.  Among  his  college  class- 
mates were  Chief  Justice  Lemuel  Shaw,  Washington 
Allston,  Rev.  Charles  Lowell,  D.  D.,  Rev.  Timothy  Flint 
and  Rev.  Joseph  S.  Buckminster.  He  at  first  prepared 
himself  for  the  gospel  ministry,  but  never  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  the  profession.  He  then  studied  medicine 
with  the  celebrated  Dr.  John  Jeffries  of  Boston,  and  estab- 
lished a  practice  in  that  city. 

"He  was  brought  up  in  the  strictest  doctrines  of  Cal- 
vinism, against  which,  however,  his  mind  reacted  strongly, 
and  he  became  very  decidedly  a  free-thinker.  He  was 
ex'ceedingly  positive  in  his  political  opinions — which  is  one 
of  the  unmistakable  Dwight  traits,   wherever  found.     In 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  79 

politics  he  was  a  Hartford  federalist  of  the  most  conserva- 
tive type." 

Dr.  Dwight  possessed  a  superior  mechanical  genius, 
and  was  continually  inventing  and  constructing  various 
machines  and  instruments, — such  as  a  piano  on  a  peculiar 
model  of  his  own,  a  fire-engine,  orreries,  &c.  He  had  a 
taste  for  music,  and  devoted  much  time  to  the  cultivation 
of  his  mind  in  that  fine  art.  He  was  ver}^  temperate  in  his 
habits,  eating  and  drinking  moderately  and  regularly,  and 
was  always  a  man  of  moderate  means. 

He  married  Mary  Corey  of  West  Roxbury,  (who  was 
living  in  Boston  in  1866,)  a  lady  of  a  very  simple,  modest, 
childlike  nature,  fresh  in  her  feelings  and  instincts,  and  of 
a  lovely  disposition.  Late  in  life  he  removed  to  West 
Roxbury,  and  passed  the  residue  of  his  days  in  the 
pleasant  village  of  Jamaica  Plain.  He  died  Aug.  5,  1852. 
He  had  four  children,  whose  record  will  be  found  in  the 
genealogical  portion  of  this  history. 

Daniel  Parker,  son  of  James  Parker,  Esq.,  was 
the  third  graduate  from  this  town.  Being  early  designed 
by  his  father  for  a  learned  profession,  he  was,  at  a  proper 
age,  placed  in  the  academy  at  Groton, — then  in  charge  of 
the  late  Hon.  William  M.  Richardson  who  was  subse- 
quently chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court  of  New  Hamp- 
shire,— where  he  fitted  for  college.  He  w^as  admitted  a 
member  of  Dartmouth  College  in  1797,  where  he  pursued 
a  collegiate  course,  graduating  in  1801.  He  was  in  the 
class  with  Daniel  Webster.  He  read  law  in  the  ofiice  of 
Merrick  Rice,  Esq.,  of  Lancaster,  in  the  county  of 
Worcester.  After  his  regular  preparatory  course  of  study 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  established  himself  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  the  town  of  Charlestown,  now 
(Charlestovvn  District)  Boston.  Here  he  remained,  doing 
a  lucrative  business,  until  the  year  1811.  For  several 
years  of  this  period  he  held  the  ofiice  of  judge-advocate  of 
the  third  division  of  Massachusetts  militia,  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  its  commander,  Major-General  Joseph  B.  Varnum. 


80  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

In  the  year  1811  he  was  invited  by  the  late  Hon. 
William  Eustis — then  secretary  of  war,  and  afterwards 
governor  of  Massachusetts — to  accept  a  situation  in  the 
war  office  at  Washington,  to  which  he  assented,  and  after- 
wards became  chief  clerk  of  that  department.  He  re- 
mained in  this  situation  at  the  time  of  the  declaration  of 
war  against  Great  Britian  in  181 2,  immediately  follow- 
ing which,  (the  army  having  been  greatly  increased  and 
placed  upon  a  proper  war  establishment,)  he  was  appointed 
by  President  Madison  adjutant-  and  inspector-general  of 
the  army,  with  the  rank  of  brigadier-general.  He  con- 
tinued in  this  laborious  and  most  important  office  until  the 
reduction  of  the  army  succeeding  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  was  then  appointed  paymaster-general  of  the  army,  in 
which  office  he  continued  until  the  further  reduction  and 
reorganization  of  the  army,  when  he  retired  from  the 
service  and  held  no  office  under  the  government  for 
several  years.  But  during  the  administration  of  President 
Polk  he  was  requested  by  Hon.  William  L.  Marcy — then 
secretary  of  war — to  accept  the  office  of  chief  clerk  in  that 
department,  to  which  he  consented  :  and  he  remained  in 
that  situation  until  his  death,  which  was  on  the  fifth  of 
April,  1846. 

General  Parker  married  the  only  child  of  the  late 
Hon.  Zaccheus  Collins  of  Philadelphia,  by  whom  he  had 
several  children,  all  of  whom,  except  two,  together  with 
their  mother,  died  previously  to  his  own  decease.  His 
eldest  surviving  child,  a  daughter,  married  Clement  Hill, 
Esq.o  of  Maryland,  a  few  3'ears  before  the  death  of  her 
father.  She  has  a  family  of  several  children,  and  at  the 
present  time  resides  in  Washington.  His  other  child,  a 
son,  graduated  from  Yale  college,  and  afterwards  spent 
some  time  in  European  travel.  He  at  length  adopted  the 
medical  profession,  and  ai"ter  a  due  preparation,  estab- 
lished himself  in  Philadelphia  about  one  year  after  the 
death  of  his  father.  Not  far  from  this  time  he  married  a 
lady  of  that  city,  with  whom  he  settled  himself  in  the  en- 
joyment of  life,  having  an  ample  fortune,  and  the  future 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  81 

seemed  to  be  filled  with  anticipations  of  the  most  gratifying 
character.  These  were,  however,  of  short  duration,  as  he 
was  suddenly  attacked  by  consumption,  which  terminated 
his  life  in  the  year  1848.  His  widow  is  still  living,  and 
also  a  son,  born  after  his  death. 

General  Parker  was  a  gentleman  of  pleasing  man- 
ners, of  courteous  address,  at  ease  himself  and  placing  all 
at  ease  with  whom  he  conversed.  His  mind  was  richly 
stored  with  the  results  of  study,  observation,  reflection  and 
travel ;  and  by  his  ready  mode  of  communication  he  ren- 
dered himself  an  interesting  and  agreeable  companion. 
His  remains  were  interred  in  the  Congressional  burying- 
ground  at  Washington,  and  over  them  his  son  placed  a 
monument,  made  in  Boston,  of  Quincy  granite. 

Leonard  Moody  Parker.  He  was  a  son  of  James 
Parker,  the  youngest  of  ten  children,  and  the  next  in 
order  of  the  natives  of  Shirley  who  received  the  benefits 
of  a  public  education.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he 
was  placed  in  the  academy  at  Groton,  then  under  the  pre- 
ceptorship  of  the  late  Caleb  Butler,  Esq.  In  1804  he  was 
entered  a  student  at  Dartmouth  college,  where  he  was 
graduated  in  1808  with  a  full  share  of  collegiate  honors. 
He  studied  law  two  years  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Abijah 
Bigelow,  of  Leominster, — member  of  Congress  from 
Worcester  north  district, — and  one  year  in  the  office  of 
Hon.  Levi  Lincoln  of  Worcester.  Admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1811,  he  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Charlestown,  in  the  office  vacated  by  his  brother.  General 
Parker,  who  had  received  an  official  appointment  under 
government.  In  181 2 — upon  the  memorable  declaration 
of  war  against  Great  Britian,  a  marked  epoch  in  the 
annals  of  our  history — Mr.  Parker  was  appointed  army 
judge-advocate,  attached  to  Military  District  No.  i,  and 
held  that  office  until  the  reduction  of  the  army  after  the 
return  of  peace. 

In  1816  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  from  Charlestown.     In   1818,  and  for  the 


82  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

three  succeeding  years,  he  was  chosen  to  the  State  senate 
from  the  county  of  Middlesex.  In  1820  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Convention  for  amending  the  Constitution  of  the 
State,  on  the  separation  of  Maine  from  Massachusetts. 
In  1825,  1828,  and  1829  he  again  represented  the  town  of 
Charlestown  in  the  House,  and  in  1826  and  1827  was  a 
member  of  the  Senate  from  Middlesex.  In  1830  he  re- 
ceived from  President  Jackson  the  appointment  of  naval 
officer  for  the  port  of  Boston  and  Charlestown, — upon  the 
decease  of  General  Boyd,  his- predecessor  in  that  office, — 
in  which  he  continued  four  years,  when  he  retired  to  his 
native  place,  the  quiet  and  pleasant  town  of  Shirley, 
where  he  passed  the  residue  of  his  days.  Within  the  year 
following,  his  fellow  citizens  elected  him  a  representative 
to  the  Legislature  ;  the  same  year  he  was  again  chosen  a 
senator  for  the  county  of  Middlesex,  which  required  him 
to  resign  his  seat  in  the  House.  In  1837,  and  again  in 
1840,  he-was  a  member  of  the  Senate,  and  in  that  capacit}' 
served  as  a  member  of  the  valuation  committee,  convened 
in  the  autumn  of  that  year.  In  this  same  autumn  he  was 
elected  chairman  of  the  Middlesex  board  of  Count}^  Com- 
missioners, for  three  years,  and  at  the  expiration  of  the 
term  declined  a  re-election.  His  last  official  position  was 
in  the  Massachusetts  House  of  Representatives,  a  member 
from  Shirley,  elected  in  1850;  and,  as  a  member  of  the 
longest  official  standing  in  that  body,  called  the  House  to 
order  and  presided  in  its  organization. 

While  engaged  in  his  duties  as  a  legislator,  Mr. 
Parker  was  often  called  to  the  performance  of  important 
trusts  ;  among  which  may  be  mentioned  the  appointment, 
(by  a  resolve  of  the  legislature  in  1825,)  of  himself,  Theo- 
dore Sedgwick  and  James  Savage,  "to  prepare  a  system 
for  the  establishment  of  a  Seminary  for  the  education  of 
the  working  classes  in  the  practical  arts  and  sciences." 
The  result  of  the  commission  was  two  elaborate  and  valu- 
able reports,  accompanied  by  a  bill.  The  same  year  he 
was  one  of  the  commissioners  to  settle  the  long-contested 
boundary-line  between  the  Commonwealth  and  the  State 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  83 

of  Connecticut.  A  final  and  satisfactory  adjustment  of 
this  question  was  happily  effected  by  this  board,  of  which 
that  able  and  estimable  man,  the  late  Hon.  Elijah  H. 
Mills  of  Northampton,  was  chairman.  The  Hon.  John 
Mills,  then  of  Southbridge,  was  the  other  member  of  the 
Commission,  having  been  made  the  substitute  of  the  Hon. 
Mr.  Lyman  of  Enfield,  who  died  soon  after  his  appoint- 
ment. In  1830  Mr.  Parker  was  on  the  board  of  Commis- 
sioners appointed  by  the  legislature  to  examine  into  the 
condition  of  the  banks  of  the  county  of  Suffolk. 

In  his  political  principles  and  party  relations,  Mr. 
Parker  was,  throughout  his  public  life,  a  republican  of  the 
old  Jeftersonian  school,  and  in  his  politics  there  was  no 
variableness  or  shadow  of  turning.  In  1824  he  was 
chairman  of  the  State  committee  of  the  republican  party 
who  supported  that  eminent  citizen,  William  H.  Craw- 
ford, for  the  presidency,  and  in  every  successive  election 
he  sustained  the  regular  nominations  of  the  democratic 
party. 

During  the  long  period  of  his  legislative  services  Mr. 
Parker  was  uniformly  active  and  efficient  in  the  discharge 
of  the  duties  that  devolved  on  him.  To  pass  over  many 
of  less  moment,  a  few  of  the  more  prominent  deserve  a 
place  in  this  sketch.  In  the  year  1820  he  moved  in  the 
Senate  an  inquiry  into  the  expediency  of  abolishing  the 
then  Circuit  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  with  four  judges, 
which  had  become  wholly  inadequate  to  the  public  ser- 
vice. As  one  of  the  committee  he  prepared  the  bill  for 
establishing  the  new  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  as  it  is  now 
organized.  The  circuit  court  system,  which  had  long  re- 
mained a  favorite  measure  of  the  republican  party,  w^as  a 
great  improvement  on  the  old  county  court  system,  which 
it  superseded ;  but  the  organization  under  this  bill  was 
still  more  effective,  and  has,  with  slight  variations,  con- 
tinued ever  since.  A  service  not  then  appreciated,  (but 
the  value  of  w^iich  can  now  be  seen,)  was  rendered,  the 
same  year,  by  the  defeat  of  the  bill  seriously  urged  in  the 
Legislature,  to  sell  the  whole  interest  of  Massachusetts  in 


84  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

the  public  lands  in  Maine  for  $150,000.  Mr.  Parker  took 
an  active  part  in  defeating  this  project,  which  would  have 
given  millions  to  private  speculation  instead  of  reserving  it 
for  the  State  and  for  common-school  education  ! 

In  1826  and  1827  Mr.  Parker  was  chairman  of  the 
joint  standing  committee  on  roads  and  canals, — as  it  was 
then  designated, — before  railroads  had  a  legislative  being. 
They  were  then  just  beginning  to  be  talked  about,  and  Mr. 
Parker  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  matter.  This  session 
he  reported  resolves  for  the  appointment  of  a  board  of 
commissioners  on  internal  improvements,  who  were  di- 
rected to  make  sundry  surveys  for  routes  for  railroads, 
among  which  was  one  from  Boston  to  the  Hudson  river, 
and  also  the  line  from  Boston  to  Providence.  The  next 
year  the  name  of  the  committee  was  changed  to  roads  and 
railways,  and  Mr.  Parker  again  officiated  as  chairman. 
The  reports  and  surveys  made  under  the  resolves  of  the 
present  year  were  referred  to  this  committee,  which  made 
a  full  report,  foreshadowing  very  distinctly  what  has  since 
resulted  in  the  Boston  &  Albany  railroad  and  other  routes. 
That  report  urged  the  necessity  of  having  the  State  take 
a  leading  interest  in  the  work,  and  maintained  that  "should 
the  State  think  it  expedient  to  assume  the  whole  of  the 
great  work,  it  would  prove  a  source  of  profit  and  not  a 
burthen." 

Accompanying  the  report  was  a  bill  for  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  more  numerous  board  of  commissioners  on 
internal  improvements.  Levi  Lincoln,  David  Henshaw 
and  Nathan  Hale  were  subsequently  appointed  on  that 
board.  In  1828-9  Mr.  Parker,  in  connection  with  Theo- 
dore Sedgwick  and  other  influential  members  of  the  House, 
made  an  earnest  effort  to  induce  the  State  to  take  the  in- 
terest and  control,  to  the  extent  of  two-thirds,  in  the  con- 
struction of  a  railroad  from  Boston  to  Providence,  and 
from  Boston  to  Worcester.  This  measure  failed,  and  sub- 
sequently these  roads  went  into  the  hands  of  private 
corporations,  by  means  of  which  their  great  profits  have 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  85 

gone  to  individuals,  instead  of  providing,  as  they  other- 
wise would  have  done,  a  large  revenue  for  the  Common- 
wealth. 

In  1826  came  up  the  great  question  of  the  freedom  of 
Warren  bridge,  the  first  attempt  to  open  a  free  passage 
from  Boston  to  the  country.  The  subject  of  this  notice 
regarded  the  struggle  for  this  measure  as  the  grand  battle 
between  vested  rights  and  monopolies  which  had  stood  so 
long  in  the  way  of  progress,  and  had  compelled  the  many 
to  pay  everlasting  tribute  to  the  few,  "by  setting  a  toll-gate 
against  posterity."  Mr.  Parker — as  the  records  of  that 
period  amply  show — was  a  most  persevering  and  effective 
advocate  of  a  free  avenue,  and  perhaps  was  relied  on 
more  than  any  other  senator  in  the  lead  he  took  in  sup- 
port of  the  bill.  It  was  carried  through,  after  a  protracted 
and  exciting  debate,  by  one  majority ;  but  it  met  the  veto 
of  Governor  Lincoln,  and  failed  at  that  time  to  become  a 
law.  The  following  year  the  friends  of  the  measure  again 
carried  it  through  against  the  most  inveterate  opposition  ; 
and  this  time — so  decisive  had  been  the  indication  of 
public  sentiment — it  escaped  a  veto  and  became  a  law. 
From  this  have  resulted  the  free  avenues,  subsequently 
opened,  which  have  proved  of  priceless  benefit  to  the  city 
and  the  surrounding  country. 

In  1836  the  Western  Railroad  had  exhausted  its 
means,  and  applied  to  the  Legislature  for  aid.  The  doc- 
trine of  the  democratic  part}^  with  which  Mr.  Parker 
acted,  was  substantially  that  if  aid  was  granted,  the  State 
should  assume  the  road, — and  not  make  its  loans  to  private 
corporations. 

The  subject  was  one  of  difficulty  and  delicacy.  Mr. 
Parker  advocated  the  bill,  in  pursuance  of  the  policy  rec- 
ommended in  his  report  in  1828,  and  moved  an  important 
amendment,  touching  the  ultimate  power  of  the  State  to 
assume  the  road, — without  which  it  probably  would  not 
have  passed  the  Senate,  as  it  finally  did,  thereby  increas- 
ing the  capital  one  million  of  dollars  in  behalf  of  the 
State. 


86  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY.. 

During  this  and  the  following  year  numerous  railroad 
companies,  created  prior  to  March  ii,  1831,  applied  for 
extension  of  time  and  increase  of  capital  ;  and  Mr. 
Parker  took  care,  in  every  case,  to  move  the  conditional 
clause  subjecting  them  to  the  general  law  of  183 r,  from 
which  their  prior  charters  had  exempted  them.  This  was 
earnestly  opposed,  by  many  of  the  friends  of  railroads,  as 
a  grievous  infringement  of  the  then  favorite  doctrine  of 
vested  rights  ;  but  it  is  believed  that  all  now  see  the  utility 
and  necessity  of  such  a  provision. 

In  1837  the  subject  of  slavery  had  begun  to  agitate 
the  political  circles  of  the  State,  and  had  opened  its  way 
to  her  legislative  assemblies.  On  the  i8th  of  January,  of 
this  year,  the  United  States  House  of  Representatives 
adopted  a  resolution, — "That  all  petitions,  memorials,  reso- 
lutions, propositions  or  papers,  relating  in  any  way,  and  to 
any  extent  whatever,  to  the  subject  of  slavery,  or  the 
abolition  of  slavery,  shall,  without  being  either  printed  or 
referred,  be  laid  on  the  table,  and  that  no  further  action 
whatever  shall  be  had  thereon."  This  was  considered  a 
serious  infringement  on  the  rights  of  freemen ;  and  a 
memorial  was  forwarded  to  the  Massachusetts  Senate, 
praying  that  body  to  "protest,  without  delay,  in  the  name 
of  the  people  of  this  Commonwealth,  against  said  resolu- 
tion,— and  to  invoke  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the 
United  States  to  immediately  rescind  it."  This  memorial 
was  dated  February  13,  1837,  ^"*^  "^^'is  referred  to  a  com- 
mittee, of  which  Mr.  Parker  was  chairman.  On  the  22nd 
of  the  same  month,  he  submitted  the  following  resolutions 
for  the  consideration  and  adoption  of  the  Legislature  : 

"Resolved^ — That  Congress  does  not  possess  the  con- 
stitutional power  to  interfere  with  slavery  within  the  limits 
of  the  respective  states. 

"Resolved, — That  Congress  does  possess  the  constitu- 
tional power  to  abolish  slavery  within  the  District  of 
Columbia. 

"Resolved, — That  the  foundation  principles  of  our 
political    institutions,   the   honor  of  our  country,   and  the 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  5< 

peace  of  all,  do  demand  the  solemn  consideration,  by  Con- 
gress, of  the  wisdom  and  effects  of  exercising  the  power 
aforesaid. 

'^^ Resolved, — That  the  right  of  petition,  and  free  discus- 
sion in  regard  to  all  matters  within  the  constitutional 
powers  of  Congress,  ought  to  be  held  sacred ;  and  any 
attempt  to  impair  or  abridge  it  should  be  met  with  devoted 
firmness. 

"Resolved^ — That  his  Excellency  the  Governor,  be 
requested  to  transmit  a  copy  of  the  foregoing  resolutions 
to  each  of  our  senators  and  representatives  in  Congress." 

A  careful  perusal  of  the  above  resolutions,  as 
reported  by  Mr.  Parker,  will  show  to  all  who  were  ac- 
quainted with  him  that  they  evince  that  boldness  and 
decision  with  w^hich  he  was  accustomed  to  speak,  when 
giving  utterance  to  opinions  and  principles  which  he 
believed  to  be  right  and  was  determined  to  maintain.  He 
would  think,  speak  and  act  in  the  cause  of  truth  and  right, 
entirely  regardless  of  consequences  to  himself;  and  so 
spoke  these  resolutions. 

As  far  as  the  compiler  of  this  history  has  been  able  to 
ascertain,  no  resolutions  or  report  in  an\'  form  had  ever 
before  been  made  in  our  Legislature,  or  in  any  other  legis- 
lature in  the  country,  asserting  the  right  of  Congress  to 
abolish  slavery  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  making 
upon  that  body  a  solemn  demand  to  consider  the  wisdom 
and  the  effects  of  the  exercise  of  that  power. 

As  above  stated,  this  report  was  submitted  on  the  22nd 
of  February, — the  anniversary  of  the  day  which  gave  birth 
to  that  great  man,  who  was  "first  in  peace,  first  in  war, 
and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen."  And  it  was 
followed  by  another  within  five  days,  on  the  same  subject, 
which  took  similar  ground ;  in  fine,  it  opened  the  way  to  a 
more  free  and  bold  discussion  of  the  slavery  question  in 
the  Free  States.  Mr.  Parker  must,  therefore,  be  regarded 
as  one  of  the  first  to  agitate  the  slavery  question  before  a 
legislative  body,  though  it  had  long  been  a  theme  of  much 
discussion  in  private  circles,  in  abolition  conventions,  and 
in  newspapers  and  magazines. 


88  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Mr.  Parker  was  chairman  of  the  county  commis- 
sioners for  Middlesex  in  1842,  when  the  stand  was  first 
taken  to  refuse  all  licenses  for  the  sale  of  intoxicating 
liquors,  on  the  ground  that  the  public  good  did  not  require 
such  traffic.  Such  a  measure  was  not  without  opposition, 
but  it  was  maintained,  and  soon  became  the  settled  policy 
of  the  several  counties  of  the  Commonwealth. 

During  his  last  term  in  the  legislature — that  of  1850 — 
Mr.  Parker  was  as  active  and  interested  as  he  had  ever 
been.  He  then  proposed  to  have  a  convention  to  amend 
the  Constitution,  reducing  the  representation  of  the  popular 
branch  of  the  legislature.  He  was  in  favor  of  the  district 
system  which  has  been  adopted  since  his  death. 

Such  is  an  outline  of  the  official  and  public  action  of 
the  subject  of  this  notice.  In  tracing  him  wherever  he 
has  been  it  will  be  found  that  he  has  left  his  mark.  He 
never  sought  popularity  or  aimed  to  be  a  leader.  So  far 
as  he  had  effective  influence  upon  the  public  bodies  with 
which  he  co-operated,  it  was  attained  by  well  maturing  his 
plans,  by  a  conviction  brought  home  to  others  of  his  entire 
sincerity  and  integrity  of  purpose,  and  of  their  public 
utility — and  further  by  his  firmness,  qualified  by  en- 
lightened conciliation  and  enforced'  by  perseverance  in 
their  accomplishment.  He  seemed,  in  his  public  action, 
to  have  steadily  looked  at  two  things — to  ,do  good,  and  to 
prevent  harm. 

Although  so  many  years  of  the  life  of  Mr.  Parker 
were  devoted  to  public  affairs,  he  did  not  forget  social  and 
private  duties.  As  a  life  member  of  the  Boston  Society  of 
Natural  History,  an  honorary  member  of  the  Academy  of 
Arts  and  Sciences,  in  Hanover,  New  Hampshire,  and  a 
corresponding  member  of  the  New  England  Historic 
Genealogical  Society,  he  has  contributed  his  share  to 
scientific,  literary  and  other  associations ;  and  at  every 
period  of  his  life — from  the  labors  of  the  boy  on  his 
father's  farm — he  was  interested  in  agriculture,  and  co- 
operated  in  the  success  of  the  State,  Middlesex,  and 
Worcester  Agricultural  Societies,  in  which  he  held  mem- 
bership.    In  all  his  connections  his  friends  found  him  true 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  89 

to  his  convictions  of  duty,  and  his  opponents  rarely  ques- 
tioned his  integrity,  but  generally  acknowledged  him 
honorable  and  disinterested. 

After  he  returned  to  his  native  town,  he  devoted  much 
time  and  labor  to  its  municipal  interests  and  its  institu- 
tions. He  gratuitously  proffered  his  services,  when 
occasion  required,  to  local  investigations,  the  preparation 
of  reports,  the  regulation  of  town  records;  and,  in  all 
those  questions  of  interest  and  debate  that  required  legal 
advice,  he  was  "in  season  and  out  of  season,"  exhibiting 
traits  of  mature  judgment  and  careful  discrimination. 

He  always  took  a  deep  and  conscientious  interest  in 
the  religious  wants  of  the  town.  When  in  health,  his 
place  in  church  was  rarely  vacant.  And  in  the  alterations 
and  repairs  which  the  church-edifice  of  the  First  Parish 
underwent,  within  the  twenty  years  previous  to  his  death, 
Mr.  Parker  stood  at  the  helm  of  affairs  and  guided  with 
a  steady  and  unwavering  hand  the  counsels  and  operations 
of  these  improvements.  For  the  present  beautiful  loca- 
tion, for  the  form  and  convenience  of  their  temple  of 
worship,  the  parish  is  largel}^  indebted  to  his  careful  con- 
sideration and  unwearied  perseverance. 

The  schools  of  the  town  were  also  an  object  of  his 
sincere  concern.  For  several  years  he  was  a  member  of 
the  town  superintending  committee,  and  in  1842  wrote  a 
most  invaluable  report  on  the  condition  and  wants  of  the 
primary  school,  as  a  former  of  the  minds  and  morals  of 
the  rising  generation.  And,  as  has  been  shown  in  a 
former  part  of  this  chapter,  he  did  not  allow  himself  to 
forget  the  great  cause  of  education  at  his  death,  but  left, 
in  the  fund  which  he  established,  a  permanent  memorial 
of  his  forecast  and  benevolence. 

In  his  last  sickness,  which  was  long  and  painful,  Mr. 
Parker  exhibited  a  becoming  degree  of  resignation.  He 
died  on  the  25th  of  August,  1854,  aged  sixty-five  years. 
A  funeral  service  was  held  in  the  church  where  he  had 
worshipped  for  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life,  when  his 
remains  were  conve3'ed  to  Worcester  and  interred  in  the 

12 


90  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Rural  Cemetery  of  that  city,  by  the  side  of  those  of  his 
wife  and  daughter  who  had  preceded  him  to  the  grave. 
Mr.  Parker  married  Martha  Lincoln,  daughter  of  Levi 
Lincoln,  Sen,,  of  Worcester,  by  whom  he  had  three 
daughters.  The  two  who  survived  him  still  live  in  that 
city. 

John  Spaulding  was  the  next  in  chronological 
order,  from  among  the  Shirley  homes,  who  received  the 
honors  arid  advantages  of  a  public  education.  His  father, 
at  the  time  of  his  marriage,  had  purchased  a  farm  in 
Shirley,  intending  to  make  it  his  life  home, — an  intention 
in  which  he  was  not  disappointed.  But  by  some  promise 
of  pecuniar}^  advantage,  he  was  induced  to  pass  a  few 
years  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Mason,  N.  H.,  previous 
to  his  complete  establishment  on  his  Shirley  estate  ;  and  it 
was  during  this  interval  that  the  subject  of  this  notice  was 
born,  Nov.  3,  1800.  But,  while  he  was  yet  in  early  child- 
hood, his  parents  returned  to  their  Shirley  home,  and  were 
residents  of  the  town  during  their  lives.  The  farm  still 
remains  in  the  possession  of  their  descendants.* 

The  boyhood  of  John  was  passed  in  the  healthful 
occupation  of  cultivating  the  soil ;  yet  he  early  imbibed 
a  strong  inclination  to  prepare  himself  for  a  higher  useful- 
ness than  could  come  from  any  merely  manual  employ- 
ment. He  had  become  a  subject  of  deep  religious 
conviction,  and  desired  to  devote  his  life  and  powers  to  the 
work  of  the  gospel  ministry.  But  there  were  obstacles  in 
the  way.  His  father,  though  a  thriving  farmer  of  the 
time,  was  encumbered  with  a  large  family,  and  was  not 
only  unable  to  give  his  son  any  pecuniary  assistance,  but 
could  hardly  afford  to  dispense  with  his  service  during 
what  would  be  to  him  the  profitable  years  of  the  young 
man's  minority.  These  objections  were,  however,  in  a 
measure  waved,  and  the  earnest  student  was  permitted  to 
enter  upon  his  coveted  career,  with  nothing  but  poverty  to 


*See  Appendix  I. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  91 

overcome.  This,  to  some  a  formidable  impediment,  had 
but  little  influence  with  the  subject  of  this  notice. 

In  1818  he  entered  the  Phillips  Academy  at  Andover, 
as  a  beneficiary  ;  of  which  institution  he  was  a  member 
for  three  years,  availing  himself  of  the  privilege  of  teach- 
ing during  a  part  of  each  winter.  He  graduated  at  the 
College  in  Middlebury,  Vt.,  in  the  September  of  1825. 
So  anxious  was  he  to  commence  the  great  work  to  which 
he  felt  himself  called,  that  before  the  end  of  that  year  he 
was  entered  a  student  of  the  theological  school  in 
Andover,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1828.  The 
purpose,  of  long  solicitude,  anxiety  and  fervent  prayer, 
was  now  in  a  measure  realized.  The  vineyard  of  his 
Master  rose  before  him,  demanding  his  labor,  and  he 
entered  upon  that  labor  with  a  tireless  devotion.  His  work 
of  preparation  having  closed,  he  immediately  received  the 
seal  of  consecration.  A  few  weeks  from  graduation 
found  him  an  ordained  evangelist.  This  occurred  on  the 
25th  of  September,  in  the  town  (now  city)  of  Newbury- 
port ;  and  the  appointed  field  of  his  missionary  labor  was 
the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  On  the  day  of  his 
ordination  he  was  united  in  marriage  wnth  Miss  Olive 
Catharine  B.  Kendall  of  Dunstable,  who  departed  with 
him  on  his  western  mission.  She  continued  with  him,  a 
sharer  of  his  toils,  his  joys  and  his  sorrows,  until  the  14th 
of  March,  1852,  when  she  departed  from  this  to  a  better 
world. 

Although  the  tastes  and  talents  of  Mr.  Spaulding 
were  admirably  adapted  to  the  work  of  a  religious  pioneer, 
he  was  permitted  to  remain  but  a  few  months  in  the  mis- 
sionary sphere  of  operations.  The  Presbyterian  church  in 
Athens,  Ohio,  was  without  a  pastor,  and  it  invited  the 
young  itinerant  to  take  that  position, — with  which  invita- 
tion he  complied,  and  was  installed  April  23,  1829.  In 
this  field  of  usefulness  he  remained  four  and  a  half  years, 
and  was  instrumental,  it  is  believed,  of  winning  many 
souls  to  God. 

In  1833  he  was  dismissed  from  this  charge  that  he 
might    assume    the    office    of     secretary    of    the    Western 


92  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Education  Society,  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  to  which  he  had 
been  elected.  Here  he  remained  also  four  and  a  half 
years,  when  he  resigned  the  place  and  was  installed  pastor 
of  the  Main  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  in  Peoria,  Illi- 
nois. This  occurred  June  6,  1838.  During  this  and  his 
former  settlement,  a  period  of  seven  years,  Mr.  Spaulding 
received  to  church-membership  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven  persons, — which  must  be  regarded  as  a  successful  if 
not  a  brilliant  ministry.  In  one  of  these  churches  he  had 
a  Bible-class  of  eighty-seven  members,  all  but  nine  of 
whom  became  professors  of  religion.  Twenty-one  of 
them  entered  the  gospel  ministry,  two  became  foreign  mis- 
sionaries, and  live  of  them  were  married  to  ministers  of 
the  gospel. 

It  would  seem  that  such  signal  results  should  have 
continued  the  laborer  at  his  post  for  longer  periods, — but 
a  new  sphere  of  usefulness  now  opened  to  him  which  he 
did  not  feel  at  liberty  to  decline.  On  the  4th  of  March, 
1841,  he  was  dismissed  from  his  charge  in  Peoria,  and 
appointed  secretary  of  the  Seaman's  Friend  Society, 
whose  head-quarters  were  in  the  city  of  New- York.  In 
this  office  he  was  continued  until  failing  health  compelled 
him  to  retire  from  all  active  engagements.  His  labors  in 
his  last  position  were  very  arduous.  He  had  to  travel  and 
preach  much,  and  also  had  the  editorship  of  a  monthly 
periodical,  devoted  to  the  interests  of  seamen,  called  the 
"Sailor's  Magazine." 

At  the  close  of  a  ministry  of  a  little  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  Mr.  Spaulding  had  preached  two 
thousand  four  hundred  and  thirty  sermons  I 

On  the  22nd  of  March,  1853,  he  was  married  to  his 
second  wife,  Mrs.  Adeline  J.  McMartin  of  New- York,  in 
which  city  he  now  lives,  in  retirement  from  all  public 
engagements. 

James  O.  Parker,  son  of  James  Parker,  Jr., — 
grandson  of  the  first  of  the  name  that  settled  in  town,  and 
a  nephew  of  Gen.  Daniel  and  Hon.   Leonard  M.  Parker, 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  93 

who  have  ah-eady  been  noticed  as  belonging  to  the  list  of 
college-graduates  from  Shirley, — is  the  next  to  be  added 
to  that  list. 

He  was  born  at  the  family  mansion, — in  the  beautiful 
valley  which  was  the  ancestral  domain  from  the  incorpo- 
ration of  the  town, — where  he  passed  the  days  of  his 
childhood,  and  from  whence  he  went  to  prepare  for  the 
university.  This  preparation  was  commenced  at  the 
academy  in  Groton,  and  completed  under  the  instruction 
of  Jacob  Caldwell,  who  was  principal  of  the  academy  at 
Stow.  He  graduated  at  Amherst  in  1834,  ^^^  afterward 
attended  two  courses  of  lectures  at  the  medical  colle<re 
connected  with  Harvard  University,  and  one  course  at  the 
medical  institute  in  Pittstield,  from  which  he  received  a 
diploma  in  1841.  The  same  year  he  was  admitted  a 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society  in  Boston. 

He  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  his 
native  town,  but  in  1849  went  to  California,  then  a  new 
territory,  and  resided  for  two  years  in  San  Francisco,  de- 
voting himself,  in  that  place,  to  the  interests  of  his  calling. 
He  then  returned  to  Shirley,  where  he  has  since  remained, 
living  on  the  estate  which  he  inherited  from  his  father. 
He  never  has  been  anxious  to  let  his  profession  claim  his 
whole  thought  and  attention,  yet  in  the  discharge  of  its 
duties  he  has  proved  himself  well-read,  careful  and  skilful. 

His  public  services  have  been  sought  by  his  fellow 
townsmen,  and  he  has  been  called  to  fill  stations  of  re- 
sponsibility and  trust.  In  1846,  and  in  1847,  he  was  chair- 
man of  the  selectmen,  and  for  several  years  he  was  a 
member  and  chairman  of  the  school  committee  ;  and  some 
of  the  most  able  reports  of  that  bod}^  are  the  products  of 
his  pen.  He  had  a  faculty  for  ingenious  investigation  and 
the  ability  to  communicate  his  thoughts  intelligibly,  two 
very  important  qualifications  for  a  public  official.  Having 
entered  upon  the  declining  years  of  his  life,  his  time  is 
divided  between  the  practice  of  his  profession  and  the 
rural  occupations  of  agriculture  and  horticulture,  to  which 
he  is  led  both  bv  taste  and  inclination. 


94  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

John  I>v^^GHT  was  the  next  to  receive  the  honors  of 
a  college  education.  He  was  a  son  of  Francis  and  Maria 
(Blanchard)  Dwight.  and  a  nephew  of  Dr.  John  Dwight. 
whose  name  has  before  appeared  on  these  pages.  His 
father  and  mother  both  died  when  he  was  quite  young, 
and  he  fell  under  the  uncertain  care  of  strangers.  A 
guardian  had  been  appointed  for  him  b\'  his  father,  while 
on  his  death-bed ;  but  this  guardian  exercised  but  little 
control  over  the  moral  instruction  of  his  ward,  and  he 
passed  along  without  the  aid  of  what  is  so  essential  in  the 
establishment  of  character  on  a  proper  basis.  Notwith- 
standing these  obstacles  in  the  way  of  a  correct  early 
training,  young  D\\ight  grew  up  an  orderly  and  indus- 
trious bov.  and  secured  a  reputation  that  met  a  general 
approval. 

Being  of  a  studious  habit,  he  early  resolved  to  avail 
himseh"  of  the  benefits  of  a  collegiate  course  of  instruc- 
tion, that  he  might  be  ready,  at  a  proper  time,  to  enter 
upon  the  duties  of  some  learned  profession. 

He  was  prepared  for  the  universit\'  at  the  academy  in 
Wobum.  and  was  graduated  at  Amherst  in  1835. 

He  studied  di\-init\-  with  that  distinguished  scholar 
and  preacher — Rev.  Jacob  Ide.  D,  D..  of  West  Medway 
— and  received  a  license  to  preach  from  the  Mendon  Asso- 
ciation in  the  January-  of  1837. 

His  first  settlement  was  in  North  Bridgewater.  (now 
the  citv  of  Brockton.)  where  he  received  ordination 
April  12.  1837.  He  was  thus,  in  early  life,  placed  in  the 
spiritual  oversight  of  a  large  parish,  with  all  the  pastoral 
duties  of  his  profession  to  learn,  and  required  to  make 
weekly  preparation  for  the  pulpit  instruction  of  a  people 
not  easily  satisfied  with  commonplace  perlbrmances.  He 
therefore  soon  found  himself  unequal  to  the  task  thus  im- 
posed upon  him.  and.  after  an  effort  of  irom  two  to  three 
vears,  asked  and  obtained  a  dismission  from  his  charge. 

His  second  settlement  was  in  South  Plymouth,  in 
1841.  Here  his  labors  were  crowned  with  a  most  gratify- 
incr  success.     There  was  such  a  creneral  awakening  among 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  i>5 

his  people  that  not  a  single  household  tailed  to  partake, 
more  or  less,  of  spiritual  interest  and  improvement :  in 
some  instances  whole  families  were  brought  to  rejoice  in 
"the  Savior's  redeeming  love."  But,  in  the  midst  of  this 
happy  experience,  his  health  became  so  impaired  that  he 
was  obliged  to  suspend  his  public  labors,  and,  at  the  close 
of  the  fifth  year  of  his  engagement,  to  dissolve  his  con- 
nection with  the  parish  and  retire  to  private  lite. 

He  removed  to  West  Med  way,  and  passed  the  next 
five  years  in  endeavoring  to  recuperate  his  exhausted  and 
diseased  physical  constitution.  Happily  he  secured  this 
object,  and  found  himself  able  to  resume  the  duties  of  his 
prot'ession.  He  accordingly  settled,  in  185 1,  for  the  third 
time.  It  was  in  North  Wrentham  that  he  was  now  called 
to  minister.  His  labors  here  were  prolonged  for  five  more 
years,  with  varied  success,  when  he  was  dismissed  at  his 
own  request,  soon  to  bid  adieu  to  all  the  public  duties  of 
his  calling.  He  had  an  ardent  working  mind,  but  that 
mind  dwelt  in  a  frail  body  that  sunk  under  the  burden  im- 
posed upon  it.  Mr.  Dwight  remained  a  few  vears  in 
North  Wrentham.  after  he  had  left  the  ministrv,  and  then 
removed  to  Cambridge,  where  he  died  of  paralysis  of  the 
brain,  Feb.  5.  1868. 

He  was  buried  in  West  Medway, — where  he  studied 
his  profession,  where  he  married  his  wite,  and  connected 
with  which  place  were  some  of  the  most  cheering  remem- 
brances of  his  life.  His  widow,  with  her  vouncrest  son, 
reside  in  Newton.      ( 1(^76. ) 

Thomas  Edwin  Whitney  was  the  next  Shirley  bov 
that  presented  his  claims  tor  the  honors  of  a  college  course 
of  instruction.  He  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Whitnev.  Jr., 
and  the  great-grandson  of  Rev.  Phinehas  Whitney,  the 
first  minister  of  Shirley.  He  was  born  in  the  old  parson- 
age where  his  reverend  ancestor  had  lived  for  over  fiftv 
3'ears.  and  which,  for  a  long  time,  was  the  largest,  best 
finished,  and  most  genteel  mansion  within  the  town. — but 
which    is    now    removed.       Thomas   Edwin  was  an  onlv 


96  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

child  of  doting  parents,  who  sought,  first  of  all,  by  a  union 
of  moral,  mental  and  physical  training,  to  lay  a  firm 
foundation  of  character  in  the  child-life  of  their  son.  In 
this  effort  they  were  eminently  successful.  He  grew  up  a 
healthy,  modest  and  intelligent  boy,  and  won  the  approving 
attention  of  all  by  whom  he  was  known.  He  had  a  pre- 
cocious mind,  and  often  demanded  instruction  beyond  what 
the  ordinary  instructors  of  the  common-schools  could  im- 
part. Yet  he  took  no  advantage  of  the  position  in  which 
his  quickness  of  intellect  often  placed  him  ;  but,  with  a 
modest  diffidence  of  his  ability,  so  commended  himself  to 
the  esteem  of  his  teachers  as  to  gain  their  united  respect 
and  admiration.  In  all  his  social  relations,  during  his 
childhood,  he  was  regarded  a  model  boy  ;  and  as  he  ad- 
vanced in  life  was  looked  upon  as  a  man  of  promise. 

At  a  proper  age  he  was  sent  to  a  Qiiaker  school  in 
Bolton,  but  completed  his  preparation  for  college  in  the 
Groton  Academy.  He  was  entered  at  Cambridge  in  1841, 
and  graduated  in  1845.  While  in  college  he  taught  one 
term  of  a  winter  school,  in  his  native  town,  and  after  his 
graduation  was  engaged  in  the  charge  of  a  select  school, 
which  he  conducted  with  singular  skill  and  success.  By 
his  mild  manners  and  happy  address  he  endeared  himself 
to  his  pupils,  and  the  proficiency  which  they  made  under 
his  supervision  showed  that  teaching  was  the  profession  in 
which  he  was  made  to  excel. 

It  was,  therefore,  an  evil  hour  when  he  was  induced 
to  leave  the  work  of  his  choice,  for  the  discharge  of 
which  he  had  been  so  richly  prepared, — a  work  which 
accorded  with  his  tact  and  taste,  in  which  he  had  proved 
his  excellence,  and  through  which,  in  all  probability,  he 
might  have  secured  usefulness  and  honor, — for  occupa- 
tions with  which  he  was  not  acquainted,  towards  which  he 
was  naturally  disinclined,  and  for  the  performance  of 
which  he  had  no  preparation  or  ability,  and  the  pursuit  of 
which  must  result  in  poverty  and  a  mortifying  defeat  of  all 
his  life  hopes.  For  none  of  the  business  relations  into 
which  he  was  subsequently  introduced  was  he  in  anywise 


■rtnt,  W.  p.  ali-en,  G-i- 


RUFUS  LONGLEY,  M,  D, 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  97 

qualified  ;  hence,  failure  followed  every  undertaking.  His 
inherited  property  wasted  away,  until  the  hard-earned 
estates  of  four  generations  were  sunken,  past  redemption, 
under  the  withering  touch  of  his  unpractised  hands.  His 
credit,  which  on  account  of  his  standing  and  relationship 
was  dangerously  large,  (and  through  which  several  friends 
sustained  serious  losses,)  eventually  departed;  and  he 
gradually  sunk,  body  and  mind,  under  the  burden  of  mis- 
fortune and  dejection,  from  which  he  received  no  reprieve 
until  death,  the  great  subjugator  of  earthly  woes,  came  to 
his  relief.  He  died  at  the  old  Whitney  estate,  the  last 
male  member  of  that  branch  of  the  family.  His  remains 
were  deposited  beside  the  graves  of  his  father  and  mother. 
The  entire  family  rest  together  in  the  place  of  the  dead. 

John  Marshall  Edgarton  was  the  next  graduate 
in  the  order  of  time.  He  was  a  son  of  Joseph  Edgarton, 
Esq.,  and  a  younger  brother  of  the  distinguished  Sarah  C. 
Edgarton,  afterwards  Mrs.  Mayo.  He  was  a  young  man 
of  much  personal  activity,  of  great  energy  and  decision  of 
character.  He  graduated  at  Harvard  University  in  the 
class  of  1847,  and  upon  leaving  college  resolved  to  devote 
himself  to  literary  pursuits.  He  accordingly  established  a 
magazine,  which  he  intended  to  issue  monthly,  and  to  sus- 
tain which  he  had  secured  help  from  some  of  the  most 
able  contributors  in  the  Commonwealth  ;  but  as  the  first 
number  was  on  the  eve  of  publication  he  was  attacked  by 
disease,  which  soon  proved  fatal.  And  thus  his  fond 
hopes,  with  those  cherished  by  his  friends,  were  suddenly 
disappointed. 

The  name  of  Rufus  Longley  ought  not  to  be  wholly 
omitted  in  these  notices,  for,  though  he  did  not  remain  to 
graduate,  he  was  for  a  season  a  member  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity. He  was  a  son  of  Joshua  Longley,  Esq.,  and  was 
prepared  for  college  at  the  academy  in  Groton.  After 
leaving  Cambridge  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine 
in  the  office  of  Dr.  Prescott,  of  Groton,  and  received  his 
medical  degree   from.  Dartmouth   College.       In    1812    he 

18 


98  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

opened  an  office  for  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery 
in  Haverhill,  which  proved  to  him  a  life  settlement,  as  he 
remained  there  until  his  death. 

A  notice  of  him  appeared  in  a  medical  journal,  a  quo- 
tation from  which  is  here  inserted:  "Nature  had  bestowed 
her  favors  upon  him  with  a  liberal  hand.  She  had  given 
him  a  large  and  well-developed  physical  frame,  a  line 
form  and  commanding  appearance.  He  was  also  endowed 
with  high  mental  qualities,  quick  perception,  retentive 
memory,  an  ardent  love  of  truth,  and  every  social  quality. 
He  did  not  neglect  his  talents.  By  observation,  study  and 
experience,  he  cultivated  his  intellectual  powers,  and  ac- 
quired a  fund  of  knowledge  and  strength  of  judgment 
which  fitted  him  for  that  high  position  which  he  attained 
as  a  citizen  and  physician." 

He  took  elevated  rank  in  his  profession  and  his  death 
was  considered  an  irreparable  loss  by  those  families  whose 
medical  counsellor  he  had  been  for  almost  half  a  century. 
There  is  a  singular  coincidence  in  his  histor}-, — his  first 
patient  was  also  his  last.  His  last  professional  visit 
occurred  but  a  few  days  before  his  own  death. 

As  a  citizen  he  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  affairs  of 
the  town,  and  an  active  part  in  everything  pertaining  to  its 
general  welfare  and  prosperity.  He  was  a  member  of 
several  corporate  bodies,  and  was  distinguished  for  his 
business  ability.  For  many  years  he  was  president  of  the 
institution  for  savings,  as  he  was  also  president  of  the 
Merrimac  Bank  at  the  time  of  his  decease.  The  heads  of 
these  institutions,  together  with  the  members  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity — wuth  which  he  was  also  connected — fol- 
lowed his  remains  to  their  final  resting-place.  He  died 
March  12,  1855. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Burying-Ground  —  Training-Field —  JSfczu    Cemetery  — 
Hearses — Town  Tombs — Record  ay  Deaths. 

All  considerate  persons  seem  to  regard  the  ground 
which  holds  the  dust  of  departed  friends,  and  the  place 
where  their  own  mortal  remains  are  expected  to  moulder, 
as  next  in  sacredness  to  the  spot  on  which  stands  their  al- 
tar of  religious  worship.  Hence  it  was  almost  universally 
common  with  the  early  settlers  of  New  England,  to  lay 
out  their  cemeteries  for  the  dead  in  as  close  contiguity  with 
their  churches  as  circumstances  would  permit.  This  cus- 
tom, so  adverse  to  modern  taste,  was  adopted  by  the  early 
settlers  of  Shirley. 

Before  the  incorporation  of  the  town  those  that  died 
within  its  territory  were  probably  interred  in  the  centre  of 
Groton,  the  parent  town.  But  one  of  its  earliest  move- 
ments, after  it  became  a  distinct  municipality,  was  to  select 
a  place  for  the  burial  of  the  dead  near  the  "centre  of  the 
district." 

In  September,  1753,  it  was  "voted  that  Jonathan 
Gould,  Samuel  Walker,  Jonathan  Moors,  William  Long- 
ley,  andjarathmeel  Powers  be  a  committee  to  find  a  centre 
for  the  district,  and  to  find  a  burying-place."  As  near  as 
can  be  ascertained  from  the  town  records,  this  committee 
reported  a  place  nearly  one-half  a  mile  north  of  the  spot 
afterwards  chosen,  and  where  the  old  or  first  burying  en- 
closure now  is.  It  was  nearly  opposite  the  school-house 
in  District  No.  i,  and  adjoining  the  first  meeting-house 
lot.  Here,  says  tradition,  a  few  bodies  were  deposited. 
But  subsequent  measures,  which  have  never  found  a  place 
of  record,  go  to  prove  that  this  locality  was  soon  aban- 
doned, and  the  one  which  has  ever  since  been  a  place  of 


100  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

sepulture  was  adopted.  Burials  were  commenced  here 
within  one  year  from  the  incorporation  of  the  town.  A 
large  slate-stone  bearing  the  following  inscription  marks 
the  place  of  the  first  grave  :  "This  stone  is  erected  in 
memory  of  the  first  buried  in  this  yard,  Abraham  Holden, 
son  of  Lieut.  Simon  Holden,  and  Mrs.  Sarah,  his  wife, 
who  died  April  i8th,  1754,  aged  11  months." 

It  appears  that  the  land  thus  consecrated  to  a  sacred 
purpose  belonged  to  the  "Proprietors  of  Groton," — a  com- 
pany formed  of  the  original  grantees  of  the  territory  of 
Groton, — for  at  a  meeting  of  said  "proprietors,"  nearly  a 
year  after  the  date  of  the  above-named  death,  a  proposal 
was  made  to  give  the  town  of  Shirley  a  piece  of  land  for  a 
"burying-place,  where  their  burying-place  now  is."  Now 
whether  this  association  had  learned  that  an  infringement 
had  been  made  on  their  property,  in  thus  appropriating  a 
plot  of  uninvested  ground  to  the  object  just  named,  and  so 
concluded  to  convey  what  would  be  needed  by  legal 
forms ;  or,  whether  an  application  was  made  by  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Shirley,  for  a  conveyance  of  the  spot  which  they 
had  already  begun  to  occupy,  cannot  now  be  known  ;  cer- 
tain it  is  that  a  gift  of  land  was  voted  for  this  purpose  to 
the  town  of  Shirley, — and  extracts  from  the  "proprietors'" 
records  in  relation  to  it  are  here  inserted. 

The  first  extract  is  an  article  in  the  warrant  for  a 
meeting  of  the  "proprietors,"  to  be  holden  March  7,  1755. 
The  warrant  bears  date,  Feb.  17,  1755. 

"^ly-  To  see  if  the  Proprietors  will  give  the  district  of 
Shirley  a  ^cacc  of  land  ( if  [it]  is  now  common)  for  a 
burying-place,  where  there  burying-place  now  is,  and  say 
how  much,  &c." 

Our  second  extract  is  from  the  records  of  said  meet- 
ing : 

"4'y-  Voted  to  ye  District  of  Shirley  four  acres  of  land 
(where  there  burying-place  now  is)  for  a  burying-place 
and  a  training-field,  in  said  district,  and  that  ye  Proprietors' 
committee  be  directed  to  lay  out  the  same,  providing  it 
doth  not  infringe  upon  any  former  particular  grant. 

James  Prescott,  Pro'"""  Clerk." 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  101 

Our  third  extract  is  from  the  book  of  "laying  out, 
&c."  : 

"Shirley,  April  17,  1755.  Then  we,  the  subscribers, 
pursuant  to  ye  vote  of  ye  Proprietors  of  Groton,  have  laid 
out  a  -peace  of  land  for  a  burying-place,  &c.,  in  ye  district 
of  Shirley,  and  bounds  as  followeth :  beginning  at  the 
northwest  corner,  at  a  chestnut  tree,  thence  ye  line  runs 
southerly  twenty-eight  poles,  to  a  red-oak  tree,  thence  east- 
erly twenty-four  poles,  to  a  red  oak,  thence  northerly 
twenty-eight  poles  to  a  ded  white-oak  tree,  thence  westerly 
twenty-four  poles  to  ye  chestnut  first  mentioned ;  the  same 
■peace  of  land  contains  four  acres  and  sixteen  poles. 

James  Prescott,  Prop''^'^  Clerk. 

William  Lawrence,  '\ 

Thomas  Tarbell,         I  ^  ...      „ 

Samuel    Iarbell,         [ 

Benj^  Parker,  J 

"True  extracts, — attest,  Caleb  Butler,  Prop'"  Clerk. 

Groton,  March  15,  1839." 

This  generous  gift  from  the  "Proprietors  of  Groton" 
was  responded  to  by  the  inhabitants  of  Shirley  by  the  fol- 
lowing vote,  passed  in  a  public  town  meeting  convened 
for  the  purpose  : 

"Voted  to  chiise  a  committee  to  return  thanks  to  the 
Proprietors  of  Groton,  for  a  Piece  of  land  for  [a]  burying- 
place  and  other  uses.  Lieut.  Powers,  Mr.  Samuel  Walker, 
Mr.  Richard  Herington,  Capt.  Harris,  Ensign  Walker, 
was  chosen  for  said  committee." 

At  the  time  the  above  grant  was  made,  a  place  for  mili- 
tary trainings  was  considered  almost  as  essential  as  a  ceme- 
tery for  the  dead ;  and  hence,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the 
donors  of  the  land  provided  for  both  purposes  in  their  be- 
quest to  the  town.  The  territory  thus  conveyed  to  Shirley 
— forming  a  square  of  four  acres,  as  we  have  seen — has 
since,  by  some  unknown  means,  been  reduced  to  a  smaller 
compass.     Some  have  conjectured  that  this   reduction  was 


102  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

occasioned  by  the  removal  of  the  road  on  the  west  side  of 
the  lot.  A  more  careful  examination,  however,  of  the 
facts  in  the  case  goes  to  prove  that  it  w^as  probably  done 
by  the  destruction  of  the  frail  landmarks  tipon  the  east 
boundary.  This  supposition  is  strengthened  by  the  fact 
that  only  the  west  part  of  the  territory  was  needed  or  used, 
for  the  purpose  of  sepulture,  for  nearly  half  a  century 
from  the  incorporation  of  the  town ;  the  remainder — as 
well  as  adjoining  lands — being  covered  with  a  forest  for 
the  longest  part  of  this  period.  Under  the  circumstances, 
how  liable,  a  monument  as  unstable  as  a  stake  and  stones, 
or  even  a  tree,  to  disappear — together  with  all  personal 
recollection  of  its  precise  locality.  This  whole  matter,  of 
the  "grave-yard  and  training-field,"  was  thoroughly  inves- 
tigated by  a  committee  appointed  by  the  town  in  1842,  of 
which  Hon.  Leonard  M.  Parker  was  chairman.  Mr. 
Parker  made  a  very  careful  and  elaborate  report,  which 
was  entered  upon  the  public  records  in  the  town  clerk's  of- 
fice, and  from  which,  the  above  statements  were  derived. 

The  land  in  question — as  fully  appears  by  the  investi- 
gation alluded  to — is  wholly  upon  the  east  side  of  the  road 
which  runs  north  and  south  by  the  graveyard.  And  it  is 
divided  nearly  in  the  centre  by  a  road  which  passes 
through,  east  and  west.  That  portion  which  is  north  of 
this  road,  and  upon  which  the  first-parish  meeting-house 
now  stands,  has  ever  been  an  open  common,  and  forms 
what  constituted  the  training-field.  The  portion  which  is 
south  of  this  road  is  a  burying  lot,  and  has  been  such  dur- 
ing the  existence  of  the  town  ;  and,  for  nearly  a  century, 
was  the  only  place  used  or  needed  for  that  purpose. 

Until  the  year  1840,  or  about  that  period,  this  ceme- 
tery was  much  neglected.  It  was  originally  enclosed  by 
a  rail-fence,  which  in  a  few  years  perished  as  do  all  such 
frail  structures.  It  was  then  surrounded  by  a  coarse 
stone-wall,  which  remained,  under  certain  dilapidations 
caused  by  the  yearly  frosts,  until  1857  ;  when  the  wall 
was  removed,  on  the  two  sides  that  are  bordered  by  roads, 
and  a  fence  of  split  granite  posts  and  iron  rails  was  set 
up  in  its  place. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  103 

Previous  to  the  year  1840  individual  enterprise  had 
planted  ornamental  trees  on  these  two  sides  of  the  ceme- 
tery, outside  of  the  enclosure.  In  all  other  respects  these 
grounds  were  sadly  neglected.  The  cemetery  was  given 
in  charge  to  an  unlearned,  unskilful  undertaker,  who 
located  the  graves  without  order  or  taste — wherever  he 
could  excavate  with  the  greatest  ease — and  suffered  the 
whole  enclosure  to  be  over-run  with  wild  grass  and  wilder 
brush-wood.  As  has  been  intimated,  the  walls  tumbled 
from  their  places  and  w^ere  suffered  to  lie  in  their  delap- 
sion ;  the  monuments  which  the  hand  of  affection  had 
reared  over  the  dust  of  relatives  and  friends  were  removed 
from  their  upright  positions,  bending  backwards  and  for- 
wards, inclined  hither  and  thither,  and  some  of  them 
lying  prostraje,  covered  with  moss  and  other  accretions  of 
time, — presenting  in  every  feature  a  most  forbidding  aspect, 
and  staying  the  steps  of  those  who  seek  the  place  of  the 
dead  as  one  of  holy  meditation  and  devout  resolve. 

As  above  stated,  in  1840  a  change  came  over  the 
scenery  of  the  sacred  locality.  The  selectmen  were  di- 
rected by  the  town,  "to  make  some  improvements  in  the 
external  appearance  of  the  Burying  Yard."  The  result  of 
their  efforts  was  very  creditable  to  their  judgment  and 
taste.  The  delapsed  walls  were  at  first  repaired,  and  sub- 
sequently removed  to  give  place  to  the  iron  and  granite 
fence  before  mentioned ;  the  leaning  and  prostrate  head- 
stones were  readjusted ;  as  well  as  could  be  done,  the 
grounds  were  laid  out  by  intersecting  walks  or  alleys,  and 
ornamented  with  trees  and  shrubbery.  Individual  families 
enclosed  lots  by  fences  of  ornamented  iron  and  other 
devices,  planted  them  with  flowers,  and,  in  some  cases, 
furnished  them  w^ith  costly  monuments.  Hence,  notwith- 
standing the  uninviting  appearance  of  the  "old  cemetery" 
until  this  change  was  effected,  it  assumed  an  order  and 
beauty  beyond  what  the  most  sanguine  could  have  deemed 
possible.  It  was,  however,  soon  found  too  small  for  the 
population.  The  grounds  that  had  been  set  apart  for 
famil}'  enclosures  were  all  taken    and  appropriated,    and 


104  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

room  was  with  difficulty  obtained  for  single  graves.  It 
was  therefore  deemed  essential  to  have  a  new  cemetery,  or 
to  have  the  old  one  enlarged.  This  necessity  brought  the 
matter  before  the  town  at  a  meeting  holden  April  4,  1859, 
when  it  w^as  voted  "to  choose  a  committee  of  three  persons 
to  select  a  lot  for  a  burying-ground,  and  report  at  the  next 
town  meeting.  Nathaniel  Holden,  Jonas  Holden,  and 
Israel  Longley,  were  appointed."  This  committee  made  a 
verbal  report  and  were  dismissed  from  further  service. 

One  year  later,  April  2,  i860,  the  subject  Vv'as 
renewed  ;  and  the  selectmen,  in  connection  with  Jere-miah 
C.  Hartwell  and  Thomas  Whitney,  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  see  "if  the  burial  ground  in  the  centre  of  the 
town  could  be  enlarged."  This  committee  subsequently 
reported  that  a  piece  of  land  from  the  estate  of  Jonas 
Longley,  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  present  burying- 
ground,  could  be  obtained.  Whereupon  it  was  voted 
"that  said  committee  be  instructed  to  make  the  purchase  at 
the  price  that  had  been  stipulated  (two  hundred  and  titty 
dollars) ,  and  that  the  treasurer  be  authorized  to  take  a 
deed  of  the  same."  This  action  was  taken  Nov.  6,  i860  ; 
but  owincr  to  the  trials  connected  with  the  war  of  the  re- 
hellion,  which  commenced  soon  after,  the  matter  was  laid 
aside  for  more  than  three  years ;  when,  at  the  meeting  in 
March,  1864,  it  was  again  brought  forward,  and  the  com- 
mittee of  so  long  standing  was  reinforced  by  the  addition 
of  two  recruits,  viz  :  Zenas  Brown  and  George  Page. 
This  committee  reported  that  they  had  "purchased  of 
Charles  Gerrish  of  Groton  a  lot  of  land  ( lately  owned  by 
Jonas  Longley),  situated  south  and  east  of  the  burial 
ground  in  Shirley  Centre, — one  and  one-quarter  acres — for 
live  hundred  and  twenty-tive  dollars  ;  and  that  the  town 
treasurer  has  taken  a  deed  of  the  same."  The  committee 
was  then  discharged,  and  the  town  adopted  the  following 
judicious  arrangement  in  relation  to  the  future  care  of  the 
cemetery  :  "Voted,  that  Dr.  James  O.  Parker,  George 
Page  and  Thomas  E.  Whitney,  be  a  committee  to  have 
charge  of  the  burying-ground  in  the  centre  of  the  town. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  105 

with  power  to  enclose  by  fencing  the  ground  added  to  the 
same  ;  to  superintend  the  division  and  laying  out  of  lots 
and  the  manner  of  disposing  of  them  ;  to  have  charge  of 
the  burying-ground  fund,  to  receive  and  appropriate  any 
and  all  donations  that  may  be  made  to  the  burying-ground, 
or  to  the  town  for  its  improvement,  and  to  have  the  general 
care  and  direction  of  it." 

At  the  town-meeting  holden  March  6,  1865,  the 
following  communication  was  presented  for  the  considera- 
tion of  the  town. 

"Dr.  James  O.  Parker,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  hav- 
ing in  charge  the  Burial  Ground,  &c. 

"Dear  Sir: — The  purchase  of  one  acre  and  thirty- 
nine  rods  of  land,  which  the  town  has  recently  made  as  an 
addition  to  the  Burial  Ground  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  I 
consider  to  be  insufficient  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  public 
for  any  length  of  time,  as  a  place  of  burial  for  the  dead  ; 
neither  is  it  large  enough  to  admit  much  space  for  embel- 
lishment ;  nor  can  it  be  laid  out  to  meet  the  demands  of 
the  improved  taste  of  the  present  day  in  the  usual  arrange- 
ment  and   adornment  of  cemeteries. 

"To  obviate  these  difficulties, — and  to  manifest  the  deep 
interest  which  I  feel  in  this  ancient  burial  place,  conse- 
crated as  it  is  with  the  dust  of  the  first  inhabitants  of  this 
town,  as  well  as  that  of  our  own  kindred  and  friends, — I 
have  purchased  the  adjoining  estate  ;  and  I  now  propose  to 
offer  to  the  town  as  a  gift,  a  portion  of  this  estate,  indicated 
as  near  as  may  be  upon  a  plan  referred  to  below, ^provided, 
the  same  shall  be  accepted  by  the  town  with  the  conditions 
hereunto  annexed. 

"First.  That  this  land  shall  ever  be  considered  as  a 
part  of  the  burial  ground. 

"Second.  That  this  land,  together  with  the  land 
recently  purchased  by  the  town,  shall  be  laid  out  and  im- 
proved as  soon  as  practicable  by  the  committee  appointed 
at  the    annual    town   meeting   in  March,    1864,  (and  now 

14 


106  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

having  charge  of  the  burial  ground,)  substantially  in 
accordance  with  the  plan  prepared  by  Mr.  George  F. 
Meacham,  architect,  of  Boston,  herewith  presented  ;  and 
that  this  committee  shall  have  the  sole  care,  superintend- 
ence and  management  of  this  cemetery,  with  power  to  fill 
all  vacancies  in  the  committee,  to  make  all  rules  and  regu- 
lations deemed  necessary  for  the  full  execution  of  their 
trust. 

"Very  respectfully, 

"Thomas  E.  Whitney. 
"Shirley,  March  4,  1865." 

The  town  voted  to  "accept  the  proposed  gift  of  Mr. 
Thomas  E.  Whitney,  with  the  conditions  stipulated  in  his 
letter  offering  the  same," 

The  whole  of  the  grounds  have  been  enclosed  by  a 
durable  fence,  and  an  outline  of  the  work  proposed  by  the 
architect  has  been  made,  and  many  family  lots  have  been 
appropriated,  furnished  with  durable  enclosures,  provided 
with  graceful  monuments,  and  elegantly  ornamented  with 
shrubbery  and  flowers.  It  is  now  an  inviting  retreat  for 
bodily  exercise,  and  for  those  mental  and  moral  commun- 
ings which  appropriately  belong  to  seasons  of  relaxation 
from  the  cares  and  business  of  life.  Here  the  weary, 
toil-worn  pilgrim  of  physical  employment  may  contemplate 
the  feeble  tenure  that  holds  him  from  the  grave,  the  cer- 
tainty of  death,  and  the  short  time  that  must  elapse  before 
he  will  lie  as  low  as  those  whose  ashes  swell  the  turf 
beneath  his  feet,  and  with  them  silently  await  "the  voice  of 
the  archangel  and  the  trump  of  God." 

In  this  cemetery  sleep  the  remains  of  the  early 
settlers  of  the  town,  and  their  children  of  the  next  genera- 
tion, none  of  whom  are  now  among  the  living;  here,  too, 
rests  the  dust  of  the  first  minister  of  the  town,  (who,  for 
more  than  half  a  centur}-,  led  the  devotions  at  the  altar  of 
the  public  sanctuary,)  with  the  dust  of  his  fellow-worship- 
pers all  around,  as  though  he  would  remain  with  his 
people  even   in   the   place   of    the   dead ;    and    here,   too, 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  107 

moulder  the  remains  of  the  two  physicians  who  passed 
their  life-season  of  usefulness  within  the  town.  They 
sleep  with  those  to  whom  they  had  administered  the  heal- 
ing prescription,  but  whom  their  skill  could  not  ultimately 
save  from  the  grave. 

" Requicscat  in  ■pace.^'' 

As  early  as  1849  ^*^  ^^^  found  necessary  to  enclose  a 
new  cemetery,  somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
South  Village,  to  accommodate  the  growing  population  of 
that  section  of  the  town.  A  committee,  composed  of  the 
following-named  persons,  was  appointed  to  carry  the 
measure  into  effect:  Hon.  L.  M.  Parker,  Darius  Emery 
and  William  H.  Grossman. 

This  committee  purchased  a  locality  for  this  purpose, 
bordering  on  the  Catacunemaug,  rising  somewhat  abruptly 
from  the  banks  of  that  river,  gently  undulated,  and  par- 
tially covered  with  clusters  of  young  trees.  It  presents  a 
naturally  wild  beauty,  but  under  the  plastic  hand  of  art  it 
may  be  made  to  combine  the  handy-work  of  nature  with 
the  smoothing  process  of  human  invention,  in  such  man- 
ner as  to  give  it  an  admirable  fitness  for  the  sacred  object 
for  which  it  is  designed. 

According  to  the  report  made  by  the  committee 
above  named,  the  land  is  "in  the  form  of  an  ellipse,  which 
they  divided  into  rings  by  circular  walks ;  the  rings  they 
again  divided  transversely  into  compartments,  making 
ninety-eight  lots,  to  be  appropriated  to  individual  families." 
It  lies  retired  from  the  bustle  and  noise  of  business,  as 
though  it  would  abjure  the  cares  and  strifes  of  living  men, 
and  at  the  same  time  furnish  them  with  a  retreat  for  medi- 
tation and  devotion,  which  may  be  regarded  a  chief  char- 
acteristic of  the  modern  ornamented  cities  of  the  dead.  It 
was  originally  inclosed  by  wooden  palings,  and  furnished 
with  a  cheap  and  unsubstantial  gate.  These  have  given 
place  to  more  durable  fixtures,  as  will  soon  appear. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1865,  some  fifteen  years  from 
the  laying  out  of  the  new  cemetery,  it  was  placed,  by  vote 


108  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

of  the  town,  in  charge  of  a  committee  that  was  to  have 
the  superintendence  of  the  enclosure,  attend  to  the  dis- 
posal of  family  lots,  and  to  all  the  duties  that  such  charge 
would  imply.  Leonard  M.  Parker,  2d,  Jerome  Gardner 
and  William  M.  Park  constituted  this  committee. 

It  was  subsequently  found  necessary  to  enlarge  the 
area  of  this  cemetery  ;  and  it  was  accordingly  decided  that 
the  selectmen  should  be  deputed  to  purchase  such  ad- 
ditional territor}'  as  the  exigencies  of  the  case  required, 
and  to  have  the  whole  enclosed  by  a  fence  composed  of 
stone  posts  and  wooden  rails.  But  before  the  fence  w^as 
erected  the  wooden  rails  were  substituted  by  iron,  at  the 
suggestion  of  Mr.  N.  C.  Munson,  who  has  ever  been 
ready,  both  by  his  counsel  and  his  purse,  to  aid  in  the 
public  improvements  of  the  town.  This  liberal  benefactor 
of  the  people's  interests  was  at  the  entire  expense  of  that 
part  of  the  inclosure  that  separates  the  grounds  from  the 
highway, — the  front  fence  of  the  cemetery,  which  includes 
the  gateway  of  the  public  entrance.  Such  is  the  solidity 
and  beauty  of  the  structure  here  erected  by  Mr.  Munson, 
that  it  lays  claim  to  a  special  description. 

Its  entire  length,  including  the  gates,  is  two  hundred 
and  fifty  feet.  It  has  a  central  concave  curve,  sixteen  and 
one-half  degrees,  which  inchides  the  entrances,  and  which 
occupies  sixty-three  feet  of  the  length  of  the  structure. 
In  the  centre  of  this  curve  is  a  superb  Gothic  arch,  of 
massive  proportions,  spanning  a  carriage  entrance  nine 
feet  in  width.  Its  columns  rest  on  a  granite  basis,  and  it 
presents,  in  its  gable,  a  neat  trefoil  device.  It  is  crowned 
with  a  finial  in  the  form  of  a  cross.  The  height  of  the 
arch  is  twenty  feet.  On  either  side  of  it  are  entrances  for 
foot  passengers,  each  of  which  is  four  feet  in  width. 
These  entrances  are  buttressed  by  columns  that  are  sur- 
mounted by  entablatures,  ornamented  with  the  cross  of 
Jerusalem  in  bass-relief.  The  whole  structure  is  supported 
by  a  granite  foundation,  deeply  embedded  in  the  ground. 
The  columns,  arches  and  entablatures  are  composed  of 
Nova  Scotia  sand-stone,  and  are  of  such  thorough  work- 
manship as  to  defy  the  inroads  of  time  for  centuries.     The 


Pi 


o 

O 

< 
PC 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  109 

height  of  the  side  entrances  from  the  plane  to  the  crown 
of  the  entablatures  is  twelve  feet.  The  gates  are  of  iron, 
and  of  substantial  construction.  Instead  of  planting 
memorials  of  coeval  date  in  the  corner-stone  or  basement 
of  the  work,  they  have  found  a  place  in  a  cavity  of  the 
key-stone  or  apex ;  thus  reversing  the  order  by  which 
the  frail  records  of  an  existing  age  may  be  preserved  for 
the  use  or  curiosity  of  a  distant  generation. 

From  the  abutments  of  the  curve  which  forms  the 
centre  of  the  structure,  lines  of  granite  wall  are  extended 
ninety-three  feet  each  way,  completing  the  front  enclosure 
of  the  cemetery.  These  walls  are  capped  with  sand- 
stone, and  both  make  a  height  of  three  feet,  on  the  top  of 
which  is  a  balustrade  of  iron,  four  feet  high.  The  united 
height  of  the  wings,  therefore,  amounts  to  seven  feet. 

The  entire  expense  of  this  lasting  and  highly  orna- 
mental structure  was  over  $5,000.  Beneath  the  conse- 
crated soil,  thus  protected,  are  buried  the  remains  of  the 
honored  father  of  the  donor,  and  there,  too,  sleep  the 
ashes  of  six  dear  children.  The  structure  will  in  all  time 
remain  a  memorial  of  the  taste  and  generosity  of  its 
founder,  and  an  ornament  to  the  town. 

Both  of  the  cemeteries  in  the  town  have  been  supplied 
with  receiving-tombs,  built  of  granite  and  finished  in  the 
most  substantial  and  workmanlike  manner.  That  in  the 
old  cemetery  is  supplied  with  a  massive  door  of  bronze, 
presented  to  the  town  by  Thomas  Edwin  Whitney,  on 
which  is  engraved  the  following  pertinent  inscription, 
taken  from  the  prophetic  records  of  the  Old  Testament : 

^'  Seek  Him  that  turneth  the   shadow    of  death    into    the 

morning.'''' 

The  cost  of  this  structure  was  nearly  three  hundred 
dollars.  Mr.  Whitney  expended  over  two  hundred  dollars 
additional,  in  laying  out  the  grounds  on  the  new  part  of 
the  old  cemetery,  and  in  erecting  a  wall  yn  its  south- 
eastern boundary. 

Down  to  the  year  181 7  the  town  had  been  without  a 
hearse,  or  any  special  convenience  by  which  the  dead  could 


110  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

be  conveyed  to  the  place  of  sepulture.  At  the  annual 
town-meeting  of  the  above-named  year,  an  unavailing 
attempt  was  made  to  supply  this  very  important  defect. 
The  attempt  was  renewed  at  the  next  town-meeting,  which 
occurred  in  one  month,  with  better  success.  It  was  then 
voted  that  a  hearse  be  procured,  and  that  a  proper  building 
be  erected  for  its  storage.  This  was  but  a  small  matter, 
yet  it  was  one  step  in  the  right  direction.  The  building 
and  the  hearse  served  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  for  the 
space  of  twenty-eight  years,  when  both  became  so  much 
worn  and  antiquated  as  to  be  unfit  for  further  use  ;  accord- 
ingly, the  house  was  demolished  and  a  new  and  improved 
one  was  made  in  its  place,  and  a  new  and  (what  were  in 
that  day  called)  an  elegant  carriage  and  harness  were 
prepared  for  burial  purposes  at  the  manufactory  of 
Harvey  A.  Woods  &  Co.  The  expense  of  the  building 
was  eighty-eight  dollars,  and  the  cost  of  the  hearse  and 
harness  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

After  a  use  of  twenty-seven  years,  of  this  apparatus 
for  burial  purposes,  it  was  found  to  have  fallen  behind  the 
existing  age  of  improvements,  and  that  it  must  be  super- 
seded by  something  better  adapted  to  the  times.  Accord- 
ingly a  new  hearse  was  voted  into  existence,  in  1872,  at 
an  expense  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars. 

Soon  after  the  new  cemetery  at  the  South  Village  was 
opened,  it  was  found  inconvenient  to  depend  upon  the 
undertaker  in  the  centre  of  the  town  to  superintend  burials 
two  miles  distant,  so  that  a  second  official  was  appointed, 
and  a  second  hearse  was  procured  to  meet  the  new  de- 
mand ;  but  this  outfit  lasted  but  a  few  years  before  it  was 
regarded  as  past  its  season  of  fit  appearance,  and  was  sup- 
planted by  the  one  in  present  use  in  1873.  The  two 
hearses  were  purchased  at  a  cost  of  nine  hundred  dollars. 

This  chapter  appears  to  be  an  appropriate  place  to 
insert  a  record  of  the  deaths  that  have  occurred  from  year 
to  year,  so  far  as  such  record  has  been  preserved,  since 
the  town  has  been  incorporated.  It  is  greatly  to  be 
regretted  that  in   most  New-England  towns,   for  the  first 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  Ill 

century  of  their  existence,  the  death  records  were  entirely 
neglected,  or  left  to  the  uncertain  care  of  the  minister  of 
the  town, — who,  on  account  of  his  spiritual  charge  of 
families  and  his  connection  with  funerals,  was  expected  to 
take  note  of  death  as  a  part  of  his  appropriate  work. 
Generally  they  fulfilled  this  part  of  their  trust  with  fidelity. 
But  as  their  records,  after  their  deaths,  were  sometimes 
consigned  to  the  waste-basket, — and  as  towns  were  often, 
for  long  periods,  without  a  settled  ministry, — intervals 
occurred,  oftentimes  for  years  in  length,  when  such  impor- 
tant dates  and  statistics  as  those  which  relate  to  births, 
marriages  and  deaths,  were  wholly  omitted  in  the  records 
of  both  church  and  state.  For  the  space  of  nine  years, 
from  the  incorporation  of  Shirley  to  the  settlement  of  a 
minister,  no  such  records  were  made  ;  or,  if  made,  have 
been  lost.  And  by  some  accident  the  record  of  deaths 
kept  by  Mr.  Whitney  from  1807  to  18 15  has  disap- 
peared. Thus,  in  a  little  more  than  one  century,  there 
are  periods,  amounting  in  all  to  seventeen  years,  for  which 
the  death-list  has  been  lost,  if  one  was  ever  made. 

The  following  tables,  made  up  of  the  dates  and  sta- 
tistics kept  by  the  clergymen  whose  names  are  prefixed, 
are  believed  to  present  a  correct  account  of  the  mortality 
of  the  town  during  the  years  specified  : 

LIST    OF    DEATHS    RECORDED    BY    MR.    WHITNEY. 
Year.       No.        Year.        No.        Year.       No. 

1762—  2  1773—  4  1784—  9 

1763—  7  1774—10  1785—10 

1764—  5  1775—  8  1786—  2 

1765 —  4  1776 — 20  1787 —  6 

1766—  3  1777—13  1788—  4 

1767 —  7  1778 —  9  1789 — 10 

1768 —  5  1779 —  2  1790 — II 

1769—  4  1780—  4  1791—  5 

1770—  3  1781—  4  1792—  3 

1771—  7  1782—  4  1793—12 

1772—  7  1783—  4  1794—  8 


Year.      No. 

Year.      No. 

1795  —  20 

1806 4 

1796 —  6 

1807 — 10 

1797—13 

1808— 

1798—  6 

1809 

1799—  5 

181O— 

1800      8 

181I  — 

1801 — 12 

1812— 

1802 —  4 

1813— 

1803 — 10 

1814— 

1804—  8 

1815  — 12 

1805—  6 

112  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

LIST    OF    DEATHS    RECORDED    BY    MR.    TOLMAN. 

Year.       No.           Year.       No.            Year.       No.            Year.       No. 
1816 — 14  1817 — 12  1818 — 12  1819 9 

LIST    OF    DEATHS    RECORDED    BY    MR.    CHANDLER. 
Year.       No.        Year.        No.        Year.       No.       Year.         No.       Year.        No. 

1820 —  9   1833 —  8   1846 — II   1859 — 31   ^872 — 15 

182I 25  1834 14  1847 — 53  i860 — 26  1873 27 

1822 —  7  1835 —  8  1848 — 16  1861 32  1874 II 

1823 13  1836 19  1849 — 29  1862 — 29  1875 32 

1824 10  1837 9  1850 — 21  1863 21  1876 24 

1825  —  12  1838—35  1851—24  1864—19  1877—15 

1826—19  1839 — ^5  ^^52 — 15  1865 — 27       1878 — 17 

1827 — 18  1840 — II  1853 — 28  1866 — 29      1879 — 27 

1828 — 12  1841 —  7  1854 — 29  1867 — 19      1880 — 29 

1829 — 13  1842 — 12  1855 — 21  1868 — 20 

1830 — II  1843 — 17  1856 — 28  1869 — 20 

1831—20  1844—13  1857—28  1870—35 

1832 — 16  1845 — 15  1858 — 17  I87I — 19 

From  the  above  tables  we  learn  that  during  112  years, 
out  of  the  128  years  of  the  town's  existence,  there  were 
1,599  deaths;  which  make  an  average  of  13%  a  year,  or 
a  little  less.  Now  suppose  we  should  rate  the  nine  years 
previous  to  Mr.  Whitney's  settlement,  of  which  no  death 
record  has  been  preserved,  with  the  successive  nine  years 
of  his  settlement,  we  should ,  have  a  total  of  40  deaths. 
If,  then,  we  were  to  rate  the  death  record  of  the  seven 
years,  where  the  record  has  been  lost,  by  that  of  the 
seven  preceding  years,  we  should  have  a  total  of  54 
deaths.  Adding  these  totals  to  the  number  preserved  by 
record,  which  we  have  seen  to  amount  to  i,599'  and  we 
have  a  grand  total  of  1,693,  or  about  an  average  of  133^ 
per  annum,  since  the  incorporation  of  the  town. 

By  a  law  of  this  Commonwealth,  passed  in  the  year 
1843,  town-clerks  are  to  keep  a  registration  of  all  mar- 
riages,  births  and   deaths,   in  their  respective   towns  ; — a 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  113 

wise  provision  that  will  secure  accuracy  in  future  time,  and 
greatly  alleviate  the  labors  of  future  genealogists  and  sta- 
tisticians. The  foregoing  tables  show  that  the  smallest 
yearly  number  of  deaths  has  been  two,  and  the  largest 
number  Jifty-three.  The  serious  mortality  which  was 
experienced  in  1847,  swept  off  at  least  one-twentieth  of 
the  entire  population.  The  diseases  most  prevalent  that 
year,  were  scarlatina  with  children,  and  dysentery  with 
adults. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

War  of  the  Revolution  and  its  Precursors  —  Shafs 
Rebellion —  Wars  of  1812  and  of  the  Southern  Re- 
hellion  . 

Although,  as  has  been  stated,  the  early  Indian  depre- 
dations upon  the  colonies  had  ceased  before  the  incorpora- 
tion or  even  the  settlement  of  Shirley,  yet  it  had  become  a 
township  seven  years  before  the  close  of  what  has  been 
termed  the  "French  war." — which  terminated  in  the  sur- 
render of  the  Canadas  to  the  English  government. 
Soldiers  for  his  majesty's  service  volunteered  from  Groton 
and  from  Shirley  ;  and  Mr.  Joseph  Longley,  who  held 
the  offices  of  first  selectman  and  town  clerk,  at  the 
organization  of  the  district,  entered  and  died  in  that  ser- 
vice. The  town  had,  however,  previous  to  the  rupture  of 
the  colonies  with  the  mother  country,  assumed  larger  pro- 
portions, and  was  enabled  to  take  an  active  and  decided 
part  in  the  controversies  and  contests  that  resulted  in  the 
independence  of  the  United  States.     There  existed  here 

15 


114  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

no  want  of  a  proper  measure  of  the  spirit  of  civil  liberty. 
With  their  fathers  and  brethren,  the  settlers  of  Shirley- 
were  wont  to  dwell  quietly  under  their  colonial  subjuga- 
tion ;  yet,  when  the  grievances  imposed  by  the  king  of 
Great  Britain  had  become  too  numerous  and  oppressive  to 
be  tamely  endured,  they  were  prepared  to  second  every 
worthy  measure  to  sustain  the  i^ights  and  liberties  of  the 
colonies,  and  to  venture  their  property  and  their  lives  in 
the  common  struggle  for  independence. 

The  papers  in  relation  to  British  aggressions, — drawn 
up  at  the  order,  and  sanctioned  by  vote,  of  the  town, — are 
deserving  a  more  conspicuous  place  of  record,  and  a  more 
extensive  notoriety,  than  they  can  have  while  confined  to 
the  pages  of  the  town  archives.  They  will  be  given  in 
this  history  as  they  come  along,  and  in  their  original  form. 

The  first  public  and  formal  procedure  relating  to  the 
independence  afterward  achieved,  was  at  a  town-meeting 
holden  Oct.  i8,  1765.  It  related  to  the  passage  of  the 
"Stamp  Act,"  by  the  British  Parliament.  The  town  unani- 
mously voted  the  following  instructions  to  their  represen- 
tative then  in  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  : 

"Ordered  that  Abel  Lawrence,  Esq.,  Representative. 
&c.,for  us  and  others  in  the  Great  and  General  Court, 
have  a  copy  of  our  views,  and  is  desired  to  act  accordingly. 
Is  it  a  matter  of  wonder  that  every  thinking  person  in  the 
Colonies  of  North  America  is  greatly  alarmed  by  the  late 
act  of  Parliament,  called  the  Stamp  Act,  as  it  aftects  the 
state  and  liberty  of  every  loyal  subject  of  said  Colonies? 
It  is  therefore  thought  by  your  constituents  that,  at  this 
critical  season,  you  would  not  be  unwilling  to  know  their 
minds  upon  this  important  affair.  We  look  upon  said  act, 
as  a  burden,  grievous,  distressing  and  insupportable;  not 
only  likely  to  enslave  the  present  but  future  generations. 
The  great  and  heavy  load  lying  upon  us,  occasioned  by 
the  late  war,  with  its  increasing  interest,  and  all  other  inci- 
dental charges  at  home  for  the  support  of  government, 
&c.,  have  sunk  us  so  low  already  that  we  are  wholly  un- 
able to  bear  the  duties  imposed  upon  us  by  the  stamp  act. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  115 

which,  if  it  take  place,  must  and  will  immediately  prove 
our  certain  ruin.  With  regard  to  the  power  of  the  British 
Parliament  to  lay  taxes  on  in  such  a  manner,  is,  you  know, 
a  point  that  has  been  disputed  with  great  warmth,  on  both 
sides  of  the  question.  We  are  far  from  saying  or  acting 
anything  whereby  we  might  be  charged  with  disloyalty, 
as  subjects  to  the  best  of  kings,  or  that  we  have  not  a 
proper  sense  of  the  British  Court,  but  we  do  think  that  our 
charter  privileges,  and  natural  rights,  as  the  free-born  sons 
of  Britain,  are  infringed  upon  by  said  stamp  act.  Our 
advice,  instruction  and  direction,  therefore,  to  you  is,  that 
upon  all  proper  occasions  you  use  and  exercise  your 
utmost  endeavors,  and  strongest  efforts,  in  a  modest,  be- 
coming and  respectful  manner,  to  prevent  said  act  from 
taking  place  in  the  government ;  and  that  you  with  a 
watchful  eye,  upon  every  occasion,  diligently  guard  and 
protect  the  liberties  of  your  country,  to  the  utmost  of  your 
power,  against  all  encroachments  and  innovations.  Like- 
wise we  desire  you  to  frown  upon  every  attempt  for  raising, 
by  way  of  tax,  any  sum  or  sums  of  money,  or  consent  to 
dispose  of  any  alread}^  raised,  without  the  consent  of  the 
people,  upon  any  pretence  whatsoever,  except  for  defray- 
ing the  necessary  expenses  of  government.  Also  we 
would  signify  our  dislike  of  the  late  act  of  violence  in 
the  town  of  Boston  ;  and  every  other  act  of  rage  com- 
mitted against  any  particular  person  or  private  property, 
anywhere  within  his  Majesty's  most  loyal  and  dutiful 
province  of  Massachusetts  Bay. — Finally,  your  constitu- 
ents expect,  that  on  all  occasions,  you  will  view  their 
interest  as  closely  connected  with  your  own,  and  at  all 
times  endeavor  to  promote  it,  and  also  the  interest  of  the 
Province  generally. 

"By  order  of  the  Committee. 

"John  Longley." 

Both  the  spirit  and  language  of  this  document  evince 
the  loyalty  and  affection  of  its  authors,  as  the  subjects  of 


IKJ  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

the  British  crown  ;  at  the  same  time  it  proves  that  they 
knew  that  they  had  personal  and  chartered  rights,  which 
they  were  determined  at  all  hazards  to  defend  and  sustain. 

The  "stamp  act"  was  soon  repealed,  and  the  colonies 
had  now  no  further  cause  to  disavow  their  allegiance  for  a 
few  years  ;  they  might  distrust  the  faith  of  their  foreign 
rulers,  yet  their  present  demands  were  complied  with,  and 
they  became  uncomplaining  subjects  of  his  gracious 
majesty  George  III.  Indeed,  so  faithful  were  they  in  their 
submission  to  his  rule  that  they  invariably  spoke  of  the 
mother-country  as  "blessed  England,"  and  strove  to  efface 
from  their  memories  the  wrongs  they  had  received,  and  to 
live  in  peace  with  the  land  from  whence  their  fathers 
came. 

Yet  all  their  hopes  were  destined  to  disappointment, 
as  events  soon  proved.  In  less  than  eight  years  from  the 
opposition  to  the  stamp  act,  just  noticed,  the  town  received 
a  circular  from  a  Committee  of  Correspondence  in  Boston, 
setting  forth  new  grievances,  to  which  the  people  of 
Shirley  responded  in  the  following  paper,  communicated 
to  their  friends  in  the  State  metropolis  : 

"The  unanimous  proceedings  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
District  of  Shirley,  being  legally  assembled  upon  adjourn- 
ment, January  the  ii,  1773. 

"Having  received  from  the  metropolis  of  this  Province, 
their  votes  and  proceedings  at  the  late  town  meeting,  and 
having  taken  the  same  into  consideration,  we  are  of  the 
opinion  that  our  rights  are  properly  stated  by  their  com- 
mittee, and  that  they  are  infringed  in  those  instances  men- 
tioned by  them  ;  and  we  are  fully  persuaded,  if  the  Judges 
of  the  Superior  Court  of  this  Province  have  their  salaries 
from  the  king, — from  whose  substitutes  their  appointment 
originates,  and  without  whose  consent  (let  them  hold  the 
scales  of  justice  ever  so  uneven)  they  cannot  be  removed, — 
that  our  liberties  are  greatly  infringed  thereby,  and  that 
we    shall    have    no    better    chance    for   justice,    no    better 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  117 

security  of  life  and  property,  than  the  people  have  in  the 
most  despotic  government  under  heaven. 

"We,  therefore,  with  due  deference  to  the  opinion  of 
our  fellow^-electors,  do  express  to  our  representative  our 
desire  that  he  use  the  utmost  influence,  that  the  judges  of 
the  superior  court  of  this  province  be  placed  upon  a  con- 
stitutional basis,  and  their  salaries  be  raised  to  such  a  sum 
as  will  support  them  in  a  manner  suitable  to  their  dignity. 
And  we  would  further  say  that  it  is  our  fixed  determination 
to  join  with  the  people  through  the  colonies,  and  of  this 
Province  in  particular,  manfully  and  constitutionally  to 
oppose  every  stride  of  despotism  and  tyranny,  and  that  we 
will  not  sit  down  easy  and  contented  until  our  rights  and 
liberties  are  restored  to  us,  and  we  enjoy  them  as  at  the 
beginning. 

"Voted,  the  above  be  entered  upon  the  records  of  the 
District,  and  an  authenticated  copy  thereof  be  sent  by  the 
District  Clerk  to  the  Committee  of  Correspondence  of 
Boston,  and  another  to  James  Prescott,  Esq.,  our  repre- 
sentative. 

"Voted,  also,  that  our  grateful  acknowledgments  are 
due  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Boston,  for  their 
vigilance  upon  this  and  many  other  occasions  of  like 
nature. 

"John  Longley,  Dis.  Clerk." 

This  missive  seems  pervaded  by  a  more  belligerent 
spirit  than  the  former ;  and  proves  a  waning  confidence  of 
the  people  in  "the  best  of  kings."  Indeed,  the  belief 
came  to  be  entertained  that  he  had  left  the  position  of 
paternal  governor — if  he  had  ever  held  such  position — and 
had  assumed  that  of  slave  master. 

This  opinion  received  further  confirmation  by  the 
passage  of  the  act  on  tea^  by  the  British  Parliament.  The 
fact  of  this  oppressive  act  was  communicated  to  the  select- 
men of  Shirlev  in  a  letter  from  the  Committee  of  Corre- 

J 

spondence,  of  the  town  of  Boston,  dated  Nov.  23,  1773. 


118  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

The  letter  was  responded  to  by  the  citizens  of  Shirley 
in  the  passage  of  the  following  resolutions — unanimously 
voted — at  the  town-meeting  in  March,  3774. 

"ist.  Voted,  that  we  will  neither  buy»  nor  sell,  nor 
drink,  (nor  suffer  it  to  be  drunk  in  any  of  our  families,) 
any  tea  that  is  subject  to  an  American  duty. 

"2d.  Voted,  that  we  will  stand  ready  to  unite  with  our 
brethren  through  the  Colonies,  in  every  proper  measure  to 
retrieve  our  liberties,  and  to  establish  them  upon  such  a 
firm  basis  that  it  will  be  out  of  the  power,  at  least  of  our 
present  enemies,  to  wrest  them  out  of  our  hands. 

"3d.  Voted,  that  the  thanks  of  the  District  be,  and 
hereby  are,  given  to  the  town  of  Boston,  and  to  the  towns 
in  that  vicinity,  for  every  rational  and  proper  measure  they 
have  pursued  in  order  to  prevent  our  inestimable  rights 
and  privileges  being  torn  from  us  by  the  artifice  and  cun- 
ning of  our  enemies, — who  are  endeavoring  to  rob  us  of 
the  fruits  of  our  honest  industry,  that  they  may  riot  in  idle- 
ness and  luxury  themselves. 

"4th.  Voted,  that  the  District  enter  the  above  votes  on 
the  district  book  of  records,  and  transmit  an  attested  copy 
of  the  above  votes  to  the  Committee  of  Correspondence  in 
Boston. 

"A  true  record  of  the  votes  of  the  District  of  Shirley, 
or  the  inhabitants  thereof. 

"Attest,  Obadiah  Sawtell,  District  Clerk." 

The  sympathy,  thus  repeatedly  expressed,  with  the 
inhabitants  of  Boston  was  soon  confirmed  by  deeds.  After 
the  passage  of  the  "Boston  Port  Bill,"  a  town-meeting  was 
warned  to  be  holden  January  i8th,  1775^  at  which  it  was 
"Voted,  that  we  make  some  provision  for  the  suffering  poor 
in  Boston  and  Charlestown,  on  account  of  the  Boston  Port 
Bill,  so  called,  and  that  the  same  be  done  by  subscription. 
Francis  Harris,  John  Ivory  and  Obadiah  Savytell  were 
chosen  a  committee  to  receive  the  donations  of  said  district 
for  said  poor,  and  ordered  to  forward  said  donations  to 
Boston  or  Charlestown  as  soon  as  may  be." 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  119 

At  this  meeting  the  yoke  of  allegiance  to  the  mother 
country  was  completely  thrown  off,  by  a  vote  to  withhold 
the  "Province  Tax"  for  the  support  of  his  majesty's  gov- 
ernment. It  was  also  voted,  to  abide  by  the  "association 
of  the  Grand  American  Congress,  held  at  Philadelphia  in 
October,  1774.  The  action  of  the  town,  in  this  relation, 
is  here  transcribed  from  its  records  : 

"We,  the  subscribers,  having  seen  the  association 
drawn  up  by  the  Grand  American  Continental  Congress, 
respecting  the  non-importation,  non-consumption,  and 
non-exportation  of  goods,  &c.,  signed  by  the  delegates  of 
this  and  the  delegates  of  other  colonies  of  this  continent, 
and  having  attentively  considered  of  the  same,  do  hereby 
approve  thereof,  and  of  every  part  of  it ;  and,  in  order  to 
make  the  same  association  our  own  personal  act,  do,  by 
these  presents,  under  the  sacred  ties  of  virtue,  honor,  and 
the  love  of  our  country,  firmly  agree  and  associate,  fully 
and  completely,  to  observe  and  keep  all  and  every  article 
and  clause  in  said  association  contained,  in  respect  to  ex- 
portation, importation,  and  non-consumption,  according  to 
the  true  intent,  meaning  and  letter  of  our  said  delegates  ; — 
and  will  duly  inform  and  give  notice  of  every  exception 
and  contravention  of  said  agreement,  as  far  as  we  are 
able  ;  and  that  we  will,  so  far  as  we  can,  encourage  and 
promote  a  general  union  herein  ; — as  witness  our  hands, 
this  i8th  day  of  January,  A.  D.  1775." 

At  the  same  meeting  at  which  this  paper  was  read 
and  approved,  we  find  a  record  of  the  following  additional 
and,  in  some  respects,  extraordinar}^  proceeding  : 

"At  a  legal  meeting  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  District  of 
Shirley,  held  on  the  i8th  of  January,  A.  D.  1775,  Resolved 
and  voted,  that  the  above  draught  of  an  association  is  ap- 
proved of,  and  that  the  same  be  entered  in  the  District 
book  of  records,  and  that  the  same  be  signed  by  the 
several  inhabitants  of  said  district,  and  that  the  committee 
of  correspondence  see  that  the  same  is  done  ;  or  inform 
the  district,  at  their  next  district  meeting,  of  every  person 


120  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

who  shall  delay  or  refuse  to  sign  the  same,  so  that  the  dis- 
trict may  take  such  further  order  thereon  as  they  may 
think  proper. 

"Attest,  Obadiah  Sawtell,  District  Clerk." 

This  hearty  and  unanimous  response  to  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  First  Continental  Congress  proved  that  the 
patriotism  of  Shirley  was  without  any  alloy  of  toryism  in 
the  "time  that  tried  men's  souls."  And  it  is  undoubtedly 
true  that  such  decision,  adhered  to  by  the  yeomanry  of 
the  country,  encouraged  the  early  formal  separation  of  the 
colonies  from  the  mother  land,  and  gave  nerve  to  the  dar- 
ing of  the  council,  and  to  the  valor  of  the  battle-field. 

These  were  some  of  the  precursors  of  the  greatest 
event  that  ever  graced  the  page  of  American  history ;  an 
event  that  not  only  secured  the  independence  of  the 
United  States,  but  has  also  proved  a  source  of  valuable 
instruction  to  every  government  in  the  old  world. 

The  pledges  that  were  made  by  the  people  of  Shirley 
were  nobly  redeemed.  When  the  tidings  of  the  Lexing- 
ton battle  reached  the  town  every  man,  old  enough  to  bear 
arms,  volunteered  his  services  and  marched  to  Cambridge, 
but  seven  !  And  these — either  by  age  or  infirmities  or  the 
situation  of  their  families — were  prevented  from  joining 
the  expedition.  One  of  them,  William  Longley, — already 
known  to  the  readers  of  this  history  as  "Old  Will,  the  mil- 
ler,"— though  bent  down  with  age,  and  supporting  him- 
self with  two  staves,  wished  to  join  the  company  ;  and 
when  reminded  of  his  infirmity,  he  replied,  "True,  I  can- 
not handle  a  musket,  yet  I  will  fight  the  red-coats  with  my 
two  canes ;" — at  the  same  time  brandishing  those  formid- 
able weapons  as  though  his  words  were  not  to  be  received 
as  fiction.  These  movements  were  unmistakable  evidence 
of  the  patriotism  of  the  actors,  and  of  the  reliableness  of 
their  declarations. 

Volunteers  went  from  time  to  time,  and  for  periods  of 
indefinite  length,  as  militia-men,  before  the  opening  of  the 
memorable  campaign  of  1777.     At  the  commencement  of 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  121 

that  year  thirteen  men  were  raised  by  enlistment,  to  serve 
three  years  or  during  the  war ;  but  as  the  legislature  of 
Massachusetts  decided  that  one-seventh  part  of  all  the 
male  inhabitants,  capable  of  bearing  arms  and  over  six- 
teen years  of  age,  should  be  thus  enlisted,  the  town 
promptly  voted  that  number — making  tiventy-tzvo  in  all. 
As  an  encouragement  to  volunteers  the  following  votes 
were  passed  :  "Voted,  to  give  each  man  twenty  pounds  as 
an  additional  bounty."  This  was  after  the  paper  currency 
began  to  depreciate.  Also,  "Voted,  that  the  selectmen  hire 
the  above  money  for  that  purpose." 

The  town  was  subsequently  called  upon  for  other  sup- 
plies, such  as  muskets,  military  coats,  provisions  of  food, 
&c.,  all  of  which  were  readily  contributed.*  There  is  so 
much  confusion  in  the  arrangement  of  the  town  records 
that  it  has  been  difficult  to  determine,  with  strict  accuracy, 
either  the  number  of  men  furnished,  or  the  cost  of  the 
war  ;  and  it  is  believed  that,  by  any  information  now  attain- 
able, we  can  only  partially  approximate  the  true  mark. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  no  complete  memorial  of 
these  volunteers  has  been  preserved  in  the  archives  of  the 
town,  as  their  names  are  worthy  of  being  handed  down  in 
grateful  remembrance  to  posterity.  Upon  the  town  records 
are  entered  two  names  only, — of  persons  who  went  to 
Rhode  Island,  for  a  few  weeks,  as  militia  men  : — John 
Ivory,  Jr.,  and  Lemuel  Patterson. 

A  search,  however,  among  the  Revolutionary  papers 
at  the  State  House  in  Boston  has  supplied,  in  part,  the 
deficiency  in  the  town  records.  From  that  source  has 
been  obtained  a  full  list  of  those  persons  from  Shirley  who 
responded  to  the  Lexington  alarm, — the  names  of  the 
"eight-months  men"  who  enlisted  immediately  after  that 
event, — and  also  a  list  of  those  who  entered  the  Continental 
service  for  a  term  of  three  years  or  more.  These  lists  will 
be  found  printed  herewith. 

Eighty  names  appear  upon  the  roll  of  the  Shirley 
minute-men  who  marched  to  Cambridge  on  the  alarm 
of  April  19th.    A  complete  copy  of  that  document  follows  : 


*See  Appendix  K. 
10 


122 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


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CIVIL    HISTORY. 


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124  •  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

NAMES    OF    EIGHT-MONTHS    MEN,    1775- 

The  following  list  comprises  the  names  of  those  who 
enlisted  in  the  company  under  command  of  Capt.  Robert 
Longley  of  Bolton,  (Col.  Asa  Whitcomb's  regiment,)  — 
with  the  dates  of  enlistment : 

Sylvanus  Smith,  Lieut.,  April  26.  John  Ivory,  July  13. 

Ephraim  Smith,  2d  Lieut.,  April  26.  Moses  Jennison,  April  26. 

Thomas  Bennett,  Sergt.,  April  26.  John  Longley,  April  27. 

Benjamin  Haskell,  Sergt.,  May  2.  John  Moors,  May  6. 

John  Kelsy,  Sergt.,  April  26.  Abel  Parker,  Jr.,  April  26. 

Joseph  Longley,  Corpl.,  April  26.  Charles  Phipps,  April  29.  * 

Edmund  Longley,  Corpl.,  May  3.  David  Pratt,  May  10. 

Timothy  Bolton,  April  29.  John  Parker,  July  13. 

Jonathan  Davis,  April  26.  Simon  Page,  Jr.,  July  15. 

Phinehas  Farwell,  April  29.  Ezra  Smith,  April  26. 

Scripture  Frost,  April  29.  William  Sampson,  April  26. 

Seth  Harrington,  April  26.  David  Sloan,  April  29. 

Zachariah  Holden,  April  26.  David  Sloan,  Jr.,  April  29. 

Asa  Holden,  April  29.  '  Obadiah  Sawtell,  Jr.,  May  7. 

Abel  Holden,  May  9.  William  Williams,  Jr.,  April  29. 

Lemuel  Holden,  July  14.  John  Williams,  June  14. 

Simeon  Harrington,  July  15.  John  Woodbury,  May  9. 
Amos  Holden,  April  26. 

The  following  persons  were  in  the  company  of  eight- 
months  men  under  Lieut.  Nathaniel  Sartell,  in  Col.  Wil- 
liam Prescott's  regiment : 

Titus  Colburn,  enlisted  May  6. 
John  Whitney,  enlisted  May  2.         ♦ 
Abner  Whitney,  enlisted  May  2. 

The  following  persons  performed  service  for  a  short 
time  during   the   summer   of  1776  : 

Silas  Davis,  corporal,  enlisted  May  17,   1776;  served   76  days. 
Ephraim  Warren,  corporal,  enlisted  May  18,  1776;  served  75  days. 
Daniel  Kezar,  enlisted  May   17,   1776;  served  76  days. 
Daniel  Page,  enlisted  May  19,   1776;  served  74  days. 
David  Wilson,  enlisted  May  25,   1776;  served  68  days. 

SOLDIERS    IN    THE    CONTINENTAL    SERVICE. 

A  return  made  to  the  Secretary  of  State  under  date 
of  December  2,  1777,  by  Col.  Jonathan  Reed,  contains  the 
following  names  of  Shirley  men  who  had  enlisted  for  three 


CIVIL    HISTORY. 


125 


years  into  the  Continental  army,  from  the  regiment  under 
his  command.  All  but  the  three  last  named  were  in  Capt. 
Smith's  company  in  the  Fifteenth  Continental  Regiment, 
under  the  command  of  Col.  Timothy  Bigelow  of  Worcester. 
The  last  three  entered  the  regiments  under  Cols.  Putnam 
and  Graton  : 


John   Davis, 
John  Davis,  Jr., 
Cornelius   Davis, 
Seth  Harrington, 
John  Jupp, 
John  Moors, 
David  Wilson, 


Solomon  Peirce, 
John  Haskell, 
Jonathan  Davis, 
William  Bartlett, 
Ezra  Smith, 
Amos  Dole,  Jr., 
John  Moors,  Jr., 


David  Sloan, 
Morris  Kelley, 
John  Dading, 
John  Kelley, 
Joseph  Burkmer. 


The  fifteenth  regiment,  in  which  most  of  the  men 
above  named  served,  was  recruited  from  Worcester  and 
Middlesex  counties  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1777,  and 
was  distinguished  both  for  its  good  discipline  and  for  valor 
upon  many  of  the  hardest-fought  fields  of  the  Revolution. 
The  regiment  assisted  in  the  capture  of  Burgoyne  at  Sara- 
toga, endured  the  trials  and  sufferings  of  Valley  Forge, 
fought  on  the  plains  of  Monmouth,  and  participated  in  the 
crowning  glories  of  Yorktown.  "A  braver  band,"  says 
Lincoln  in  his  History  of  Worcester,  "never  took  the  field 
or  mustered  to  battle.  High  character  for  intrepidity  and 
discipline,  early  acquired,  was  maintained  unsullied  to  the 
close   of  the  service." 

The  following  list,  though  comprising  only  a  part  of 
the  Continental  soldiers  from  Shirley,  is  given  to  show  the 
time  of  service  as  credited  to  each  on  the  rolls  at  the  State 
House.  Some  of  these,  perhaps  all,  served  for  other 
periods  of  time   during  the   war. 


Amos  Atherton,   12  months, 
William  Bartlett,  36  months, 
Amos  Dole,  42  months, 
Jonathan  Davis,- 43  months, 
John  Davis,  30  months, 
John  Davis,  Jr.,  36  months, 
Cornelius  Davis,  36  months, 
Josiah  Dodge,   8  months, 


John  Dutch,   10  months,  23  days, 

Seth  Harrington,  36  months, 

Morris  Kelley,  36  months, 

John  Moors,  36  months, 

John   Moors,  Jr.,  38   months,  6  days, 

Ezra  Smith,  36  months, 

John  Jupp,  ^^  months,  22  days. 


126  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

In  the  year  1780  the  town  was  required  to  raise  addi- 
tional men  for  the  continental  service,  for  a  given  time, 
and  it  was  voted  to  give  each  soldier  one  hundred  silver 
dollars,  including  the  forty  shillings  per  month  allowed  by 
the  State,  for  this  service.  It  was  also  voted  to  give  them 
each  forty  pounds  additional,  in  hard  money,  for  three 
months  additional  service. 

At  the  March  meeting  of  the  following  year,  it  was 
voted  to  raise  twelve  hundred  silver  dollars,  or  the  value 
thereof  in  other  money, — to  be  immediately  assessed  on 
the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  and  others  owning  property 
therein,  as  soon  as  may  be, — to  be  appropriated  towards 
paying  the  soldiers  hired  for  three  years'  service,  whose 
time  had  expired. 

Added  to  this  heavy  war  expense  in  the  field  and 
camp,  the  town  appointed  a  committee  to  provide  for  the 
wants  of  the  families  of  the  absent  soldiers  ;  and  all  this 
in  addition  to  the  ordinary  municipal  expenses  of  the 
town. 

When  we  remember  the  feeble  resources  from  which 
these  large  demands  were  to  be  derived,  we  must  admire 
that  patriotism  which  quietly  submitted  to  the  wearing  in- 
dustry and  privation  necessary  to  secure  the  coveted  object, 
— the  independence  of  the  colonies.  Men  imbued  with  the 
spirit  of  such  great  self-denial,  could  not  wear  the  bands 
of  a  foreign  servitude  ;  and  though  the  required  sacrifice 
was  a  drain  from  the  country  of  some  of  her  best  blood 
and  much  of  her  treasure,  yet  the  result,  giving  assurance 
as  it  did  of  the  peaceful  and  permanent  establishment  of 
a  free  government,  was   a   commensurate  reward. 

The  independence  of  the  North-American  colonies 
was  an  event  towards  which  the  whole  body  of  the  Ameri- 
can people  looked  with  ardent  hope.  A  large  portion  of 
those  who  were  opposed  to  forcible  measures  to  secure 
colonial  rights  were  led  to  rejoice  in  the  glorious  result  of 
those  measures.  They  were  moved  to  opposition  by  a  fear 
that  the  effort  would  not  be  crowned  with  success  ;  or,  if  it 
were,  that  it  would  not  be   possible   to   sustain   a   republic 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  127 

composed  of  such  rough  materials  as  were  presented  in 
the  American  people, — a  people  so  inexperienced  in  the 
policy  of  a  free  government  and  the  duties  of  diplomacy. 
They  feared  that  independence  would  be  followed  by  mis- 
rule and  anarchy,  and  that  this  great  continent  would 
become  an  arena  of  revolution  and  counter-revolution. 
Judging  from  what  had  been  witnessed  in  the  old  world, 
this  impression  was  well  founded  ;  and,  had  it  not  been  for 
the  moral  and  mental  training  of  the  descendants  of  the 
puritan  stock,  their  fears  might  have  been  realized.  As 
much  as  this,  seems  indicated  by  the  insurrection  that 
occurred  in  Massachusetts  in  1786. 

The  war  of  the  Revolution  had  left  the  people  deepl}^ 
involved  in  debt.  This  Commonwealth  owed  a  private 
debt  that,  when  consolidated,  amounted  to  upwards  of 
£1,300,000, — besides  £250,000  due  to  the  officers  and 
soldiers  of  the  army.  The  proportion  of  the  federal  debt 
due  from  Massachusetts  was  not  less,  by  a  moderate  com- 
putation, than  one  million  and  a  half  of  the  same  money. 
And,  in  addition  to  this,  every  town  was  embarrassed  by 
advances  (which  had  been  made  upon  its  own  particular 
credit,)  in  compliance  with  repeated  requisitions  for  men 
and  supplies  to  support  the  army.  The  weight  of  this 
burden  must  strike  us  in  a  strong  point  of  view  if  we 
compare  it  with  the  debt  of  the  Massachusetts  colony  before 
the  war,  which  fell  short  of  £100,000;  and  with  still 
more  force,  perhaps,  if  we  consider  that,  by  the  customary 
mode  of  taxation,  one-third  part  was  to  be  paid  by  the 
ratable  polls  alone,  which  in  Massachusetts  but  little  ex- 
ceeded ninety  thousand.  True  it  is  that  a  recollection  of 
the  blessings  which  this  debt  had  purchased,  must  have 
operated  in  the  minds  of  a  magnanimous  people  to  alle- 
viate every  inconvenience  arising  from  such  a  cause  ;  but 
embarrassments  followed  which  no  considerations  of  that 
nature  could  be  expected  to  obviate. 

This  heavy  debt  lying  upon  the  State,  added  to  bur- 
dens of  the  same  nature  upon  almost  every  incorporation 
within  it,  was  connected  with  "a  decline,  or  rather  extinc- 
tion, of    public    credit ;    a   relaxation   of   manners,    and  a 


128  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

free  use  of  foreign  luxuries  ;  a  decay  of  trade  and  manu- 
factures, with  a  prevailing  scarcity  of  money  ;  and,  above 
all,  individuals  involved  in  debt  to  each  other  ; — evils  which 
leave  us  under  no  necessity  of  searching  further  for  the 
causes  of  the  insurrections  which  took  place.  We  ought 
not  to  be  surprised  to  hnd  the  people  (who,  but  a  few 
years  before,  upon  the  abolition  of  royal  government 
among  them,  exhibited  a  most  striking  example  of  volun- 
tary submission  to  a  feeble  authority,)  now  driven  into  a 
confusion  of  affairs  common  to  all  countries  ; — but,  most 
so,  perhaps,  to  those  who  have  shown  the  strongest  ardor 
in  pursuit  of  freedom." 

We  must  also  take  into  account  the  fact  that  the  costs 
of  courts,  of  legislature  and  judicature,  were  then  so  great 
that  the  most  onerous  taxes  could  hardly  meet  the  current 
expenses  of  government,  and  pay  the  interest  on  the  State 
debts.  Hence,  we  have  the  cause  of  the  rebellion  to 
which  the  attention  of  the  reader  is  now  particularly 
called. 

Insurrectionary  movements  commenced  with  petitions 
from  popular  assemblies  to  the  State  government  for  a  re- 
dress of  grievances,  which  were  not  duly  regarded.  The 
result  was  that  armed  forces  assembled  in  several  of  the 
counties,  under  different  leaders,  who  committed  acts  of 
violence  by  stopping  courts  of  justice,  arresting  private 
citizens  and  holding  them  in  durance,  and,  in  some  in- 
stances, by  pillage  and  robbery.  Daniel  Sha3's,  a  captain 
in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  who  resided  in  Pelham,  was 
appointed  commander-in-chief  of  the  insurgents ;  and 
hence,  the  rebellion  has  been  called  Shays'  Insurrection.* 

Having  thus  presented  the  character  of  the  rebellion, 
we  proceed  to  show  what  participation  the  people  of 
Shirley  had  in  it.  With  but  one  or  two  exceptions  they 
were  unanimous  in  favor  of  some  movement  to  ameliorate 
the  existing  condition  of  things.  And  it  may  be  that  a 
majority  did  not  discountenance  a  resort  to  forcible  meas- 
ures, should  milder  efforts  fail.     It  was  the  first  purpose 


*See  Appendix  L. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  129 

of  the  insurgents  to  suppress  the  courts  of  sessions,  until 
some  action  should  be  taken  to  stay  the  flood  of  execu- 
tions which  wasted  their  property  and  made  their  homes 
desolate.  Hence  a  party  from  Shirley  joined  another 
party  from  Groton,  under  the  command  of  one  Job  Shat- 
tuck,  of  the  last-named  place,  who  had  served  in  the 
French  and  Revolutionary  wars,  "and  was  otherwise 
qualified  to  be'  conspicuous  in  such  a  cause."  Connected 
with  Mr.  Shattuck  in  this  command  were  two  brothers, 
residents  of  Shirley — Sylvanus  and  Nathan  Smith,  both 
of  whom  had  been  officers  in  the  war  for  American  Inde- 
pendence. 

The  force  (in  number  about  one  hundred)  assembled 
in  Concord,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  twelfth  day  of  Sep- 
tember;  "they  lodged  that  night  in  the  court-house,  barns, 
and  such  temporary  shelter  as  they  could  obtain,  and  on 
Tuesday  took  possession  of  the  ground  in  front  of  the 
court-house,  marked  out  their  lines,  and  formed  in  columns 
around  it,  to  prevent  any  but  their  own  party  from  enter- 
ing. About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  one  of  the  party, 
acting  as  a  sergeant,  with  two  drums  and  fifes,  went  some 
distance,  and  in  about  half  an  hour  returned  at  the  head 
of  about  ninety  men,  armed  and  on  horseback,  from  the 
counties  of  Hampshire  and  Worcester,  led  by  one  Wheeler 
of  Hubbardston  and  Converse  of  Hardwick,  and  joined 
the  other  party,  which  had  increased  to  about  two 
hundred. 

"On  the  same  day  a  convention  of  delegates  from 
Concord  and  the  neighboring  towns,  adverse  to  the  plans 
of  the  insurgents,  was  there  in  session,  betw^een  which 
and  the  insurgents  a  conference  was  opened  by  written 
communications;  the  result  of  which  was  that  the 'Court 
of  Sessions  was  permitted  to  open  and  adjourn  to  the 
last  Tuesday  in  November  next,  without  going  to  the 
court-house.'  The  court,  however,  did  not  open,  but  soon 
after  left  town,  and  the  convention  was  dissolved." 

While  the  conference,  just  noticed,  was  pending, — 
"the  insurgents  became  impatient,"  to  use  the  language  of 

17 


130  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

the  historian  of  Concord,  ''and  Smith  [Nathan]  beat 
around  for  vohmteers  ;  he  addressed  the  people,  declaring 
that  any  person  who  did  not  follow  his  drum  and  join  his 
standard,  should  be  drove  out  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet, 
— let  them  be  court,  town  committee,  or  what  else.  'I  am 
going' — he  continued — 'to  give  the  court  four  hours  to 
agree  to  our  terms,  and  if  they  do  not,  I  and  my  party 
will  compel  them  to  it.  I  will  lay  down  my  life  to  sup- 
press the  government  from  all  tyrannical  oppression,  and 
you  who  are  willing  to  join  us  in  this  ''ere  affair  may  fall 
into  our  ranks.'  Few,  however,  joined  his  standard.  His 
language  was  offensive  even  to  his  own  party."  Late 
in  the  evening  the  insurgents,  having  accomplished  their 
object,  returned  to  their  several   homes.* 

Whether  any  further  efforts  were  made  in  Middlesex 
county  by  the  people  of  Shirley,  towards  suspending  the 
courts,  neither  record  nor  tradition  informs  us  ;  yet  it  is 
certain  that  the  success  which,  in  their  estimation,  had 
crowned  their  Concord  expedition  encouraged  them  to 
make  another  movement  in  the  rebel  cause. 

In  January,  1787 — the  army  head-quarters  of  the  in- 
surgents being  at  Pelham,  where  the  commander  resided — 
invitations  were  extended  to  the  disaffected,  in  every  part 
of  the  State,  to  organize  and  repair  thither  and  act  as 
circumstances  should  require.  This  presented  another 
opportunity  for  the  disaffected  patriots  of  Shirley  and 
Groton  to  show  their  zeal  in  the  rebel  service.  The  fol- 
lowing statement  was  made  to  the  compiler  of  this  history 
by  Mr.  Matthew  Clark,  who  acted  as  a  private  in  the  cam- 
paign here  described  : 

A  number  of  men  were  assembled,  from  Shirley  and 
Groton,  in  the  centre  of  the  first-named  town,  at  the  public 
house  of  Mr.  James  Dickerson ;  and,  after  paying  their  de- 
votions at  the  altar  of  Bacchus,  grew  brave  and  proposed 
to  organize  themselves  into  a  military  company  to  join  the 
insurgent  forces  under  Shays,  and  assist  him  in  his  pat- 
riotic   work.       Aaron     Bigelow    of    Groton    was     elected 


*See  Appendix  M. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  131 

captain :  Solomon  Pratt  of  Shirley  was  promoted  to  a 
lieutenanc}^ ;  and  Cornelius  Davis,  also  of  Shirley,  was 
appointed  ensign.  The  company  immediately  took  up 
a  line  of  march  for  Pelham,  which  place  they  reached 
on  the  third  day.  They  remained  there  about  eight  days, 
when  the  rebel  arm}'  was  removed  to  Petersham. 

During  this  period  the  company  from  Shirley  formed 
a  part  of  a  detachment  that  was  sent  to  Springfield,  to 
suppress  a  court  that  had  come  there  to  hold  a  session. 
After  a  slight  skirmish  the  detachment  was  driven  back  by 
government  troops.  General  Lincoln,  a  tried  veteran  of 
the  Revolution,  was  the  commander  of  the  regular  forces 
at  this  time,  and,  though  it  was  in  the  depth  of  a  cold 
winter,  he  pushed  his  army  forward  with  the  determina- 
tion to  route  and  capture  the  insurgents  and  restore  order 
in  the  Commonwealth.  As  he  approached  Petersham, 
Shays,  with  his  principal  officers,  fled  to  other  states,  and 
eventually  took  refuge  in  Canada.  Captain  Bigelow  and 
Lieutenant  Pratt  were  also  among  the  missing  ;  but  Ensign 
Davis,  true  to  the  obligations  he  had  assumed,  never  left 
his  command, — but  made  an  orderly  retreat  back  to 
Shirley,  with  his  entire  company.  In  Fitchburg,  through 
which  town  they  passed,  a  body  of  government  troops 
were  stationed  to  intercept  and,  if  possible,  capture  them  ; 
but  so  well-disciplined  and  firm  was  the  rebel  corps,  that  it 
was  allowed  to  pursue  an  unmolested  course.  As  they 
marched  through  the  villages  that  lay  in  their  way  they 
presented  as  great  external  appearance  of  the  "pomp  of 
war"  as  their  means  would  allow,  by  unfurling  their 
banner  and  marching  to  the  sound  of  music.  When  the 
company  arrived  at  the  border  of  Shirley  it  was  dis- 
banded, and  each  man  departed  to  his  home.  Subse- 
quently every  individual  that  volunteered  in  this  campaign 
was  arrested,  carried  to  Fitchburg,  and  there  forced  to 
surrender  his  arms, — and  after  taking  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance was  discharged. 

It  may  be  a  matter  of  inquiry  how  far  these  revolu- 
tionary  measures   had   the   sanction   of   the  public.     The 


132  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

following  extracts  from  the  town  records  will  explain  the 
position  of  the  people  of  Shirley  at  this  apparently  event- 
ful period.  In  a  town  warrant  bearing  date  "Jan.  ye  29, 
1787,"  these  articles  were  inserted:  "ist.  To  see  what 
the  town  will  do  in  regard  to  sending  provision  to  those 
men  that  are  gone,  or  about  to  go  (as  they  say)  in  defence 
of  their  rights  and  privileges.  2d.  To  see  if  the  town 
will  take  into  consideration  the  present  distressing  circum- 
stances of  our  public  affairs,  and  consult  upon  means  for  a 
settlement  of  those  disturbances  that  are  subsisting  in  this 
Commonwealth." 

At  the  meeting  that  followed,  the  town  voted,  ist. 
"Not  to  send  provisions  to  the  men  gone  from  this  town 
under  arms.  2d.  Voted  to  choose  a  committee,  agree- 
ably to  the  second  article,"  above  quoted.  Messrs.  Asa 
Holden  and  Joshua  Longley  were  appointed  as  this  com- 
mittee. 

The  committee  reported  recommending  that  a  petition 
be  sent  to  the  General  Court,  praying  that  all  "the  disturb- 
ances subsisting  in  this  Commonwealth  maybe  settled;" 
which  report  was  accepted  and  the  petition  sent.  By  this 
action  of  the  town  we  find  that  a  majority  of  the  people  were 
opposed  to  the  use  of  forcible  measures  ;  though  it  cannot 
be  denied  that  almost  all  of  them  were  in  favor  of  some 
immediate  and  salutary  reforms  in  the  affairs  of  govern- 
ment. 

The  result  of  this  great  movement  in  the  State  was  a 
reform  satisfactory  to  the  wishes  of  all  reasonable  and 
peaceably  disposed  citizens,  and  which,  in  due  time,  en- 
abled the  people  to  meet  the  pecuniary  demands  against 
them,  both  public  and  private.  The  insurrection  was  sup- 
pressed "by  the  spirited  use  of  constitutional  power, 
without  the  shedding  of  blood  by  the  hand  of  the  civil 
magistrate  ;  a  circumstance  which  it  is  the  duty  of  every 
citizen  to  ascribe  to  its  real  cause — the  lenity  of  govern- 
ment, and  not  its  weakness ;  a  circumstance,  too,  that 
must  attach  every  man  to  a  constitution  which,  from  a 
principle    of     mediocrity,     governs     its     subjects     without 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  133 

oppression,  and  reclaims  them  without  severity."  The 
same  blame  that  has  been  attached  to  the  movers,  aiders 
and  abettors  of  this  rebellion — in  however  odious  a  light  it 
may  be  regarded — would  have  been  awarded  to  the  actors 
against  British  oppression,  had  not  success  crowned  the 
efforts  of  those  actors  with  independence.* 

In  the  war  of  1812  Shirley  furnished  its  required 
quota  of  troops  for  government  service.  They  were  raised 
by  draft,  with  conditions  annexed,  and  very  few  taken 
beyond  the  coast  defence  of  our  seaboard  towns ;  and 
there  was  so  little  of  incident  connected  with  the  career  of 
these  soldiers  that  nothing  has  been  deemed  worthy  of 
record. 

In  the  Mexican  war  there  was  one  enlistment  from 
Shirley — Nathan  King,  2d.  He  was  in  two  battles,  in  one 
of  which  he  was  wounded.  Before  he  had  recovered  from 
the  effects  of  this  wound  he  was  attacked  by  a  disease 
termed  the  Mexican  dysentery.  He  was  but  little  more 
than  enabled  to  reach  his  native  town — where  he  found  his 
former  home  broken  up  by  the  death  of  his  father.  The 
hands  of  strangers  were  extended  to  his  relief,  and  he 
lingered  along  for  a  few  weeks,  and  died  Sept.  12,  1848. 

Hence,  from  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  contest 
unto  the  breaking  out  of  the  Southern  Rebellion,  war 
caused  but  little  disturbance  in  the  quiet  and  retired  do- 
main of  Shirley. 

On  Monday,  April  15,  1861,  news  came  to  town  that 
Fort  Sumter  had  been  cannonaded  by  the  rebel  army, 
which  had  been  intrenching  for  some  days  past  in  its  im- 
mediate vicinity.  Soon  it  was  announced  that  it  had 
unconditionally  surrendered  to  the  command  under  Beau- 
regard. This  intelligence  aroused  the  entire  community 
of  Shirley,  as  it  did  that  of  the  whole  country  north  of 
Mason  and  Dixon's  line.  Every  person  seemed  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  excitement.  Informal  meetings  were  called, 
projects  proposed  and  discussed,  services  tendered  by 
persons  of  every  age,  from  the  stalwart  soldier  who  could 

*See  Appendix  N. 


134  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

take  the  field,  to  the  tiny  youth  who  could  sew  up  a 
"comfort-bag"  for  the  poor  warrior  whom  she  never  saw. 

As  soon  as  circumstances  would  allows  a  formal  town- 
meeting  was  called,  and  persons  of  every  age  and  grade, 
— in  numbers  such  as  had  never  assembled  before  in  that 
place, — came  together  into  the  town-hall  to  display  their 
patriotism  by  words  and  deeds.  The  village  clergyman, 
Rev.  Seth  Chandler,  was  invited  to  invoke  the  throne  of 
grace  in  prayer. 

After  organization,  John  K.  Going,  Esq.,  presented 
for  consideration  the  following  resolutions,  which  were 
considered  and  unanimously  adopted  : 

"Resolved,  That  the  town  of  Shirley  pay  to  all  volun- 
teers who  have  enlisted,  or  who  may  enlist  hereafter  for 
the  present  war,  (the  same  being  residents  of  said  town  at 
the  date  of  their  enlistment,)  the  sum  of  twelve  dollars 
per  month,  in  addition  to  the  compensation  now^  made  by 
government ;  said  sum  to  be  paid  to  the  families  of  any 
such  volunteers,  in  their  absence,  at  the  discretion  of  the 
committee  hereafter  named.  And  should  they  fall  in 
battle,  the  same  sum  to  be  paid  to  their  families  during  the 
term  of  their  enlistment.  And,  if  any  such  volunteers  are 
single  men,  the  said  sum  of  twelve  dollars  to  be  paid  to 
them  at  the  expiration  of  their  respective  enlistments,  or  to 
their  legal  representatives.  Also  to  furnish  them  with  all 
suitable  and  necessary  outfits,  not  furnished  by  the  State 
or  General  Government,  at  the  discretion  of  said  com- 
mittee. 

"Resolved,  That  the  town  raise  the  sum  of  five  hundred 
dollars  for  the  purpose  above  mentioned,  and  that  the  same 
be  assessed  the  present  year ;  and  that  the  town  treasurer 
be  and  is  hereby  authorized  to  borrow  any  sum  or  sums  of 
money  for  the  purposes  specified,  not  to  exceed  ten  thou- 
sand dollars. 

"Resolved,  That  James  P.  Longley,  Samuel  Farns- 
worth,  and  Charles  A.  Edgarton  be  a  committee  to  carry 
the  above  resolutions  into   effect,  and  with   full  power  to 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  135 

draw  on  the  town-treasurer  for  the  amount  above  named, 

or  any  part  thereof,  at  their  discretion. 

"J.   K.  Going, 
"J.  O.   Parker, 
"A.  J.  Clough." 

At  this  same  meeting  a  committee  was  appointed  to 
take  measures  for  raising  a  company  of  volunteers,  to  join 
the  Fifty-third  Regiment  of  Massachusetts  MiHtia,  that 
was  afterward,  for  many  weeks,  quartered  at  Camp 
•Stevens,  just  outside  the  eastern  boundary  of  Shirley. 
The  company  was  raised  and  bore  the  appellation  of 
"Munson  Guards,"  and  received  the  encouraging  gratuit}' 
of  jive  hundred  dollars  from  the  eminent  philanthropist 
whose  name  they  had  assumed. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  town,  convened  for  the  purpose, 
April  28,  1862,  it  was  voted  "to  raise  and  assess  one  thou- 
sand dollars,  for  the  relief  of  the  families  of  volunteers  in 
the  federal  army,  and  that  the  same,  or  such  part  thereof 
as  may  be  necessary,  be  paid  out  by  the  selectmen  to 
families  where  they  are  certain  the  same  will  be  refunded 
by  the  State." 

On  the  23d  of  the  following  July,  the  town  voted  one 
hundred  dollars  bounty  to  each  soldier  (sixteen  in  all) 
required  to  fill  the  town  quota  of  the  late  call  of  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  that  the  treasurer  of  the 
town  secure  a  loan  of  sixteen  hundred  dollars  for  this 
purpose. 

At  a  legal  town-meeting  holden  July  27th,  1863,  it 
was  voted,  "That  the  town  pay  one  hundred  dollars  to 
each  of  this  town's  quota  of  drafted  men,  or  their  substi- 
tutes, who  go  into  the  service  under  the  late  call  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  also  furnish  State  aid 
to  their  families  according  to  law." 

On  the  5th  of  July,  1864,  it  was  voted  "to  raise  two 
thousand  dollars  to  pay  volunteers  that  have  been  enlisted 
for  this  town,  or  may  hereafter  be  obtained  to  fill  the  quota 
next  called  for  by  the  President. 

"Voted,    that  the    selectmen,  after  expending  the  two 
thousand  dollars  raised  for  the  purpose  of  recruiting,  be 


136  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

further  authorized  to  pay  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
dollars  to  each  and  every  recruit  they  may  obtain,  in  order 
that  our  full  quota  may  be  kept  up." 

One  month  later,  "It  was  voted  that  the  town  pay  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  in  gold  to  each  and  every 
volunteer  who  will  enlist,  or  to  any  enrolled  man  who  will 
furnish  a  substitute,  to  fill  this  town's  quota  under  the  call 
of  the  President  for  five  hundred  thousand  men." 

On  the  8th  of  the  subsequent  November,  an  expected 
call  for  army  recruits  having  been  rurhored  in  town,  the 
following  action  thereon  was  taken :  "Voted,  that  the 
Selectmen  be  constituted  a  committee,  and  authorized  im- 
mediately to  borrow  a  sum  not  to  exceed  two  thousand 
dollars,  and  procure  recruits  to  fill  an  anticipated  call  for 
three  hundred  thousand  men." 

Then,  at  a  meeting  convened  January  24,  1865,  it 
was  voted,  "That  the  Selectmen  be  authorized  to  procure 
and  put  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  fifteen  men, 
in  addition  to  those  already  in.  Also  that  they  be  author- 
ized to  borrow  a  sum  of  money  sufficient  to  pay  the  sum 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  to  each  of  the  men 
who  have  been  put  in — or  may  be  put  in  before  the  i8th  of 
March,  1865 — who  have  not  been  paid  according  to  a 
previous  vote  of  the  town." 

In  addition  to  all  these  legal  appropriations  of  money 
for  army  support,  one  constant  stream  of  private  charity 
was  in  motion  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  sick  and 
wounded,  and  for  the  general  comfort  of  those  engaged  in 
the  hardship  and  peril  of  this  war  of  emancipation. 
Nobly  did  the  people  of  Shirley — in  common  with  their 
fellow-citizens  of  the  State  and  country — labor  in  the  great 
w^ork  of  securing  the  perfect  freedom  of  this  and  future 
generations  of  the  American  people. 

A  town  history  would  seem  to  be  a  proper  place  to 
make  a  record  of  the  names  of  those  who  perilled  their 
lives  in  defending  the  federal  government  against  the 
rebellious  arms  of  southern  slave-holders.  A  few  of  the 
persons    named    in    the    following     catalogue    were    from 


CIVIL    HISTORY. 


137 


abroad,    and    but  little   known   in  the  town, — yet  all  are 
given,  in  alphabetical  order. 

SHIRLEY  MEN  IN  THE  ARMY  OF  THE  REBELLION. 


John  H.  Alger,  private, 
Michael  T.  Ames,  private, 
James  Armstrong,  private, 
Octave  Anedette,  private, 
George  W.  Baker,  private, 
Oliver  Balcom,  private, 
Horace  A.  Balcom,  private, 
Frank  Balcom,  private, 
Thomas  Baley,  private, 
George  V.  Barrett,  ist  lieutenant, 
George  H.  Beard,  private, 
Frank  M.  Boynton,  private, 
Andrew  Blood,  private, 
ChristolT  Brockennan,  private, 
Joseph  Brooker,  private, 
Charles  H.  Brown,  private, 
Norman  H.  Bruce,  private, 
Henry  Bunnell,  private, 
Henry  S.  Butler,  musician, 
Medard  Bourcard,  private, 
Edward  E.  Carr,  private, 
Norton  E.  Chamberlain,  corporal, 
Charles  P.  Chandler,  private, 
Andrew  J.  Clough,  captain, 
Philip  Conners,  private, 
Charles  H.  Cowdrey,  private, 
Moses  Cram,  private, 
John  R.  Cram,  private, 
Thomas  Daley,  private, 
Michael  Danlon,  private, 
Granville  C.  W.  Davis,  corporal, 
Charles  B.  Davis,  private, 
Henry  A.  Dixon,  colored,  private, 
Edward  Donahue,  private, 
Percy  H.  Dunkins,  private, 
Joseph  Duprey,  private, 
Estis  Elliott,  private, 
Henry  Elmore,  private, 
Owen  Ehnore,  private, 
George  A.  Farmer,  private, 
W.  H.  Farmer,  private, 
Joseph  A.  Farnsworth,  private, 
John  VV.  Farren,  private, 
Simon  Fields,  private, 
JS 


Jeremiah  Flynn,  private, 
George  F.  Fuller,  private, 
Patrick  Gately,  private, 
John  Gately,  private, 
Rock  St.  Goah,  private, 
John  Goodhue,  private, 
John  Goss,  private, 
William  Greenalgh,  private, 
Benjamin  Grovner,  private, 
James  Haley,  private, 
William  L.  Harris,  private, 
Albert  L.  Hartwell,  private, 
James  Hawksworth,  private, 
George  Haynes,  private, 
Alvin  Henry,  private, 
George  C.  Hill,  captain, 
William  Hodgman,  private, 
Charles  Hoffman,  private, 
Robertus  F.  Holden,  private, 
Stephen  Howard,  private, 
Henry  Johnson,  private, 
Josephus  Jones,  colored,  private, 
Albert  Kilburn,  private, 
Charles  E.  Kilburn,  private, 
Clesson  Kenney,  sergeant, 
Daniel  L.  King,  sergeant, 
Peter  King,  private, 
Thomas  Kittridge,  private, 
Thomas  Kelley,  private. 
Carle  Lamerlain,  private, 
Samuel  Lane,  private, 
George  A.  Lancey,  private, 
John  B.  Lapine,  private, 
Joseph  Easier,  private, 
Peter  Lavily,  private, 
George  F.  Lawrence,  private, 
James  H.  Little,  musician, 
John  H.  Linnehan,  private, 
Stephen  W.  Longley,  2d  lieutenant, 
Harriman  Longley,  musician, 
Frank  Lovely,  private, 
William  McGill,  private, 
Phelix  McGovern,  private, 
Isaac  A.  McDaniels,  private. 


138 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


John  McCarty,  private, 
James  McGill,  private, 
George  H.  Mason,  private, 
William  McLelland,  private, 
Daniel  Mahony,  private, 
Walter  Mitchell,  private, 
David  Morrell,  private, 
William  M.  Moses,  private, 
Emery  Munyon,  private, 
George  Munyon,  private, 
Thomas  McGovern,  private, 
Joel  C.  Neat,  private, 
Harrison  Nelson,  private, 
Alexander  Nelson,  private, 
Abel  Nickless,  private, 
Daniel  O'Hern,  private, 
Michael  O'Neal,  private, 
George  F.  Parker,  private, 
Marcus  M.  Parmenter,  private, 
Sidney  Parris,  colored,  private, 
John  Peterson,  colored,  private, 
Charles  W.  Richards,  private, 
John  Roach,  private, 
Charles  F.  Robbins,  private, 


Harrington  W.  Sanders,  private, 
Otis  Sartell,  private, 
Charles  P.  Sartell,  private, 
James  Sawtell,  private, 
E.  M.  Smith,  private, 
Marcus  M.  Spaulding,  private, 
Lorenzo  Spaulding,  private, 
Henry  B.  Story,  private, 
Henry  Taylor,  private, 
Walter  Taylor,  private, 
Granville  P.  Travis,  private, 
James  Taylor,  private, 
Walter  Underwood,  private, 
William  W.  Underwood,  private, 
William  F.  Warren,  musician, 
Henry  A.  Waters,  private, 
Stephen  Wheeler,  corporal, 
John  Wheeler,  corporal, 
John  G.  White,  private, 
Henry  K.  White,  private, 
W'ellington  S.  White,  private, 
Walter  Wright,  private, 
Frederick  Wilson,  private, 
John  Zimmerman,  private. 


Charles  Love, 


NAVAL    VOLUNTEERS. 

Charles  E.  Richards. 


The  whole  number  mustered  into  the  federal  service 
from  Shirley  was  one  hundi'cd  and  thirty-eight;  two  of 
whom  belonged  to  the  nav}'.  Of  this  number  tzuenty- 
onc  were  killed,  or  died  in  camp,  hospital,  or  at  home  of 
disease  engendered  by  the  hardships  of  army  life.  The 
bodies  of  those  that  could  be  recovered  from  abroad, — 
and  one  who  died  after  his  return, — lie  buried  in  our  two 
cemeteries ;  and  each  year,  since  1868,  their  places  of  rest 
have  been  visited  by  their  comrades  of  the  "Grand  Army," 
who,  joined  by  the  citizens  of  the  town,  have  scattered 
flowers  over  their  graves,  accompanying  the  act  by  offer- 
ings of  prayer  and  praise. 

At  this  delightful  service  in  187 1  the  minister  of  the 
First  Congregational  Parish  gave  an  address  in  the  Centre 
Church,  and  the  next  year  the  same  appropriate  service 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  139 

was  performed  in  the  Village  Hall,  by  the  minister  of  the 
Universalist  Church.  A  few  of  the  closing  paragraphs 
of  the  first-named  discourse  will  be  a  fitting  close  to  the 
chapter  which  relates  the  action  of  the  people  of  Shirley 
in  connection  with  the  wars  of  the  American  Republic. 

After  a  brief  allusion  to  the  character  and  sacrifices  of 
the  deceased  soldiers  who  had  volunteered  from  Shirley, 
the  speaker  addressed  their  living  comrades,  who  had  as- 
sembled to  honor  and  perpetuate  the  memory  of  departed 
worth,  in  the  following  language  : 

"Fellow-citizens  of  the  Grand  Army  : — I  rejoice 
in  the  wisdom  and  goodness  which  have  united  you  in  an 
associated  body, — I  rejoice  in  your  association  as  the  re- 
pository of  sacred  memories  which  lead  you  annually  to 
gather  yourselves  around  the  dust  of  your  departed  com- 
rades, to  drop  the  emblem  of  your  regard  for  their  worth 
upon  their  fast-sinking  graves.  You  have  been  joined 
with  them  in  the  fatiguing  march  of  war,  in  the  privations 
of  its  camp  experience,  and  in  the  horrors  of  its  battle- 
strife.  You  have  seen  them  fall,  through  wounds  and 
disease,  and  you  rejoice  that  a  few  of  them  have  been 
interred  within  your  neighborhood,  that  you  ma}'  present 
the  offering  for  which  you  are  here  to-day.  How  delight- 
fully appropriate  the  tender  act !  Flowers  are  the  most 
beautiful,  as  they  are  the  most  transient,  of  nature's  gifts. 
They  meet  the  senses  to  ravish  them  with  delight ;  so  in 
the  moral  world  do  actions,  faithfully  executed.  What 
can  be  more  beautifully  sublime,  than  for  men  to  offer  their 
lives  a  sacrifice  to  the  good  of  their  country?  Such  an 
offering  your  comrades  have  made,  and  their  sacrifice  calls 
for  this  response  from  you,  their  compeers.  Thus  you 
would  preserve,  in  memory  ever  green,  the  record  of  their 
virtues,  the  lustre  of  which  must  long  survive  the  tomb. 
Lay  on  their  mounds  the  blue,  red  and  green,  the  colors 
in  which  Nature  herself  weaves  the  emblem  of  faith,  hope 
and  love.  There  is  a  fitness  in  crowning  their  graves 
with  flowers.     There  is  a   language    in  flowers,  we   say ; 


140  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

they  speak  of  that  which  cannot  be  put  in  words,  fragrant 
memories  and  blossoming  hopes.  True,  they  soon  wilt 
and  perish ;  and  yet  they  leave  behind  a  grateful  odor 
wiiich  we  cherish  as  we  do  the  memories  of  our  benefac- 
tors who  died  in  serving  us. 

"  '  You  may  break,  you  may  scatter  the  vase  if  you  will, 
But  the  scent  of  the  roses  will  hang  round  it  still  ! ' 

"Friends  and  Brethren  : — We  will  go  with  you  to 
the  resting  place  of  our  honored  dead,  with  hearts  of  sym- 
pathy and  words  of  condolence  ;  with  prayer  and  with 
praise,  we  will  sanction  your  emblematic  act ;  and  we  will 
try  to  realize  the  sentiments  expressed  by  a  noble  bard  in 
the  follow^inij  beautiful  stanzas  : 

"  '  How  sleep  the  brave,  who  sink  to  rest, 
By  all  their  country's  wishes  blessed  ! 
When  Spring  with  dewy  fingers  cold. 
Returns  to  deck  their  hallowed  mould, 
She  there  shall  dress  a  sweeter  sod 
Than  Fancy's  feet  have  ever  trod. 

'  By  fairy  hands  their  knell  is  rung; 
By  forms  unseen  their  dirge  is  sung  ; 
There  Honor  comes,  a  pilgrim  grey. 
To  bless  the  turf  that  wraps  their  clay; 
And  Freedom  shall  awhile  repair. 
To  dwell  a  weeping  hermit  there.' " 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Alms-house — JVew   County — Post   Offices — Stores — Rail- 
7'oads — Physicians . 

The  early  method  of  sustaining  those  who  were  de- 
pendent on  the  public  for  support,  in  most  of  the  rural 
towns  in  New  England,  was  exceedingly  objectionable. 
It  seems  that  the  burden  of  this  support  was  considered  so 
onerous  as  to  justify  the  most  strenuous  measures  of  econ- 
omy, in  securing  the  object  demanded  by  wholesome  law. 
And  oftentimes  the  position  of  the  pauper  was  one  of 
shame,  as  well  as  of  undue  physical  inconvenience  and 
suffering.  Shirley  was  not  entirely  free  from  the  reproach 
here  implied. 

During  the  first  eighty-four  years  of  its  history  its  pau- 
pers were  annually  distributed  among  those  families  that 
were  willing  to  give  them  bed,  board  and  nursing,  at  the 
least  possible  expense  to  the  town.  At  the  annual  town- 
meetings  the  names  of  the  unfortunates  were  publicly 
paraded,  and  they  were  auctioned  off — one  after  another — 
by  the  moderator,  to  the  lowest  bidder.*  Spirituous 
liquors  were  frequently  furnished,  unblushingly,  by  the 
town  authorities  as  a  lure  to  cheap  bidding.  As  a  general 
fact,  the  consequence  was  that  the  paupers  were  forced 
into  the  poorer  class  of  families,  into  unwholesome  rooms, 
and  frequently  compelled  to  subsist  on  coarse  and  some- 
times unwholesome  food.  EnHghtened  Christianity  could 
not  always  bear  the  oppression  of  this  wrong  ;  hence,  at  an 
early  period  of  the  town's  histor}',  measures  were  pro- 
posed by  the  more  reflecting  part  of  the  community  for  the 
removal    of    this    error.       At    a    town-meeting    holden    in 


*See  Appendix  O. 


142  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

March,  1763,  a  proposal  was  made  to  secure  a  general 
and  well-organized  home  for  that  unfortunate  class  of  our 
fellow-citizens  called  paupers,  and  it  resulted  in  the  follow- 
ing action  by  the  meeting,  after  a  proper  debate  : 

"Voted  to  choose  a  committee  to  provide  a  work-house 
in  this  district ; — and  Ensign  Longley,  Capt.  Longley  and 
Lieut.  Walker  were  chosen  this  committee."  The  reader 
will  perceive  that  in  this  record  all  christian  names  are 
passed  over,  and  if  strength  can  be  imparted  to  civil  pro- 
ceedings by  military  titles  this  was  a  strong  committee  ; 
and  yet,  the  result  shows  that  it  was  an  unsuccessful  one, 
as  the  project  entirely  failed  in  their  hands.  This  praise- 
worthy attempt  to  ameliorate  an  unfortunate  and  unjust 
custom  took  place  just  ten  years  after  the  incorporation  of 
the  town  ;  and  it  surely  is  a  reflection  on  the  degeneracy 
of  after  times  that  seventy-four  years  were  permitted  to 
pass  before  any  further  attempt  was  made  in  the  right  di- 
rection. During  all  this  period  the  gavel  of  the  modera- 
tor was  heard,  at  each  annual  town-meeting,  hammering 
off  the  board  and  lodging  of  the  unfortunate  pauper  to  the 
lowest  bidder,  amid  libations  of  spirituous  liquor  offered 
up  at  the  shrine  of  economy  ! 

In  1837,  after  considerable  exeution  by  an  efficient 
committee,  a  farm  was  selected  in  the  northern  valley  of 
the  town,  on  the  borders  of  the  Mulpus,  containing  a  little 
more  than  one  hundred  acres  of  land, — suitably  divided  into 
mowing,  pasturing  and  tillage,  and  a  rich  meadow  plat, — 
all  of  which  was  well  watered  and  fenced,  and  supplied 
with  large  and  commodious  buildings.  This  fair  farming 
establishment  was  thus  converted  into  an  asylum  of  charity, 
and  became  a  home  for  the  homeless.  Ample  provision 
was  made  for  comfortable  lodging,  fdod  and  raiment, 
for  medical  attendance  of  the  sick,  and  for  appropriate 
labor  for  those  in  health ;  the  old  had  a  careful  super- 
vision according  to  their  several  necessities,  and  the  young 
were  dul}'  provided  with  sacred  and  secular  instruction. 
Religious  meetings  were  holden  in  the  establishment  at 
stated  periods,  and  the  various  facilities  of   moral,  mental 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  143 

and  religious  training  were  appropriately  applied  to  the 
varied  wants  of  the  several  inmates. 

The  asylum  was  in  a  position  retired  from  the  public 
highway — a  peaceful  retreat  for  those  who  have  little 
interest  in  the  stirring  events  of  life,  and  little  concern 
with  those  changes  that  engage  the  attention  of  the  more 
active  portion  of  the  community.  Aside  from  the  par- 
ticular fitness  of  the  location,  the  natural  facilities  of  the 
farm  adapted  it  to  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  to  be  de- 
voted. It  contained  a  thick  bed  of  clay,  from  which  large 
quantities  of  bricks  of  a  superior  quality  have  been,  from 
time  to  time,  manufactured. 

The  land  and  buildings  were  purchased  for  $2,969.71. 
The  farming  utensils,  household  furniture,  and  domestic 
animals  were  secured  for  $700.  Within  a  few  years  the 
buildings  passed  through  changes,  and  were  subjected  to 
repairs — among  which  was  the  erection  of  a  new  barn  to 
take  the  place  of  one  destroyed  by  fire — that  well  adapted 
them  to  the  public  service  for  which  they  had  been  set 
apart ;  making  them  convenient  for  the  master  and  com- 
fortable for  the  inmates. 

When  this  establishment  was  opened,  and  during  the 
first  three  years  of  its  occupancy,  the  number  of  paupers 
varied  from  fifteen  to  thirty  ;  but  as  the  temperance  refor- 
mation progressed  the  number  diminished,  so  that  by  the 
close  of  the  twelfth  year  there  Avere  but  from  three  to  five 
who  claimed  a  home  in  the  alms-house. 

This  important  change  in  the  amount  of  pauperism, 
— together  with  some  injudicious  management  in  its  pru- 
dential concerns,  whereby  the  expense  of  sustaining  the 
asylum  because  disproportionably  large, — induced  several 
persons  to  advocate  the  abolishment  of  the  institution,  and 
a  public  sale  of  the  property.  It  was  argued  that  the  few 
that  remained,  or  that  would  be  likely  to  become  de- 
pendent on  the  public  for  support,  could  with  more  ease  to 
themselves  and  with  less  cost  to  the  town  be  accommo- 
dated in  private  families  ;  and  this  without  the  objectiona- 
ble auction  principle  that  had  prevailed  at  a  former  period. 


144  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Accordingly,  at  the  town-meeting  in  April,  1853,  a  vote 
was  obtained  for  the  immediate  sale  of  the  farm  and  all  its 
appurtenances,  which  decision  was  executed  on  the  spot. 
This  measure  was  adopted  to  the  very  great  regret  of  a 
respectable  minorit}^  of  the  citizens,  and  has  since  been 
regarded  by  some  of  its  movers  as  a  hasty  measure,  and 
productive  of  evils  that  might  have  been  foreseen. 

As  time  has  progressed,  however,  and  the  causes  of 
pauperism  have  diminished,  the  suggestion  has  proceeded 
from  sev^eral  sources  to  set  up  district  asylums  throughout 
the  Commonwealth,  (each  district  to  contain  any  conve- 
nient number  of  towns,)  as  homes  for  the  imbecile  ;  and  to 
have  them  constructed  on  such  a  scale  as  to  enlarge  the 
comforts  of  the  inmates,  and  at  the  same  time  reduce  the 
expense  of  their  support.  There  is  doubtless  too  much 
wisdom  in  this  measure  to  be  long  overlooked  by  a  dis- 
criminating community. 

Since  the  incorporation  of  Shirley,  several  attempts 
have  been  made  to  dissect  it  from  its  present  county  rela- 
tions, and  connect  it  with  a  group  of  contiguous  towns  for 
the  formation  of  a  new  county.  These  attempts  had  an 
early  origin,  and  have  been,  from  time  to  time,  renewed 
unto  a  recent  period. 

In  1763  the  town  took  the  following  action  on  the 
subject:'  "Oct.  24.  Voted  to  choose  a  man  to  sign  a  peti- 
tion with  ye  neighboring  towns,  concerning  making  appli- 
cation for  a  new  county,  in  this  part  of  the  county  of 
Middlesex  and  the  part  of  Worcester  County  adjoining. 
Deacon  Hezekiah  Sawtell   was  chosen  for  said  purposes." 

Nothing  more  is  found  concerning  the  project  until 
May,  1785,  when  the  following  article  appeared  in  the 
warrant  for  a  town  meeting:  "To  see  if  the  town  will 
choose  a  delegate  to  meet  other  delegates  from  several 
towns  in  the  northerly  part  of  Middlesex  County  and  the 
northerly  part  of  the  county  of  Worcester,  to  consider  on 
the  matter  of  forming  a  new  county,  to  consist  of  a  num- 
ber of  towns  in  the  aforesaid  counties."  The  town  voted 
to  send  a  delegate,  and  Obadiah  Sawtell  was  appointed  to 


.    CIVIL    HISTORY.  145 

that  office.  No  report  of  the  result  of  this  action  has  been 
recorded,  and  probably  none  was  made. 

In  the  year  1794  the  following  entry  appears  :  "Voted 
to  send  a  man  to  Leominster  to  meet  a  committee  from 
several  towns  in  the  counties  of  Worcester  and  Middlesex, 
in  order  to  petition  the  General  Court  for  a  part  of  each  of 
the  aforesaid  counties  to  be  made  a  distinct  county.  Dr. 
Benjamin  Hartwell  was  chosen  delegate."  The  whole 
matter  was,  however,  reconsidered,  and  the  delegate  dis- 
missed. 

Though  nothing  further  appears  on  the  town  records 
concerning  a  new  county  until  quite  a  recent  date,  the 
matter  has  been  repeatedly  agitated,  with  considerable 
earnestness  ;  and  petitions  have  been  twice  forwarded  to 
the  State  Legislature  in  favor  of  the  change.  "At  the 
annual  meetings  in  April,  1828,  the  question  was  submitted 
by  the  Legislature  to  the  people  of  Worcester  and  Mid- 
dlesex,— 'Shall  a  new  county  be  formed  of  the  towns  of 
Royalston,  Winchendon,  Athol,  Templeton,  Gardner, 
Westminster,  Ashburnham,  Fitchburg,  Leominster,  Lun- 
enburg, Princeton,  Hubbardston,  Phillipston,  Lancaster, 
Bolton,  and  Harvard,  from  the  county  of  Worcester ; 
Groton,  Pepperell,  Shirley,  Ashby,  and  Townsend  from 
the  county  of  Middlesex,  as  was  prayed  for  in  the  petition 
bearing  the  name  of  Ivers  Jewett  at  the  head?'  The  de- 
cision was  in  the  negative,  by  a  great  majority  of  the 
voters." 

When  the  subject  was  brought  before  the  Legislature 
in  185 1  it  received  a  negative  without  being  referred  back 
to  the  people.  As  the  extreme  towns  in  the  several  coun- 
ties have  been  brought  near  their  shire-towns  by  means  of 
railroads,  thereby  removing  the  difficulties  of  court  attend- 
ance that  formerly  existed,  a  large  majority  of  the  people 
deem  it  unwise  to  incur  the  expense  of  establishing  any 
additional  counties  in  the  Commonwealth. 

In  1856  Fitchburg  (which  has  since  received  a  city 
incorporation)  was  made  a  shire-town  in  Worcester 
County  ;  and  that  will  be  an  additional  reason  for  leaving 

19 


146  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

present  town  and  county  lines  and  associations  undis- 
turbed. 

In  these  days  of  cheap  postage  and  of  voluminous 
correspondence,  of  newspapers  and  magazines,  of  anxiety 
to  know,  through  public  documents,  what  is  passing  in 
legislative  assemblies  ;  in  these  days  when  the  inaugural 
address  of  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  Union  has  hardly 
escaped  his  lips  in  Washington  before  it  is  ready  for  dis- 
tribution from  the  press  in  Boston  ;  in  these  days  when 
everybody  is  looking  for  daily  news,  through  the  daily 
public  journal,  it  must  seem  strange  to  learn  that,  for 
fifty-eight  years  from  the  incorporation  of  the  town, 
Shirley  was  possessed  of  no  post-office  ;  nor  yet  of  any 
regular  mail  conveyance  !  It  follows,  therefore,  that  all 
letters  and  newspapers  must  have  found  their  way  to  and 
from  town  by  the  uncertain  mode  of  private  transporta- 
tion ;  or  were  left  in  the  post-offices  of  neighboring  towns, 
where  they  were  liable  to  be  detained  for  weeks  before 
they  could  reach  their  place  of  destination. 

This  was  not  so  great  an  evil  as  it  might  appear  at 
first  view  ;  as  correspondence  by  letter  was  very  limited — 
magazines  and  review^s  were  almost  unknown — and  news- 
paper patronage  was  confined  to  a  small  number  of 
families.  The  ease  and  cheapness  by  which  mailed 
matter  is  now  conveyed  has  supplied  a  want  of  its  own 
creation ;  a  want  which  w^as  previously  untelt  because  un- 
known. 

In  1811, — ^just  eleven  years  after  a  post-office  had 
been  established  in  Groton, — there  was  one  obtained  for 
Shirley;  and  Thomas  Whitney,  Esq.,  was  appointed 
postmaster.  He  remained  in  office  during  his  life,  a  term 
of  thirty-three  years ;  and  the  vacancy  caused  by  his 
death  was  filled  by  his  son,  Hon.  James  P.  Whitney.  In 
1847  Mr.  Whitney  died,  and  his  place  was  supplied  by 
the  appointment  of  George  Barrett,  Esq.  In  1852  Mr. 
Barrett  died,  and  the  office  was  filled  by  the  appointment 
of  Col.  Thomas  Whitney,  who  was  a  son  of  the  first  post- 
master, and  a  brother  of  the  second.     Mr.  Whitney  held 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  147 

the  place  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1865.  The 
office  was  then  secured  for  Jonas  Longley,  Esq.,  who  is 
the  present  incumbent.      (1882.) 

In  the  course  of  fifteen  or  twenty  years  from  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  first  post-office,  it  was  found  that  the 
population  of  the  town  could  be  better  accommodated  by 
having  a  second  place  of  mail  delivery  constituted. 
Through  the  manufacturing  interests,  the  South  Village 
had  begun  to  assume  such  proportions  as  to  give  counte- 
nance to  this  claim.  Successful  measures  were  therefore 
adopted  to  establish  a  post-office  in  that  village,  and 
Augustus  G.  Parker,  M.  D.,  was  appointed  postmaster. 
In  1837  Dr.  Parker  resigned  the  place,  and  Israel  Longlev 
was  appointed  his  successor.  Mr.  Longley  held  the  office 
until  1857,  when  he  was  superseded  by  Mr.  Alfred  Page. 
It  was  currently  reported  at  the  time  that  political  defec- 
tion was  the  cause  of  this  change,  rather  than  any  want  of 
fidelity  on  the  part  of  the  incumbent.  Mr.  Page  was 
superseded  by  Mr.  William  B.  Edgarton,  who  held  the 
position  until  his  death,  in  1880,  when  the  present  incum- 
bent, Samuel  Longley,  Esq.,  was  appointed. 

The  trade  in  almost  all  of  our  New-England  rural 
towns  has  been  generally  confined  to  their  own  citizens  ; 
and  traders  have  not  been  encouraged  to  keep  articles  on 
sale,  except  such  as  the  conveniences  and  necessities  of 
their  patrons  have  demanded.  For,  when  merchandise  of 
a  higher  grade  has  been  allowed  to  tax  the  resources  of 
traffic,  but  small  profits  (if  not  actual  losses)  have  been 
realized.  Such,  however,  was  the  extent  of  the  palm-leaf 
trade,  which  was  continued  for  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
(beginning  with  the  year  1826,)  that  the  patronage  of  the 
Shirley  traders  was  greatly  increased  by  custom  from 
abroad.  Hence,  they  were  encouraged  to  sustain  stores 
of  higher-priced  and  less  common  goods  than  had  usually 
been  kept  for  sale.  But  the  recent  facilities  of  conveyance 
to  larger  marts  of  traffic  have,  in  these  latter  days, 
warned  the  humble  trader  of  our  rural  villages  not  to  en- 
large his  sphere  of  operations  to  such  an  extent  as  to  have 


148  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

dull  sales,  and  allow  articles  of  cost  to  He  on  the  shelves 
so  long  as  to  become  shop-worn  and  out  of  use. 

The  trade  of  Shirley  began  with  two  stores — of 
almost  simultaneous  origin — set  up  in  the  two  most  feasible 
localities  of  the  town.  As  the  population  increased,  more 
places  of  trade  were  demanded,  especially  in  the  South 
Village,  where  there  are  now  three  stores,  all  of  which  are 
in  the  execution  of  a  fair  business.  The  oldest  trading 
establishment  is  in  the  centre  of  the  town.  It  was  set 
up  by  Thomas  Whitney,  Esq.,  and  remained  under  his 
charge  and  that  of  his  family  for  more  than  fifty  years. 

Shirley  is  so  situated  that,  for  sixty  years,  it  had  no 
direct  mail  communication  with  the  shire-towns  of  the 
county  or  the  capital  of  the  State.  Mailed  packages  were 
transported  by  indirect  and  intersecting  lines  of  stages ; 
and  hence  the  business  of  those  who  had  frequent  inter- 
course with  the  county  courts  and  the  State  metropolis  was 
seriously  embarrassed.  Great,  therefore,  was  the  change 
produced  by  the  opening  of  the  Fitchburg  Railroad, 
whose  Hne  at  first  extended  from  Charlestown  to  Fitchburg. 
This  occurred  in  1845.  The  railroad  crosses  the  line  be- 
tween A3'er  and  Shirley  at  the  Nashua  River,  and  having 
passed  up  the  valley  of  that  river,  enters  the  valley  of  the 
Catacunemaug,  goes  through  the  village  situated  on  that 
stream,  and  passes  into  Lunenburg  at  what  is  called 
Mount  Henry,  where  there  is  a  cut  in  the  hill  forty-seven 
feet  deep. 

Both  the  freight  and  passenger  cars  leave  and  return 
to  town  several  times  each  da}'.  The  station  is  in  the 
South  Village,  two  miles  from  the  centre  of  the  town,  and 
is  large  and  commodious. 

The  first  expense  of  the  road  and  its  appurtenances 
was  rising  a  million  of  dollars.  But,  since  its  original 
completion,  it  has  received  a  second  track  for  the  entire 
length  of  way.  It  has  also  been  connected  with  the 
capital  by  a  bridge  across  the  Charles  River,  and  is  ter- 
minated by  a  station,  built  of  Fitchburg  granite,  which 
combines   beauty    with    architectural    strength,   and    is    a 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  149 

monument  of  the  enterprise  and  perseverance  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  road.  The  amount  of  capital  stock  is 
$4,950,000.  The  cost  of  the  road  and  its  improvements 
has  amounted  to  a  much  larger  sum. 

In  1874,  just  previous  to  the  completion  of  the 
Hoosac  tunnel,  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  Company  secured 
control  of  the  Vermont  and  Massachusetts  railroad  from 
Fitchburg  to  Greenfield,  by  a  lease  of  nine  hundred  and 
ninety-nine  years.  In  1880  the  same  company  made 
an  arrangement  with  the  Commonwealth  to  operate  for  a 
term  of  seven  years  the  Troy  and  Greenfield  road,  ex- 
tending from  the  latter  place  to  North  Adams.  By  these 
measures  the  line  from  Boston  to  North  Adams  is  placed 
under  one  management ;  and  by  arrangements  with  con- 
necting roads  beyond,  a  through  line  is  established,  called 
the  Hoosac  Tunnel  Line,  whereby  the  people  of  eastern 
and  northern  Massachusetts  are  afforded  cheap  and  easy 
conimunication  with  New  York  State  and  the  West.  By 
taking  a  seat  in  a  drawing-room  or  a  berth  in  a  sleeping- 
car,  the  passenger  from  Boston,  or  other  point  on  the 
Tunnel  Line,  may  make  the  journey  to  Chicago  or 
St.  Louis  with  ease  and  comfort,  without  change  of  cars, 
by  a  continuous  ride  of  from  thirty-six  to  forty-two  hours. 
The  wide  contrast  between  the  present  facilities  for  travel 
and  those  enjoyed  by  the  people  of  Shirley  but  a  genera- 
tion ago  may  be  taken  as  a  striking  illustration  of  the 
progressive  spirit  of  the  age. 

Within  about  four  miles  of  the  centre  of  Shirley  is  the 
far-famed  union  of  railroads,  once  known  as  Groton  Junc- 
tion, but  now  bearing  the  name  of  Ayer,  the  new  town 
which  has  grown  up  around  this  nucleus  of  active  agen- 
cies. Here  the  cars  of  the  Fitchburg,  the  Worcester  & 
Nashua,  the  Peterboro  &  Shirley,  and  the  Stony  Brook 
(or  Boston  &  Lowell)  roads,  intersect  several  times  each 
day.  This  facilitates  travel  through  a  large  extent  of 
country.  It  enables  men  who  live  in  Shirley  to  be  en- 
gaged in  daily  business  operations  in  the  several  places 
connected  by  the  roads  here  referred  to  ;  it  also  enables 


150  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

persons  to  attend  county  courts  cheaply  and  expeditiously, 
and  to  accomplish  with  facility  and  economy  the  various 
communications,  social,  ecclesiastical,  political  and  finan- 
cial, which  circumstances  require  in  different  parts  of  the 
Commonwealth  and  New  England. 

As  time  has  advanced,  the  establishment  of  these 
roads  in  the  town  and  vicinity  of  Shirley  has  proved  an 
important  era  in  its  history,  completing  a  valuable  revo- 
lution in  all  the  business  and  social  relations  of  its  in- 
habitants. It  is  true  that  some  of  the  operations  of  this 
revolution  have  worked  injury  to  society  by  producing 
radical  and  sweeping  changes  in  what  appeared  to  be  use- 
ful and  well  established  customs  ; — such  as  the  depletion 
of  farms  ( a  few  miles  remote  from  the  road )  of  their 
faithful  and  long-tried  generations  of  owners,  and  the 
giving  over  of  these  estates  to  a  foreign  population  ;  the 
inroads  made  on  the  progress  and  life  of  institutions  of 
learning  and  religion  of  venerable  age  and  standing ;  and 
the  hasty  formation  of  villages,  which  are  liable  to  become 
centres  for  a  population  of  doubtful  moral  character  from 
surrounding  regions.  Yet,  when  we  remember  the  over- 
balancing benefits  derived  from  these  changes  as  a  whole, 
the   evils  are  lightly  passed  over  and   easily  forgotten. 

Instead  of  a  stage  ride  of  seven  hours  to  the  State  me- 
tropolis, and  an  absence  of  two  or  three  days  from  home, 
the  people  of  Shirley  may  now  accomplish  the  journey  in 
a  couple  of  hours,  without  weariness,  devote  most  of  the 
day  to  the  transaction  of  business,  and  return  to  their 
homes  the  same  day.  And,  then,  with  what  ease  and 
economy  the  farming  produce  is  conveyed  to  marts  of  sale 
and  exchange  ;  how  cheaply  and  readily  foreign  merchan- 
dise is  brought  to  our  homes  and  our  hearths.  Our  people 
at  the  present  day  largely  use  mineral  coal  for  fuel ; — how 
could  this  useful  article  be  obtained  by  the  old  methods  of 
conveyance?  Indeed,  the  advantages  wrought  by  the 
revolution  effected  through  the  aid  of  railroads,  cannot  be 
realized  by  the  younger  generation, — as  the  disadvantages 
of  former  customs  are  unknown  to  them. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  151 

It  is  now  (1882)  thirty-seven  years  since  the  Fitchburg 
Raih'oad  Company  commenced  operations,  and  they  have 
been  years  of  constant  improvement  and  enlarged  facilities 
of  action,  on  the  part  of  its  management,  in  support  of  the 
comfort,  convenience  and  safety  of  passengers  and  em- 
ployes. Their  way  stations  are  commodious,  well-ap- 
pointed and  well-cared-for  establishments ;  their  cars  are 
suitably  finished,  furnished  and  warmed  ;  their  bridges  are 
built  so  as  to  ensure  safety  in  travel ;  their  crossings  are 
carefully  guarded  against  accident ;  and  what  is  more,  their 
employes,  through  all  the  various  departments  of  their 
complicated  business,  must  be  largely  stocked  with  execu- 
tive ability,  and  must  cultivate  the  virtues  of  amiability, 
courtesy  and  patience,  in  order  to  ensure  to  themselves  a 
continuance  in  their  positions.  Under  these  circumstances 
the  road  is  safely  expected  to  be  a  remunerative  enterprise 
to  the  proprietors  and  a  benefaction  to  the  public. 

Hence,  if  the  introduction  of  railroads  is  a  blessing  to 
the  community,  we  may  regard  Shirley  as  peculiarly 
favored  by  being  located  in  the  neighborhood  of  so  many 
and  such  varying  routes  of  travel. 

Perhaps  in  this  place,  better  than  any  other,  a  space 
may  be  devoted  to  a  notice  of  the  ph3"sicians  who  have 
practised  their  profession  in  Shirley.  This  class  of  citi- 
zens, in  every  town,  have  occupied  a  respectable  and 
influential  place  in  society,  in  accordance  with  their  pro- 
fessional success,  and  their  moral  standing. 

William  Worcester  was  the  first  physician  who 
had  a  residence  in  Shirley.  He  was  born  in  Bradford, 
Feb.  4,  1729.  He  was  a  son  of  Moses  Worcester,  who 
was  a  descendant,  of  the  fifth  generation,  of  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Worcester,  the  first  minister  of  Salisbury,  who,  with 
his  family,  came  to  this  country  from  England  between  the 
years  of  1638  and  1640.  He  is  enrolled  in  Cotton  Mather's 
list  of  the  "reverent,  learned  and  holy  divines,  arriving 
such  from  Europe  to  America,  by  whose  evangelical 
ministry  the  churches  of  America  have  been  illuminated." 
Dr.   Worcester  came    to    Shirley    subsequently    to  1769 — 


152  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

sixteen  years  after  the  incorporation  of  the  town — and  had 
removed  to  Tewksbury  before  1773,  making  his  con- 
tinuance here,  at  longest,  not  three  years.  The  place  of 
his  residence  was  unknown  to  the  oldest  inhabitants  of  the 
town,  a  quarter  of  a  century  since,  and  of  course  his 
medical  skill  cannot  here  be  delineated.  He  practised  in 
Tewksbury  and  other  places,  as  well  as  in  Shirley. 

Benjamin  Hartwell  was  the  second  of  the  profes- 
sion who  ventured  to  make  this  very  sparsely  settled 
community  the  subjects  of  his  professional  oversight  and 
care.  He  was  born  in  Leominster,  in  1759.  In  early  life 
he  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and,  though 
young,  took  a  part  in  the  struggle  which  secured  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  American  Colonies.  He  was  a  non-com- 
missioned officer ;  and  the  evening  of  his  life  was  cheered 
with  a  pension,  a  reward  for  the  fidelity  of  those  who  ven- 
tured all  for  the  political  emancipation  of  their  country 
and  the  security  of  her  privileges. 

He  studied  his  profession  with  Dr.  Going,  of  his  na- 
tive town,  and  commenced  its  practice  soon  after  the  close 
of  the  Revolutionary  war.  For  many  years  he  did  a  large 
business  and  accumulated  a  fair  estate.  He  continued  to 
be  called  to  the  sick-beds  of  those  who  had  known  him  in 
earlier  life,  even  unto  old  age  ;  and,  by  his  timely  wit  and 
free  converse,  would  sometimes  reconcile  to  their  situation 
patients  whom  his  prescriptions  were  powerless  to  relieve. 
He  died,  after  a  very  brief  sickness,  March  17,  1844,  in  the 
eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  His  widow  survived  until 
September  23,  1851,  and  at  her  death  had  lived  eighty- 
nine  years. 

Phinehas  Longley  was  a  native  of  Shirley,  and 
descended  from  that  honorable  family  of  Longleys  who 
early  made  the  soil  of  Shirley  their  home,  and  whose 
record  will  more  fully  appear  in  the  sequel  of  this  history. 
He  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Hartwell ;  and — what  few 
would  willingly  have  done — commenced  practice  in  town, 
to    the  great  annoyance   of   his  rival   and  former  patron. 


"^"^^'■'n,w.P.A...«.Oacd.<=^ 


AUGUSTUS  G,  PARKER,  M.  D, 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  153 

Between  the  two  disciples  of  Hippocrates  there  were  con- 
stant broils,  which  were  terminated  only  by  a  long  and 
expensive  course  of  litigation.  This  created  parties  in 
town,  and  effected  rivalries  and  criminations  which  were 
designed,  in  themselves,  to  destroy  harmony  and  good 
feeling  throughout  the  entire  community.  At  length  Dr. 
Longley  left  the  place  and  established  himself  in  Millbury, 
Worcester  County,  where  he  remained  in  practice  until 
the  period  of  his  death. 

Augustus  Granville  Parker  was  the  next  ph3'si- 
cian  in  the  order  of  time.  He  was  born  in  Harvard,  in 
the  pleasant  village  of  Still  River,  Feb.  14,  1796.  His 
father  was  a  physician,  and  he  was  the  youngest  child  of 
a  numerous  family.  He  early  imbibed  a  taste  for  the 
profession  of  his  father,  and  while  yet  a  youth  began  to 
acquaint  himself  with  the  rudiments  of  the  healing  art. 
It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  his  future  success  was  in  a 
great  degree  owing  to  that  singleness  of  purpose  with 
which  he  devoted  himself  to  the  duties  of  his  calling. 
While  he  was  yet  a  minor  his  father  removed  with  his 
family  into  the  State  of  Vermont,  where  he  passed  the 
remainder  of  his  life. 

After  the  removal  to  Vermont,  the  subject  of  this 
notice  commenced  the  active  duties  of  his  profession  in 
compau}^  with  his  father.  He  was  thus  ushered  into  busi- 
ness, like  many  other  practitioners  of  his  time,  without  a 
public  education,  and  without  those  other  privileges  that 
are  now  almost  universally  regarded  a  passport  to  the 
confidence  of  a  patronizing  community  ; — a  condition  of 
things  which  he  regretted  more  than  his  friends  and  future 
employers  had  occasion  to  do.  Thrown,  therefore,  as  he 
truly  was,  upon  his  own  individual  resources,  his  exertions 
were  untiring  to  supply  the  wants  that  these  circumstances 
created ;  and  his  subsequent  success  proved  that  he  did 
not  labor  in  vain. 

Abominating  every  appearance  of  charlatanry,  he 
applied  to  the  Vermont  Medical  Society  for  an  approba- 
tion to  practise  medicine  ;  and  after  the  usual  preliminaries 

■10 


154  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

he  received  a  diploma  from  that  institution,  which  bears 
date  June  lo,  1817.  Dr.  Parker  ever  regarded  this  event 
as  the  happiest  of  his  life-experience  ;  as  it  evinced  to  him 
that  his  self-exertions  were  rewarded  in  placing  him  upon 
a  foundation  most  congenial  with  his  genius  and  taste, 
where  his  energies  could  be  expanded,  and  where  he 
could  be  free  to  fulfil  what  he  truly  considered  the  mission 
of  his  life. 

Having  thus  gone  through  with  a  formal  initiation 
into  the  active  duties  of  his  profession,  he  took  up  a  resi- 
dence in  Harvard,  his  native  town,  and  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Dr.  Stone  of  that  place.  He  remained  in  this 
connection  but  one  year  when  he  removed  to  Shirley, 
where  he  passed  the  residue  of  his  days.  In  1827  he 
received  a  diploma  from  the  Massachusetts  Medical 
Society.  He  died  June  18,  1843,  in  the  forty-eighth  year 
of  his  age. 

Dr.  Parker  married  Mary  Ann  Hazen,  daughter  of 
Samuel  Hazen,  Esq.,  Dec.  20,  1819.  They  had  one  son, 
Stillman  S.  H.  Parker,  born  June  27,  1821.  From  early 
life  he  gave  signs  of  precocity  of  intellect  and  moral 
virtue,  which  led  his  parents  to  indulge  his  laudable 
wishes,  all  of  which  seemed  to  tend  to  the  supplying  him- 
self with  the  facilities  of  improvement.  As  he  had  been 
early  designed  for  the  medical  profession,  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  his  father  proposed  that  he  hasten  to  a  close  of  his 
studies  preparatory  to  a  college  course,  to  which  sugges- 
tion he  promptly  acceded.  In  pursuance  of  this  plan  he 
was  placed  in  the  Groton  Academy,  where,  with  un- 
wearied diligence,  he  pursued  his  classical  studies  ;  at  the 
same  time,  from  every  other  available  source,  he  gathered 
information  of  a  scientific  and  general  character.  His 
career  was  destined  to  be  of  short  continuance.  He  had, 
with  some  difficulty,  finished  the  first  term  of  his  second 
year  in  the  above-named  institution  when  his  overworked 
system  gave  signs  of  increasing  pulmonary  difficulties, 
which  required  an  immediate  suspension  of  all  labor  and 
continued    thought.       Ever}'    day    his    symptoms    became 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  155 

more  alarming,  and  seemed  to  declare  that  consumption 
had  hxed  its  grasp  upon  the  suffering  patient,  and  would 
soon  prostrate  him  in  death. 

As  the  chills  of  autumn  approached,  Dr.  Parker  pro- 
posed to  his  son  to  depart  with  him  to  the  sunny  regions 
of  the  South,  with  the  hope  that  the  climate  might  assist 
to  protract,  and  possibly  save,  a  life  so  dear  to  many.  In 
'the  early  part  of  October  this  plan  was  put  in  execution 
with  the  design  of  going  as  far  as  St.  Augustine,  in 
Florida.  But  the  health  of  the  young  man  seemed  to 
require  them  to  stop  at  St.  Mary's,  where  he  lingered  till 
the  i8th  of  January,  when  his  mortal  pilgrimage  was 
closed. 

The  grief  of  this  loss  of  his  promising  son — his  only 
child — added  to  the  effects  of  Dr.  Parker's  previous  un- 
wearied labors  in  the  calls  of  his  profession,  broke  down 
his  constitution,  and  opened  the  way  to  his  own  compara- 
tively early  death. 

James  Otis  Parker.  See  notices  of  college  gradu- 
ates, page  92. 

Ebenezer  p.  Hills.  He  was  born  in  Newbury,  in 
1804.  In  his  early  life  he  was  engaged  in  the  mechanical 
operations  of  his  father,  who  was  a  joiner,  painter  and 
glazier.  But  early  cherishing  a  desire  to  engage  in  the 
physician's  calling,  he  commenced  a  course  of  study  that 
might  prepare  him  for  that  position.  To  obtain  the  means 
of  pursuing  his  preparatory  studies,  he  devoted  a  part  of 
each  year  to  the  arduous  work  of  school-teaching.  He 
taught  ten  distinct  terms,  and  was  regarded  as  well 
adapted  to  this  work.  He  was  engaged  as  teacher  in  the 
towns  of  Leominster,  Lunenburg,  Shirley  and  Townsend. 
His  professional  studies  were  partially  pursued  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  Silas  Pearson  of  Westminster,  and  Dr. 
Peter  S.  Snow  of  Fitchburg.  He  attended  a  single  course 
of  medical  lectures  at  Pittsfield,  but  received  his  doctor's 
degree  from  Brunswick,  Maine,  in  1825. 

He  then  established  himself  in  Townsend,  and 
offered    his    professional   services   to  the   public.     On  the 


156  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

death  of  Dr.  A.  G.  Parker  of  Shirley,  he  came  to  this 
town,  and  remained  here  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
March  22,  1854,  ^"  ^^^  tiftieth  year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  Hills  received  a  diploma  from  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society,  May  28,  1845.  He  was  three  times 
married ; — his  first  and  second  wives  were  sisters,  from 
Lunenburg, — Misses  Perkins, — who  left  three  children  at 
their  deaths,  one  of  whom  preceded  his  father  to  the  tomb.* 
He  married  for  his  third  wife  Miss  Sophia  Gerrish  of 
Townsend,  Sept.  15,  1841,  by  whom  he  had  four  children, 
one  of  whom  died  betbre  her  father.  Two  others  have 
since  died.  They  died  young,  and  yet  their  good  quali- 
ties rendered  them  universally  respected  by  their  ac- 
quaintances. "Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they 
shall  see  God." 

Charles  C.  Dowse  lived  and  practised  medicine 
for  a  few  years  in  Shirley.  He  was  born  in  Brighton, 
and  in  early  life  was  engaged  as  a  store  and  count- 
ing-room clerk.  He  pursued  an  academical  course  of 
study  at  the  Wesleyan  institution  in  Wilbraham.  He 
studied  medicine  for  a  time  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Bates  in 
Barre,  and  obtained  his  doctorate  from  the  Boston  Medical 
College.  He  began  his  practice  somewhere  in  Connecti- 
cut, but  removed  to  Shirley  in  1845.  Here  he  remained 
some  four  3'ears,  when  he  established  himself  in  Clinton, 
where  he  resided  about  six  years.  Then  he  removed  to 
Waltham,  where  he  continued  his  practice  until  his  death. 

Joseph  H.  Streeter  also  practised  medicine  for  a 
few  years  in  Shirley.  He  came  in  1845.  The  place, 
however,  was  so  crowded  with  M.  D.'s — led  hither  after 
the  death  of  Dr.  Parker,  through  the  influence  of  that 
distinguished  man's  success — that  Dr.  Streeter  removed  to 
Roxbury,  where  he  still  lives  and  is  engaged  in  the  duties 
of  his  profession. 

Darius  A.  Dow  succeeded  Dr.  Dowse,  and  prac- 
tised   medicine    about    three    years    in  Shirley,    when  he 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  157 

removed  to  Westford,  in  which  place  he  is  vet  eno-afed 
in  the  work  of  his   calling. 

AsAHEL  Plympton  succceded  Dr.  Dow,  establish- 
ing himself  in  Shirley  in  1852.  He  studied,  for  a  time,  in 
the  office  of  Dr.  Oilman  Kimball,  of  Lowell.  Afterward 
he  attended  courses  of  lectures  in  Hanover,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  in  Woodstock,  Vermont,  and  received  his  medi- 
cal diploma  from  the  last-named  institution,  in  1843.  He 
began  his  work  in  Hebron,  Connecticut,  where  he  re- 
mained only  a  few  months,  when  he  went  to  Monroe, 
Maine,  where  he  continued  several  years.  He  then  came 
to  Shirley  and  has  been  in  successful  practice  unto  the 
present  time,  [1882]  more  than  thirty  years. 

Nathaniel  Kingsbury  came  to  Shirley  in  1857.  It 
was  not  his  purpose  to  practise  his  profession,  but  rather 
to  seek  retirement  from  what  had  been  his  life-calling. 
He  did  not  refuse  the  occasional  solicitations  of  those 
who  desired  his  advice  and  attendance,  yet  he  sought  no 
custom.  He  graduated  at  the  Bowdoin  institution  in 
Brunswick,  Maine,  in  1829.  He  practised  his  profession 
for  a  time  in  Georgia,  but  passed  the  longest  period  of 
active  public  duty  in  Temple,  New  Hampshire.  He  left 
Shirley  in  1865,  and  has  since  died. 

The  great  comparative  importance  attached  to  the 
practice  of  medicine  at  the  present  day,  marks — to  a  cer- 
tain extent — the  chanffes  that  have  occurred  in  the  habits 
and  wants  of  society  since  the  period  at  which  this 
history  commenced.  Then,  a  large  majority  of  the 
educated  men  sought  the  pulpit  or  the  bar  as  their  arena 
of  operations  ;  now,  a  large  part  of  the  scholars  resort  to 
the  healing  art,  as  an  equally  honorable  and  far  more 
lucrative  sphere  of  labor.  Then,  very  few  physicians  w^ere 
classically  educated  ; — many  of  them  served  what  they 
termed  an  apprenticeship  with  some  established  practi- 
tioner, and  thus  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the  remedies  for 
human  diseases,   as  the  artisan  acquires  the  secret  of  his 


158  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

craft ; — of  course  but  few  of  the  faculty  were  received  to 
other  posts  of  public  trust.  Now,  our  ablest  writers,  states- 
men, legislators  and  rulers,  are  fully  represented  by  mem- 
bers of  this  profession.  Then,  the  habits  of  the  population 
were  simple,  industrious,  hardy, — inured  from  childhood 
to  healthy  physical  training,  and  standing  in  little  need  of 
frequent  medical  treatment.  Now,  we  live  in  an  age  of 
fast  men,  where  fashion  supersedes  prudence,  and  excess 
enervates  physical  strength  ; — where,  indeed,  the  general 
habit  of  gross  living  and  careless  action  wears  down  the 
physical  system,  to  such  an  extent  that  the  artificial  aid 
which  a  physician  can  proffer  is  in  frequent  requisition. 
A  little  more  care  and  prudence  would,  in  the  way  of  pre- 
vention, save  many  a  hard-earned  penny  to  meet  the  sub- 
stantial wants  of  a  healthy  existence, — and  save  the  evil  of 
many  a  pain  which  doctors  and  drugs  may  vainly  attempt 
to  eradicate  and  cure. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

Town  Hall — Legacy  of  Hon.    James  P.     Whitney — Do- 
nations   of     Thomas    and     George     A.     Whitney — 
Laying  the   Corner-stone — Proceedi^igs    and  Report 
of  Bnilding  Committee — Dedication   of  the    Hall — 
Village  Hall — Liberality  of  its  owner,  etc. 

During  the  early  periods  of  our  New-England  settle- 
ments the  pecuniary  condition  of  the  people  compelled 
them  to  study  and  practise  economy  in  all  matters  of  both 
public  and  private  interest.  And,  as  they  could  not  afford 
buildings  to  be  separately  devoted  to  secular  and  sacred 
uses,  they  were  so  far  bound  to  sanction  a  "union  of 
church  and  state"  as  to  appropriate  one  and  the  same  edi- 
fice to  all  the  public  requirements  of  the  town, — religious, 
military  and  municipal.  On  Sunday  the  spacious  aisles 
and  pews  were  occupied  by  those  who  sought  the  good 
that  Cometh   from  the  sanctuary.      On   "training  days"  the 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  159 

children  of  Mars  were  found  threading  their  way  through 
the  same  alleys,  armed  and  equipped  for  the  deadly  strife 
of  war ;  and  on  days  of  municipal  duty  the  same  temple 
thoroughfares  were  made  to  resound  to  the  coarse  tread  of 
many  feet  not  accustomed  to  seek  that  place  for  purposes 
of  spiritual  devotion.  At  the  communion  altar  the  moder- 
ator and  clerk  were  stationed,  to  direct  and  record  the 
doings  of  the  assembled  freemen,  while  the  people  ac- 
commodated themselves  as  well  as  the  conveniences  of  the 
place  would  allow  by  grouping  together  in  the  neighbor- 
ing pews  and  avenues.  There  was  an  inconvenience 
attending  this  miscellaneous  use  of  the  meeting-house,  and 
yet  it  was  the  best  arrangement  that  could  be  made  under 
the  circumstances.  It  surely  could  be  no  desecration  of  a 
sacred  locality  to  have  it  occasionally  used  for  purposes  of 
secular  requirements  ;  and  we  are  proud  to  believe  that 
many  a  country  church  became  a  "cradle  of  liberty"  in 
the  stormy  days  of  '76. 

From  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  in  1753,  to  the 
building  of  the  first  meeting-house,  in  1754,  meetings  for 
municipal  purposes  were  conducted  in  private  houses. 
From  that  time  to  1839,  'ibout  seventy-five  years,  as  has 
been  observed,  the  meeting-house  was  the  general  rendez- 
vous for  the  proceedings  of  the  body  politic.  During  the 
year  last  named,  the  first  meeting-house, — which  was  now 
legally  claimed  by  the  First  Congregational  Society, — un- 
derwent such  changes  and  repairs  as  to  render  it  incon- 
venient to  open  it  for  any  other  than  religious  purposes  ; 
its  doors  were  therefore  closed  to  all  secular  gatherings 
and  objects.  The  necessities  of  the  people  soon  directed 
attention  to  the  subject  of  erecting  a  town  hall, — yet  no 
decisive  steps  were  taken  to  that  end  for  the  space  of 
six  years. 

At  the  town-meeting  in  April,  1847,  a  communication 
was  made  to  the  town  to  the  following  purport : 

"To  THE  Selectmen  of  the  Town  of  Shirley  : 

"  Gentlemen  : — Our  late  brother,  James  P.  Whitney, 
made  certain  bequests  to  the  town  which  will  fully  appear 


160  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

bv  the  following  extracts  from  his  last  will  and  testament, 
viz  :  '  I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of 
Shirley  the  sum  oi  five  hundred  dollars,  to  be  appropri- 
ated towards  the  building  of  a  town-house,  with  a  commo- 
dious hall  for  holding  town  meetings,  and  suitable  rooms 
for  the  safe  keeping  of  records,  books  and  papers,  belong- 
ing to  the  town,  and  for  the  transaction  by  the  Selectmen, 
and  all  other  town  officers,  of  all  the  town  business  ;  pro- 
vided, however,  that  said  town-house  shall  be  located  in 
that  part  of  the  town  now  considered  the  centre  thereof, 
but  not  placed  near  the  south  side  of  the  land  which  be- 
longed to  my  late  father,  bordering  on  the  Training  Field, 
so  called,  without  the  consent  of  the  owner  of  said  land  ; 
and  provided,  also,  that  the  same  shall  be  built  wuthin  three 
years  of  the  time  of  my  decease  ;  and  in  case  of  failure 
on  the  part  of  said  inhabitants  to  comply  with  the  pro- 
visions aforesaid,  I  then  give  and  bequeath  the  said  sum, 
with  all  the  interest  that  may  have  accrued  thereon,  to 
my  said  daughter,  Henrietta  Parker  Whitney,  or  whoever 
may  be  my  heirs  at  law. 

"'I  also  give  and  bequeath  to  the  inhabitants  of  said 
town  of  Shirley  the  sum  of  one  hundred  dollars,  the 
interest  of  which  is  to  be  annually  expended  in  ornament- 
ing the  burying-ground  now  belonging  to  the  town,  by  the 
cultivation  of  trees  and  shrubbery,  and  otherwise  improv- 
ing the  same  ;  and  the  principal  sum  may  be  appropriated 
towards  the  buildincj  of  a  handsome  fence  around  the  same 
whenever  the  town  shall  so  determine.' 

"We  wish  you,  gentlemen,  to  lay  the  same  before  the 
town,  and  should  it  be  their  pleasure  to  accept  the  be- 
quests, we  will  be  in  readiness  at  any  time  to  pay  over  the 
money  to  such  persons  as  the  town  may  designate  for  such 
purpose.     We  are,  gentlemen,  most  respectfully, 

"Your  obedient  servants, 

"Thomas  Whitney,         'I  Executors  of  the  toill 
"George  A.  Whitney,  \      of  said  deceased. 

"Shirley,  March  25,  1847." 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  161 

The  town  voted  to  accept  the  legacy  of  Mr.  Whitney, 
and  authorized  the  selectmen  to  receive  the  same  of  the 
executors,  in  the  name  of  the  town  ;  also  voted  that  a  com- 
mittee of  five  be  appointed  to  take  into  consideration  the 
whole  subject  relating  to  the  building  of  a  town-house, 
and  make  an  estimate  of  the  expense  necessary  for  the 
same.  Stillman  D.  Benjamin,  Jeremiah  C.  Hartwell, 
Jonas  Holden,  Lewis  Blood  and  Leonard  M.  Parker  were 
chosen  for  said  committee. 

At  a  town-meeting  holden  on  the  28th  of  the  follow- 
ing May,  the  above  committee  submitted  a  report  of  their 
doings,  in  which  was  embodied  the  following  communica- 
tion from  Messrs.  Thomas  and  George  A.  Whitney, — 
brothers  of  the  late  James  P.  Whitney,  and  executors  of 
his  will  : 

"To  THE    Committee    of    the  Town    of  Shirley    on 

THE    subject    of    BUILDING    A    ToWN    HoUSE  : 

"  Gentlemen : — We  propose  to  give  to  the  town  of 
Shirley  the  sum  oi'  Jive  hundred  dollars  in  aid  of  building 
a  town-house,  and  a  lot  of  land  on  which  to  set  the  same, 
adjoining  the  north  side  of  the  Training  Field, — the  lot 
being  staked  out  by  you  for  the  purpose,  as  we  have 
agreed.  And  we  make  this  proposal  on  the  following  ex- 
press conditions,  viz  : — that  the  town-house  shall  be  placed 
on  the  said  lot  of  land,  and  built  in  one  year  and  a  half; 
that  it  shall  be  a  two-story  building,  conforming  substan- 
tially to  the  plan  of  Mr.  Farrar,  now  in  your  possession  ;* 
that  the  Training  Field  shall  always  be  kept  as  a  public 
common,  and  never  be  encumbered  by  buildings  or  in  any 
other  manner ;  and,  in  case  the  town  shall  hereafter  de- 
cide to  enclose  it  by  a  suitable  fence,  that  an  avenue  of 
twenty-five  feet  in  width,  on  the  north  and  east  sides  of 
the  same,  adjoining  our  land,  shall  always  be  kept  open 
for  the  benefit  of   individuals   and  the  public.     We  wish 


*The   architect   was  employed  by  Mr.  J.  P.  Whitney  to  draw  a  plan  of  a 
town-house,  which  plan  had  been  given  to  the  building  committee. 

21 


162  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

3-ou  to  lay  this  proposal  before  the  town,  and  if  they  shall 
agree  to  accept  the  money  and  the  land  upon  the  con- 
ditions already  specified,  then  we  will  give  a  deed  of  the 
land,  and  pay  over  the  money  to  whomsoever  the  town 
may  authorize  to  receive  it ; — the  deed  to  provide  that  the 
land  shall  revert  to  us  or  to  our  heirs  whenever  the  town 
shall  cease  to  occupy  it  for  a  town-house. 

"Thomas  Whitney. 
"George  A.  Whitney. 

"Shirley,  April  28th,  1847." 

The  committee  reported,  in  addition,  that  they  had 
estimated  the  expense  of  a  building,  like  the  one  proposed, 
to  be  two  thousand  dollars. 

Whereupon,  "it  was  voted  to  accept  the  money  and 
land  offered  to  the  town  by  Thomas  Whitney  and  George 
A.  Whitney,  and  [to]  agree  to  the  conditions  by  them 
stated.  Also,  to  build  a  town-house  of  the  description 
specified  by  them  and  recommended  by  the  committee, 
and  that  the  sum  of  ten  hundred  dollars  be  raised  to  carry 
the  same  into  effect ;  and  that  five  hundred  of  said  sum  be 
assessed  the  present  year,  and  the  remaining  sum  of  five 
hundred  dollars  the  next  year. 

"Voted,  to  choose  a  committee  of  five  to  build  the 
town-house  and  to  take  all  necessary  measures  to  carry  the 
foregoinff  vote  into  effect. 

"Chose  Hon,  Leonard  M.  Parker,  Stillman  D.  Benja- 
min, Capt.  Jonas  Holden,  Stephen  M.  Longley  and 
Charles  Butler  for  said  committee.  Voted  to  add  Col. 
Thomas  Whitney  and  Jeremiah  C.  Hartvvell  to  the  above 
committee." 

The  proceedings  of  this  committee  were  carefully 
recorded  by  the  chairman,  from  whose  papers  we  learn 
that  it  was  early  decided  by  them  that  the  plan  of  Mr. 
Farrar  was  not  upon  a  scale  sufficiently  large  to  secure  all 
the  purposes  for  which  the  proposed  building  had  been 
designed.  Whereupon  the  committee  voted  "to  add  two 
feet  to  the  height,  ten  teet  to  the  length,  and  one  and  a  half 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  163 

feet  to  the  piazza  or  front  part ;  it  being  understood  that 
two  hundred  dollars  would  be  contributed  for  the  purpose, 
which  sum  the  committee  estimated  would  be  sufficient  to 
pay  the  full  expense  of  the  proposed  enlargement."* 

The  furnishing  and  laying  the  foundation  was  con- 
tracted for  and  executed  by  Mr.  E.  G.  Adams  of 
Lunenburg.  The  timber  for  the  frame  of  the  building 
was  prepared  and  set  up  by  Mr.  Asher  Jewett  of  Groton ; 
and  the  building  was  enclosed  and  finished  by  Mr.  Jere- 
miah C.  Hartwell  of  Shirley. 

The  filling  of  the  trenches  for  the  foundation  and  the 
grading  about  the  building  was  accomplished  by  the  vol- 
untary labor  of  several  citizens  of  the  town.f 

On  the  17th  of  June  the  committee  broke  ground, 
each  one  throwing  out  a  few  shovelfuls  of  earth,  (com- 
mencing with  the  chairman,)  and  on  the  5th  of  July  the 
corner-stone  was  laid  with  the  following  imposing  cere- 
monies : 

A  procession  was  formed  under  the  direction  of  Col. 
Thomas  Whitney,  marshal  of  the  day,  and  proceeded  to 
the  site  of  the  proposed  building.  Here  the  deposits^ 
were  placed  under  the  southwest  corner,  and  the  founda- 
tion stone  adjusted  thereon  by  the  building  committee. 
The  procession  then  moved  to  the  meeting-house  of  the 
First  Parish,  where  services  were  performed  after  the  fol- 
lowing order : 

1.  Anthem,  "My  country  'tis  of  thee." 

2.  Scripture  selections,  by  Rev.  J.  A.  Coolidge. 

3.  Hymn,  555  Greenwood's  Collection. 

4.  Prayer,  by  Rev.  Seth  Chandler. 

5.  Music,  by  the  Band. 

6.  Declaration  of  Independence,  read  by  Dr.  J.  O. 
Parker. 

7.  "Hail  Columbia,"  by  the  Band. 

8.  Address,  by  Hon.  Leonard  M.  Parker. 

9.  Anthem,  "Let  every  heart  rejoice  and  sing." 
lo.  Benediction,  by  Mr.  Chandler. 


*This  additional  cost  was  contributed  by  the  following  named  individuals 
Geo.  A.  Whitney,  $ioo,  Tho.  Whitney,  $50,  L.  M.  Parker,  $50. 

tSee  Appendix  P.        JSee  Appendix  Q. 


164  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

At  the  close  of  the  services  in  the  church  the  pro- 
cession reformed,  under  the  direction  of  the  marshal, 
and  proceeded  to  the  Parker  Grove,  where  a  bountiful 
entertainment  had  been  made  ready  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Farnsvvorth.  After  the  cloth  was  removed,  regular  and 
volunteer  sentiments  were  introduced,  together  with 
speeches,  music  and  songs  that  were  appropriate  to  the 
festivities  of  the  occasion. 

Dr.  Ebenezer  P.  Hills  presided,  assisted  by  Thomas 
Whitney,  Jonas  Holden,  and  Elisha  F.  Thayer,  as  vice- 
presidents.  Mr.  Charles  Butler  officiated  as  toast-master. 
The  occasion  called  forth  much  social  and  patriotic  feel- 
ing, and  was  truly  a  season  of  convivial  and  rational 
enjoyment. 

It  was  the  desire  of  the  esteemed  author  of  the  ad- 
dress, if  the  premeditated  history  of  Shirley  should  ever 
see  the  light,  to  have  it  introduced  into  the  pages  of  that 
history.  This  seems  to  be  the  most  appropriate  place  for 
such  introduction. 

ADDRESS  OF  HON.  LEONARD  M.  PARKER. 

"Fellow-citizens  : — We  have  assembled  to  lay  the 
corner-stone  of  our  town-house.  It  is  a  building  designed 
for  the  two-fold  purpose  of  a  town-house  and  a  high- 
school.  The  occasion  is  a  joyous  and  at  the  same  time  a 
solemn  one.  It  is  joyous  because  the  work  in  which  we 
are  engaged  furnishes  conclusive  evidence  that  we  are 
free  citizens,  and  duly  realize  it ;  and  as  such  fully  under- 
stand and  justly  appreciate  our  rights  and  privileges. 
It  also  shows  that  we  are  wise  for  ourselves  and  wise  for 
posterity ;  that  we  not  only  understand  our  rights  and 
privileges,  but  have  resolved  to  enjoy  them  ;  and  to  tiiis 
end  it  is  essential,  in  our  opinion,  to  be  provided  with  a 
good  building,  having  suitable  rooms  for  books  and 
records,  and  for  the  transaction  of  town  business  ;  and  a 
commodious  hall  in  which  to  assemble  for  deliberation, 
discussion  and  action,  touching  all  the  affairs  of  the  town, 
the  state  and  the  nation. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  165 

"The  occasion  is  also  solemn;  for  it  reminds  us  of 
by-gone  times, — of  the  earl}-  settlement  of  the  town, — of 
the  perils,  privations  and  hardships  which  our  fathers  had 
to  encounter  in  here  establishing  their  homes,  and  in 
obtaining  their  civil  and  religious  rights, — and  the  incon- 
veniences to  which  they  were  subjected  in  the  exercise  of 
them. 

"It  is  solemn,  too,  in  its  admonitions  and  warnings  in 
regard  to  the  interests  of  knowledge.  The  ample  accom- 
modations which  are  here  to  be  made^  for  a  high-school, 
show  the  estimation  in  which  education  is  held  by  us  of 
the  present  age  ;  and  how  essential  it  is  considered  for  the 
preservation  of  the  rights  and  liberties  of  those  who  are 
to  live  after  us.  The  school  has  ever  been  considered  the 
palladium  of  the  liberty  of  a  state. 

"The  day  chosen  by  us  for  this  work  is  Monday  the 
ffth^  instead  of  Sunday  \\\^  fourth  of  July,  in  this  year  of 
our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-seven, — 
this  day  being  taken  because  the  laws  and  usages  of  the 
age  discountenance  all  assemblages  of  the  people  on  the 
Sabbath  for  secular  or  holiday  purposes.  This  day,  then, 
the  fourth  of  yiily,  is  a  memorable  day  in  the  annals 
of  our  country,  and  in  the  annals  of  the  world.  The 
Declaration  of  American  Independence,  that  immortal 
document,  contains  the  great  fundamental  truth  —  that 
government  is  instituted  for  the  safety  and  happiness  of 
the  people,  deriving  its  just  powers  from  their  consent ; 
that  it  is  their  right  to  choose  their  own  law-makers,  and 
to  alter  or  abolish  their  form  of  government  whenever  it 
shall  cease  to  answer  the  end  for  which  it  was  created. 
Having  thus  clearly  defined,  and  fearlessly  laid  the  true 
foundation  principle  of  all  just  government,  the  document 
proceeds  to  its  solemn  conclusion, — that  the  United  States, 
then  colonies  of  Great  Britain,  were,  and  of  right  ought  to 
be,  free  and  independent  States.  And  to  the  support  of 
this  declaration,  they  pledged  all  the  means  and  power 
which  are  valuable  to  man.  And  they  were  true  to  the 
pledge.     The  people,  too,  were  true    to    themselves    and 


16G  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

true  to  the  declaration.  They  sustained  it.  In  a  war  of 
more  than  seven  ^^ears  duration,  they  evinced  their  pa- 
triotism and  devotion.  Toils,  perils,  scars,  privations, 
sacrifices,  death, — all  these  were  counted  as  nothing  in 
comparison  with  the  objects  at  which  they  aimed.  The 
true  patriot  never  falters,  never  tires.  Their  hearts  were 
fixed  on  the  great  principle  of  the  declaration.  They 
had  resolved  on  liberty, — and  they  resolved  not  in  vain. 
They  obtained  liberty. 

"The  achievement  of  independence  was  followed  by 
the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
which  establishes  a  government  truly  republican  in  form 
and  character.  It  embodies  the  principles  set  forth  in 
the  Declaration  of  Independence.  It  recognizes  the 
people  as  social,  moral  and  political  beings  ;  as  men  capa- 
ble of  moral  and  political  wisdom  ;  as  the  rightful  fram- 
ers  of  their  own  government  and  makers  of  their  own 
laws ;  and  it  appeals  to  their  understanding,  their  virtue 
and  their  patriotism  for  support.  It  acknowledges  man, 
as  he  was  designed  by  Deity,  and  as  he  ever  should  be, 
his  own  master, — and  not  the  creature  of  monarchs,  come 
they  in  the  form  of  emperors  or  kings,  or  even  in  the 
robes  of  queens. 

"But  we  forbear,  for  it  is  not  our  design  to  make  this 
paper  a  common  fourth  of  July  oration  ;  nor  even  to 
attempt  an  extended  portrayal  of  the  happy  effects  of  our 
political  institutions.  It  is  our  purpose  merely  to  peram- 
bulate the  lines  of  our  political  domain,  and  renew  the 
marks  on  the  monuments  erected  by  our  fathers  ;  and  in 
doing  this  we  would  especially  avoid  all  allusions  to  the 
numerous  parties  which  for  various  purposes  now  rally 
under  different  names.  Still,  we  will  take  occasion  to 
say,  there  is  a  moral  sentiment  and  power  in  the  name 
and  character  of  liberty,  acting  in  the  form  of  a  well  regu- 
lated republic,  which  can  sometimes  humble  the  pride  of 
the  mighty,  and  disarm  majesty  of  its  terrors. 

"This  is  well  illustrated  by  the  interesting  sketch 
given  by  an  American  of  his  visit  to  San  Marino,  a  small 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  1G7 

republic  in  Italy,  between  the  Appenines,  the  Po,  and  the 
Adriatic.  We  are  told  the  territory  of  this  state  is  only 
about  forty  miles  in  circumference,  and  its  population 
about  seven  thousand.  The  republic  was  founded  more 
than  fourteen  hundred  years  ago,  on  moral  principles,  in- 
dustry and  equality ;  and  has  preserved  its  liberty  and 
independence  amidst  all  the  wars  and  discords  which  have 
raged  around  it.  Bonaparte  respected  it  and  sent  an 
embassy  to  express  his  sentiments  of  friendship  and  fra- 
ternity. It  is  governed  by  a  captain  regent,  chosen  every 
six  months  by  the  representatives  of  the  people,  sixty-six 
in  number,  who  are  also  chosen  ever}'  six  months  by  the 
people.  The  taxes  are  light,  the  farm-houses  are  neat, 
the  fields  well  cultivated,  and  on  all  sides  are  seen  com- 
fort and  peace — the  happy  effects  of  morality,  simplicity, 
liberty  and  justice.  The  visitor  was  received  by  some  of 
the  intelligent  citizens,  in  the  most  hospitable  and  affec- 
tionate manner ;  they  were  delighted  with  him  because  he 
was  an  American.  They  professed  a  profound  attachment 
for  our  country,  and  look  to  it  as  the  preserver  of  their 
own  pure  principles ;  they  were  intimately  acquainted 
with  our  institutions  and  affairs,  and  had  a  library  well 
furnished  with  books  and  pamphlets  relating  to  America. 
"Such  is  the  beautiful  description  of  that  ancient  little 
republic.  Who  can  contemplate  it  without  emotions  of 
the  deepest  interest?  Bonaparte,  it  seems,  in  the  days  of 
his  triumph  and  glory, — overturning  monarchies  and  de- 
throning kings, — paid  homage  to  it.  Of  his  motives  in 
so  doing  we  refrain  to  speak, — but  leave  this,  with  all  his 
actions,  to  be  passed  upon  by  posterity.  Would  that  any 
motives  could  have  recently  induced  the  chief  Northern 
Powers  of  Europe  to  spare  the  small  republic  of  Cracow, 
the  last  semblance  of  liberty  in  poor  liberty-loving  Poland. 
But  no  ;  even  this  dim  star  could  not  be  suffered  longer  to 
shine  within  its  own  little  orbit,  but  must  be  made  to  deck 
the  diadem  of  imperial  Austria.  We  here  also  refrain 
from  comment,  and  will  leave  this  deed  and  these  actors, 
as  we  have  done  with  Napoleon,  to  the  judgment  of  those 


1G8  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

who  are  to  come  after  us.  And,  to  return  for  a  moment  to 
that  little  green  spot,  hemmed  in  by  the  mountains  and 
rivers  of  Italy, — happy  as  that  community  of  San  Marino 
is  represented  to  be,  it  is  but  a  miniature  picture  of  our 
vast  republic.  Would  that  all  Europe  could  now  be 
placed  in  a  like  happy  condition  with  that  small  republic. 
And  the  day  will  come  when  monarchs  shall  be  made  to 
lay  down  their  crowns — when  all  men  shall  be  allowed  to 
acquire  an  interest  in  the  earth  created  for  their  use,  and 
make  choice  of  their  own  rulers.  Until  that  time  shall 
come  we  see  nothing  which  promises  essentially  to  change 
the  existing  state  of  things, — sovereigns  and  nobility  riot- 
ing in  all  the  excesses  of  wealth  and  luxury,  and  subjects 
dying  of  starvation  ! 

"There  is  a  peculiar  fitness  in  the  selection  of  this  day 
to  do  this  first  work  in  the  erection  of  our  edifice.  It  is 
designed  as  the  place  in  which  the  citizens  of  the  town 
shall  assemble  from  year  to  year,  and  from  time  to  time, 
to  exercise  the  rights  and  to  enjoy  the  privileges  which 
have  been  secured  to  them  at  an  immense  sacrifice  of 
blood  and  treasure.  It  is  also  designed  as  the  place 
where  the  youth  of  the  town  may  receive  that  instruction 
which  is  necessary  to  enable  them  rightly  to  perform  the 
high  duties  of  citizens  of  a  great  republic.  Such  is  the 
character  of  our  building.  On  this  stone,  then,  let  it  rise 
— let  it  ever  be  maintained — let  it  be  the  temple  of  our 
town,  dedicated  to  knowledge  and  to  freedom.  We  trust 
in  God  it  may  endure  ;  that  after  ages  may  witness  in  it 
the  principles  proclaimed  by  their  forefathers,  and  cher- 
ished by  us  of  the  present  day.  May  it  forever  stand,  the 
living  emblem  of  true  glory  ; — based  as  it  is  on  the  rock 
of  eternal  truth  and  justice — the  rights  of  man. 

"The  pilgrim  of  liberty,  should  fortune  chance  to  cast 
him  upon  the  borders  of  this  humble  village,  may  come 
into  it.  Perchance  it  may  kindle  up  new  fires  in  his  sink- 
ing soul,  and  thus  shed  a  gleam  of  light  and  hope  on 
far-oft'  ages  and  far-distant  lands.  Youth,  manhood,  old 
age — all  will  feel  its  influence  and  rejoice  in  its  existence. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  1G9 

Youth  will  come  up  here  in  pursuit  of  instruction,  and  his 
young  heart  will  beat  at  the  thought  that  the  day  is  not 
distant,  when,  in  the  adjoining  hall,  he  must  act  the  part 
of  a  free  citizen.  Manhood  will  hither  come,  to  give 
efficacy  to  the  principles  and  enjoy  the  blessings  won  by 
the  valor  of  his  forefathers.  Old  age,  too,  will  come 
tottering  hither;  and  thus  evince,  even  to  the  last,  his 
devotion  to  the  right  of  self-government. 

"We  have  made  allusion  to  the  early  days  of  our  town. 
It  was  mainly  taken  from  the  original  territory  of  Groton, 
and  incorporated  as  a  district  by  the  name  of  Shirley, 
A.  D.  1752.  In  the  year  1765  an  addition  was  made  to 
the  district  by  the  annexation  of  territory  more  than  half 
a  mile  in  width,  adjoining  Lancaster,  which  had  pre- 
viously belonged  to  the  township  of  Stow,  from  which 
circumstance  it  has  been  called  "Stow  Leg."  In  the 
year  1786,  the  district  was  fully  enfranchised  and  made  a 
town  by  a  general  law,  which  applied  to  all  districts  incor- 
porated before  the  year  1777.  And  it  would  seem  that  it 
must  have  been  made  a  town  at  an  earlier  day,  for 
throughout  the  whole  Revolutionary  war,  it  exercised  the 
rights,  in  all  respects,  of  a  town. 

"It  is  difficult  to  trace  the  precise  time  when  the  tirst 
settlements  were  made.  Various  untoward  causes  oper- 
ated to  interrupt  all  settlements,  and  slow  progress  must 
have  been  made  within  our  limits,  down  to  the  period  of 
incorporation.  Since  that  time  population  and  improve- 
ment have  rapidly  advanced.  We  speak,  not  particularly 
of  this  place,  but  of  our  whole  country.  Then  our  entire 
population  was  about  two  millions  ;  now  about  twenty-two 
millions ;  and  this  increase  has  chiefly  been  made  since 
the  close  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution — within  about  sixty 
years. 

"We  live  in  an  age  and  in  a  land  of  improvements — 
improvements,  not  only  in  the  arts  and  sciences,  but  in  all 
the  practical  uses  and  purposes  of  life.  Witness  the 
steam  ship,  and  steam  railroad, — striding  sea  and  land  in 
every    direction,   threatening   soon  to  cross  the  continent, 


170  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

and  extend  westward  to  India, — moving  almost  with  the 
rapidity  of  the  winds  of  heaven.  How  surprising  !  yes, 
how  wonderful  I — we  have  been  wont  to  hear  falling  from 
the  lips  of  everybody.  But  the  days  of  wonder  soon  pass 
away,  and  so  it  is  with  this  ;  a  journey  of  a  day,  which 
formerly  occupied  weeks,  and  a  freight  train  of  fifty  or  a 
hundred  cars,  are  now  common  every-day  affairs,  and 
looked  upon  with  cool  composure,  bordering  almost  on 
indifference.  And  the  next  we  shall  know,  the  table  of 
wonderment  will  be  turned,  and  everybody  will  begin  to 
wonder  why  the  cars  and  steamers  move  so  slowly — why 
they  need  be  two  hours  in  going  forty  miles, — say  from 
here  to  Boston, — and  ten  or  twelve  hours  from  Boston  to 
New  York, — and  twelve  days  in  crossing  the  Atlantic. 

"Such  is  the  character  of  the  hinnan  mind — always  on 
the  stretch  for  more.  And,  happily,  it  is  so  ordered,  that 
to  the  power  of  genius  and  the  advances  of  intellect,  there 
is  no  end.  And  so,  age  after  age  will  roll  on — improve- 
ment upon  improvement  will  follow  ;  and  in  their  train 
will  come  increase  of  numbers,  increase  of  wealth,  in- 
crease of  necessities — new  tastes,  new  fashions,  new 
inventions,  love  of  change — and  we  know  not  what ; — 
and  revolutions  in  the  affairs  of  society  and  of  govern- 
ments may  come  ;  and  fires  and  floods,  and  whirlwinds 
and  earthquakes  may  take  place,  and  disturb  the  face  of 
art  and  of  nature.  And  by  some  of  those  passions  or 
changes — these  heavings  of  earth  or  heaven — by  some  of 
these  causes,  the  structure  we  are  about  to  erect,  with  its 
numberless  renewals,  may  come  to  an  end,  and  this 
corner-stone  be  laid  bare.  Then  will  be  brought  to  light 
the  deposits  we  this  day  make  therein.  Here  opens  to  us 
a  new  source  of  wonder,  and  a  new  field  for  the  imagina- 
tion. What  will  be  the  character  and  what  the  condition 
of  that  age, — who  can  tell?  Perhaps  the  language  of  this 
paper  will  be  to  them  an  unknown  tongue — even  more 
rude  and  barbarous  than  that  of  the  savage  tribes  of  this 
age  is  considered  by  us.  But  we  trust  some  lover  of  things 
curious  and  rare — some  one  deep  in  black-letter  and  anti- 
quarian research — may  be  found  who  will  be  able  to  -pick 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  171 

it  all  otit,  and  translate  it  into  their  own  polished  idiom. 
They  will  see  what  we  now  say  of  the  wonderful  improve- 
ments of  this  age — of  the  railroad  and  steamship,  the  mag- 
netic telegraph,  etc.  And  do  you  marvel  at  what  we  now 
tell  you? — that  they  will  probably  laugh  it  all  to  scorn, 
that  such  will  then  be  the  improvements  in  all  the 
facilities  of  business  and  modes  of  communication  and 
transport  by  land  and  water  that  the  steamship  and  rail- 
road and  telegraph  will  all  be  thrown  aside  as  by-gone" 
affairs,  and  considered  in  the  same  light  as  the  vessels  of 
Columbus,  as  the  old  stage-coach  and  post-rider,  and  the 
saddle  and  the  pillion  are  considered  by  us  at  the  present 
day?  And  moreover  the  San-Marino  republics, — those 
perfect  little  paradises  on  earth — may  then  cover  the  whole 
globe. 

"But  again,  instead  of  this  state  and  condition  of 
things,  it  may  be  that,  then,  letters  and  the  arts  will  here 
be  lost  and  unknown — that  civilization,  with  all  its  refine- 
ments and  blessings,  will  be  banished  from  the  land ;  and 
the  red  man  again  left  to  roam  and  rule  throughout  the 
western  hemisphere. 

"But  we  will  leave  what  may  be  and  return  to  w/iat  is. 
And  here  we  are  sure  of  one  truth,  solemn  and  important 
to  us.  We  are  free  citizens  of  a  happy  republic.  It  is 
truly  a  goodly  heritage.  It  stands  forth  the  beacon-light 
of  liberty  to  all  men  and  nations  of  the  earth.  It  is  in  the 
political  world  what  the  advent  of  the  Messiah  was  in  the 
moral  world, — 'As  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary 
land.'  This  republic,  fellow-citizens,  is  in  our  hands. 
It  imposes  on  us  high  duty.  Let  us  resolve,  in  the  face  of 
Heaven  and  of  men,  we  will  perform  it. 


[Signed]  "L.   M.  Parker, 

"S.   D.   Benjamin, 
"Jonas  Holden, 
"S.   M.  Longley,     y 
"Chas.  Butler, 
"Thos.  Whitney, 
"J.   C.   Hartwell, 


Building 
Committee . 


172  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

"At  a  meeting  of  the  Building  Committee,  holden  at 
the  house  of  the  chairman,  on  the  evening  of  the  fourth  of 
July,  it  was  voted,  that  the  foregoing  address,  prepared  by 
the  chairman,  be  approved  and  signed  by  the  committee  ; 
— that  it  be  delivered  by  him  on  the  morrow,  and  then 
deposited  in  the  corner-stone.  Also  that  he  be  requested 
to  furnish  a  copy  thereof  to  be  deposited,  for  preservation, 
with  the  Town  Clerk, 

"Charles  Butler,  Sen'ctai'y  of  the  Committee.'''' 

Under  the  care  and  oversight  of  the  building  com- 
mittee— one  of  whom  was  a  principal  contractor  of  the 
work — the  new  hall  was  so  far  completed  as  to  be  opened 
for  a  meeting  of  the  town  on  the  19th  of  September,  1848. 
Hon.  Leonard  M.  Parker  was  called  to  preside,  who, 
upon  taking  the  chair,  made  a  short  and  appropriate 
address,  which  was  heard  with  marked  attention.  He 
congratulated  the  town  on  the  accommodations  which  the 
building  presented  in  which  they  were  then  assembled  for 
the  lirst  time,  and  which  they  dedicated  to  the  principles 
of  republican  equality,  and  the  just  rights  of  our  fellow- 
citizens  of  the  present  age  and  of  generations  to  come. 

To  give  a  just  completion  to  the  history  of  the  build- 
ing of  this  structure,  a  full  report  of  the  building 
committee  is   here  inserted. 

REPORT    OF    BUILDING    COMMITTEE. 

"The  committee  appointed  to  build  the  town-house 
have  attended  to  that  duty,  and  submit  the  following 
report : 

"That,  impressed  with  the  importance  of  the  .work  com- 
mitted to  their  charge,  they  commenced  by  a  careful 
examination  of  the  plan  of  the  building,  drawn  by  Mr. 
Farrar,  which  was  referred  to  in  the  votes  and  proceedings 
of  the  town.  This  plan  was  proposed  by  the  late  Hon. 
James  P.  Whitney,  with  the  intention  of  erecting  a  build- 
ing for  his  own  purposes,  and  such  as  might  be  used  for 
town  purposes  if  wanted,  on  terms  to  be  mutually  agreed 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  173 

on.  Of  course  he  meant  to  have  it  of  such  dimensions  as 
would  enable  him  to  convert  it  entirely  to  other  uses  if  not 
wanted  by  the  town.  As  may  well  be  supposed,  the  plan 
was  found  not  to  be  perfect  in  all  its  parts,  to  secure  the 
objects  intended  by  the  town  in  the  erection  of  a  town- 
house.  It  wanted  more  height  and  about  ten  feet  more  in 
length.  As  this  would  increase  the  expense  the  com- 
mittee hesitated  ;  but  these  doubts  were  removed  by  the 
proposal  of  certain  individuals  to  give  the  sum  of  txvo 
hundred  dollars,  which  the  committee  considered  ample 
for  the  purpose.  And  now  the  work  is  finished,  does  anv 
one  who  considers  the  quantity  of  town  business,  which 
forever  must  be  transacted,  still  hesitate  in  regard  to  it? 
Is  there  any  citizen,  who  has  witnessed  the  convenience 
and  comfort  with  which  business  is  now  done  at  the  select- 
men's room,  who  is  not  fully  satisfied  of  the  wisdom  of  the 
enlargement?  Who  will  say  that  room  is  too  large?  Will 
any  one  say  that  rooms  nine  feet  in  width  would  have  been 
sufficient?  What  could  have  been  done  with  the  laws  of 
the  state  and  nation,  the  law  reports,  the  town  records  and 
papers,  which  have  long  been  and  forever  will  be  accu- 
mulating? Where  would  that  large  and  valuable  case, 
containing  the  weights  and  measures,  recently  furnished 
by  the  State,  have  been  placed?  The  additional  length 
made  to  the  building  has  fortunately  furnished  a  safe  and 
convenient  place  for  it ; — otherwise  there  would  not  have 
been  any  suitable  provision  for  its  accommodation. 

"The  committee  have  proceeded  on  the  ground  that  all 
public  moneys,  raised  for  specific  purposes,  should  be  so 
laid  out  and  applied  as  will  accomplish  the  objects 
intended  by  the  appropriation  ; — otherwise  the  money  is 
in  a  great  measure  thrown  away.  And  especially  is  this 
the  case  in  reference  to  all  works  of  this  description. 
Now  the  design  of  the  town  was  to  have  a  commodious 
and  well-ventilated  town-hall  and  school-room,  and  like 
rooms  for  all  town-business  purposes,  book  cases,  &c. 
These  objects,  the  committee  flatter  themselves,  have  all 
been  attained.      But   if   they   had  failed    to    secure    these 


174  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

ends,  through  fear  of  a  moderate  increase  of  expenditure, 
they  could  not  but  feel  it  would  have  been  a  subject  of 
just  reproach  to  themselves,  and  a  matter  of  regret  and 
lamentation  to  all  the  citizens  of  the  town,  during  the 
existence  of  the  building.  But,  as  has  been  stated,  the 
additional  expense  has  not  been  paid  by  the  town,  in  this 
case. 

"The  whole  outlay  for  the  building,  including 
painting,  settees,  tables,  and  blinds,  (to  be 
painted  and  hung,)  and  including,  also, 
the  seats  and  desks  in  the  school-room,  is      $2,953  75 

"Of  which  there  has  been  paid  the  sum  of  2,077  45 

"Leaving  a  balance  unpaid  of  $876  30 

"From  which  may  be  deducted  the  sum  given 
b}"  certain  individuals  for  the  enlargement, 
and  still  due,  200  00 


"Which  reduces  the  balance  to  the  sum  of  only      $676  30 

"From  the  whole  outlay,  as  above  stated,  should  be 
deducted  $77.45,  for  surplus  lumber,  which  reduces  the 
actual  cost  of  the  building  to  $2,876.30.  The  frame,  and 
all  the  lumber  and  materials  used  in  and  upon  the  build- 
ing, have  been  of  the  best  quality,  and  the  Avork  has  been 
done  in  the  most  thorough  and  workmanlike  manner. 

"The  committee  have  examined,  made  inquiry,  and 
sought  for  information  in  regard  to  many  town-houses, 
and  they  know  of  none  which  seems  to  them  so  well 
adapted  to  all  town  uses  as  this  ;  and  they  feel  the  utmost 
confidence  in  the  expression  of  an  opinion,  that  no  town- 
house  of  equal  dimensions,  and  combining  like  purposes, 
has  recentl}-  been  built,  and  as  well  built,  at  so  small  an 
expense  by  a  very  considerable  sum. 

"In  connection  with  this  subject,  one  consideration 
deserves  to  be  mentioned  and  borne  in  mind.  We  are 
now  furnished  with  the  means  of  having  a  high-school  in 
our  own  town,  equal  to  those  in  many  other  towns. 
Parents  may  thus  have  their  children  under  their  own 
immediate  charge  while    enjoying   the   benetits  of  such   a 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  17o 

school,  and  at  the  same  time  save  the  payment  in  money 
of  about  $1.50  a  week  for  each  child,  which  for  one 
quarter  amounts  to  $20,  and  for  forty  children  would 
amount  to  $800.  Already  we  have  had  such  a  school 
one  term,  the  pupils  numbering  forty  or  more.  Now,  if 
those  parents  had  sent  their  children  out  of  town,  it  would 
have  drawn  from  them  the  payment  of  about  $800.  And 
thus  it  appears  that  the  amount  paid  by  the  parents  of 
forty  children,  for  schooling  them  out  of  town  only  one 
quarter,  would  be  equal  to  almost  half  the  amount  actu- 
ally paid  by  the  town  for  the  whole  town-house.  Truly, 
then,  may  it  be  said,  the  town  has  done  a  good  work,  and 
there  is  cause  for  universal  gladness  ;  for  with  one  voice 
all  will  say  it  was  greatly  needed  ;  with  one  voice  all  will 
say,  too,  it  is  of  such  a  character  as  to  be  not  only  useful 
in  itself,  but  an  ornament  and  an  honor  to  the  town.  In 
this  thought  every  citizen  may  well  feel  a  praiseworthy 
gratification.  He  may  also  feel  a  commendable  pride  in 
the  thought  that  he  has  lent  his  aid  in  the  work,  and  has 
a  right  and  an  interest  in  it  in  common  with  all  his  fellows. 
"In  conclusion,  the  committee  feel  it  due  to  themselves 
to  say  that  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties  they  have 
labored  most  earnestly  to  meet  the  wishes  and  effect  the 
purposes  of  the  town ;  and  they  think  they  have  not 
labored  in  vain.  They  trust  all  will  be  satisfied  that  the 
building  is  a  good  one,  and  they  hope  none  will  be  dis- 
satisfied with  the  price  it  has  cost. 

"L.   M.  Parker,      ^ 

"S.   D.   Benjamin, 

"Jonas  Holden,  Building 

"S.    M.    LONGLEY,       )- 

"Chas.  Butler,  Committee. 

"Thos.  Whitney, 
"J.  C.    Hartwell,^ 

"Shirley,  March  5th,  1849."* 

It  was  the  desire  of  some  of  the   people   most  inter- 
ested in  the  building  of  the  new   town-house,   to   have   it 


*See  Appendix  R. 


176  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

opened  with  a  public  service,  soon  after  its  completion, 
and  some  steps  were  taken  to  effect  this  object ;  but  cir- 
cumstances required  its  postponement  until  July  fourth, 
1848,  when  the  citizens  of  the  town  assembled  to  celebrate 
the  event,  which  they  did  in  the  following  appropriate 
order  : 

1.  Anthem — Tune,  "America." 

2.  Selections  from  the  Scriptures,  by  Rev.  H.  Brown. 

3.  Hymn,  696  Greenwood's  Collection. 

4.  Prayer,  by  Rev.  B.  Smith. 

5.  Music,  "List  to  the  bells  so  merrily  ringing." 

6.  Declaration  of  Independence,  read  by  Thomas  E. 
Whitney. 

7.  Music.     ■ 

8.  Address,  by  Rev.  S.  Chandler. 

9.  Song,  duet  and  chorus,  "Adams  and  Liberty." 
10.   Benediction,  by  Rev.  H.  Brown. 

This  somewhat  protracted  account  will  be  concluded 
with  a  few  extracts  from  the  address  delivered  at  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  hall.  After  a  brief  introduction,  the  speaker 
thus  proceeded  : 

"The  primary  object  of  the  first  settlers  of  New  Eng- 
land was  to  establish  themselves  in  a  house  where  they 
and  their  posterity  might,  without  molestation,  enjoy  their 
natural  rights.  To  this  end  they  undertook  and  accom- 
plished what  would  rarely  be  effected  for  less  worthy 
purposes.  They  were  eminently  men  of  God.  Their 
homes,  their  kindred,  their  fathers'  sepulchres,  were  as 
dear  to  them  as  such  objects  are  to  others.  But  dearer  to 
their  hearts  were  piety  and  freedom.  To  enjoy  and  per- 
petuate these  was  their  hope  when  they  quitted  their 
native  shores,  and  encountered  the  perils  of  the  ocean 
and  the  wilderness.  Hence  their  enterprise,  so  une- 
qualled in  the  history  of  man,  encompasses  their  names 
and  memories  with  imperishable  glory.  It  casts  into 
shade  all  those  projects  and  achievements  by  which  the 
ordinarily   great    have    purchased    immortality.       Heaven 


Autoglyph  Print,  W.  r.  Alleh,  Gardner.  Mass 


Town  Hall. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  177 

smiled  on  their  righteous  cause  and  crowned  it  with  a 
success  commensurate  with  its  purity  and  elevation. 

"Civil  and  religious  libert}' ; — why  compound  the 
object  of  the  Pilgrims?  If  the  first  is  enjoyed,  the  second 
follows  as  a  matter  of  course.  A  free  government  can 
have  no  restraint  on  religious  liberty — it  can  never  invade 
the  rights  of  conscience — it  can  encourage  no  preference  of 
one  sect  or  denomination  over  another — it  must  deprecate 
the  establishment  of  religion  by  its  power,  the  support  of 
any  specific  creed  or  liturgy  to  further  its  own  peculiar  op- 
erations. No,  the  enlightened  members  of  such  a  govern- 
ment must  forever  repudiate  any  special  union  of  religion 
with  the  state.  They  would  on  no  account  render  the 
sacred  office  of  Christian  teacher  a  lure  to  ambition  or  to 
avarice.  While  they  spread  the  protecting  shield  of  gov- 
ernment over  all,  they  w^ould  leave  each  and  all  to  adopt 
that  system  of  doctrines,  and  that  form  of  worship,  which 
they  conscientiously  believe  best  adapted  to  the  moral  and 
spiritual  condition  and  wants  of  the  community.  Under 
such  a  system,  religious  teaching  has  a  power  and  efficacy 
which  it  can  never  assume  when  hampered  with  the 
shackles  of  a  union  with  the  state. 

"Satisfied,  as  our  fathers  were,  that  if  they  had  a  gov- 
ernment without  a  despotic  king  they  should  have  a 
church  without  a  state  bishop,  they  were  emboldened  to 
peril  life  in  seeking  a  new,  and  in  many  outward  respects, 
a  forbidding  home, — that  the}'  might  accomplish  the  great, 
primary  object  of  all  their  earthly  hopes,  the  establish- 
ment of  a  free  government.  This  was  eventuall}-  done, 
and  to  sustain  it  they  resorted  to  the  only  practicable  mode, 
—  the  support  of  free  suffrage  and  free  schools.  We 
know  that  tyrants  of  every  grade  have  uttered  a  long 
and  bitter  cry  against  both.  They  have  said  that  b}^ 
opening  a  free  ballot-box,  ignorant  and  irresponsible  men 
have  an  opportunity  to  thwart  the  judicious  efforts  of  the 
wise  and  devour  the  wealth  of  the  rich,  and  a  train  of 
evils  must  follow  which  lead  directly  to  confusion  and 
anarchy ;    or,  if   you    make  learning    universal,  you  will 

23 


178  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

encourage  ambition  in  the  mass,  which  tends  toward  mis- 
rule. That  there  are  some  evils  attending  these  customs 
we  need  not  deny,  yet  they  are  so  completely  thrown  into 
the  shade  by  the  advantages  that  free  voting  and  free 
learning  have  over  other  systems,  as  to  be  almost  lost  from 
our  view.  While,  on  the  other  hand,  the  state  is  daily 
becoming  stronger  under  this  support  of  all  its  subjects, 
they  are  in  a  way  to  become  wiser  and  better  from  the 
enjoyment  of  all  its  privileges.  We  have  known  those  so 
low  in  degradation  as  to  have  almost  forgotton  that  the}^ 
were  men,  except  when  standing  at  the  ballot-box,  on  a 
level  with  their  fellow-citizens.  And  if  there  is  latent 
goodness — the  remains  of  moral  energy  in  their  natures, 
this  is  the  last  mode  by  which  it  may  be  reached  and  re- 
vived. It  is  the  last  hope  to  save  men  from  utter  degrada- 
tion— into  which  state  myriads  annually  fall  under  despotic 
governments — by  thus  preserving  in  their  minds  something 
of  a  sense  of  their  obligations  as  freemen.  Deprive  men 
of  all  participation  in  the  government,  and  you  deprive 
them  of  all  solicitude  or  care  for  its  welfare.  They  live 
like  aliens  under  its  protection,  and  until  driven,  will  not 
lift  a  hand  for  its  preservation. 

"That  all  may  act  understandingly,  as  freemen,  the 
system  of  free  schools  w^as  established  for  the  benefit  of 
all.  Through  the  aid  of  this  system,  people  may  here 
arise  from  'no  condition'  to  the  highest  in  human  life  ;  to 
be  consistent  and  useful  thinkers  and  participators  in  the 
duties  and  privileges  of  a  free  and  equal  government. 
In  this,  then,  more  than  anything  else,  lies  the  secret  of 
the  permanence  and  success  of  the  American  Republic  ! 
Destroy  your  free  schools  and  absolve  the  right  of  uni- 
versal sufirage,  and  you  will  soon  reduce  your  country  to 
a  state  of  anarchy  or  despotism.  But  preserve  and  per- 
petuate these  blessings,  and,  notwithstanding  the  din  of 
party  politics  and  the  scramble  at  party  elections,  the 
state  will  stand,  for  God  will  turn  the  wrath  of  its  subjects 
to  the  enlargement  of  its  strength. 

"And  here  I  would  ask  liberty  to  introduce  the  opinion 
of   another  which   is   well   worthy  of   consideration.     He 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  179 

says:  'The  utter  failure  of  all  revolutions  of  government 
from  a  monarchical  to  a  republican  form,  with  the  single 
exception  of  the  United  States  of  America,  is  a  lesson  of 
history  more  lamentably  corroborated  by  the  recent  ex- 
amples of  Italy,  Hungary,  the  German  States,  and,  worse 
than  all,  France,  in  which  the  cry  of  Vive  la  Refubliqtie 
is  the  mere  password  by  which  successive  usurpers  betray 
the  hopes  of  liberty.  Were  it  not  for  the  solitary  example 
of  this  country,  the  conclusion  would  seem  to  be  estab- 
lished on  absolute  principle,  that  free  institutions  are 
impracticable.  Here,  and  here  only,  has  success  crowned 
the  struggle  for  liberty.  Now,  when  it  is  remembered 
that  nearly  three-tenths  of  all  the  troops  engaged  in  the 
Revolutionary  war  were  drawn  from  this  State,  and  when 
we  consider  how  long  the  scales  hung  even,  how  narrow 
was  the  deliverance  of  the  American  cause,  all  must  be 
prepared  to  admit  that  the  moral  energies  which  an  intel- 
lectual training  contributed  to  the  sons  of  Massachusetts, 
decided  the  issue  of  the  conflict.  The  light  artillery  that 
saved  the  day,  in  the  great  battle  of  American  freedom, 
were  the  common  schools  of  New  England. 

"  'This  was  the  opinion  of  the  wisest  men  of  that  day. 
The  successful  termination  of  the  war  of  American  In- 
dependence arrested  universal  attention,  and  excited  a 
profound  interest  throughout  the  civilized  world.       *  * 

*         *  "To  understand  the  rudiments  of  the  American 

Revolution,"  said  John  Adams,  "one  must  make  himself 
a  master  of  four  leading  institutions,  by  which  more  than 
by  all  things  else,  the  people  had  been  enabled  to  achieve 
their  independence, — the  toWxNT,  the  congregation,  the 
MILITIA,  and  the  school.  Every  reflecting  person  will 
read  in  these  four  words  the  character  and  history  of  the 
New-England  states.  Of  the  four,  the  last  is  evidently 
the  deepest  and  the  most  potent  in  its  operation.  Without 
the  school,  the  town-meeting  would  not  have  trained  the 
people  in  self-government  and  the  discreet  and  eflicient 
use  of  political  power ;  the  congregation  could  not  have 
appreciated  the  learning  and  the  logic  by  which  the  pulpit, 


180  '  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

sustained  by  an  intelligent  community,  lifted  that  intelli- 
gence higher  and  higher ;  and  the  sword  could  only  have 
been  safely  trusted  to  men  who  could  also  maintain  their 
rights  by  argument,  and  who  knew  their  duties  as  well  as 
their  rights."  '  * 

"If  I  understand  the  matter,  a  polity,  purel}'  republi- 
can, is  that  simple  state  of  society  where  personal  merit, 
of  some  kind  or  other,  makes  the  only  noticeable  distinc- 
tion between  man  and  man.  Now,  it  is  evident  that  such 
a  state  of  society  demands  for  its  support  men  of  well 
cultivated  minds  ;  it  demands  a  system  of  universal  educa- 
tion. And  to  encourage  men  to  avail  themselves  of  the 
advantages  of  this  system,  they  should  understand  in  their 
youth,  that,  at  a  future  time,  they  will  be  allowed  and 
required  to  take  an  equal  part  with  others  in  the  affairs  of 
civil  government.  While,  then,  the  thought  of  acting  the 
part  of  men,  with  men,  is,  in  itself,  designed  to  excite  the 
boy  to  avail  himself  of  the  privileges  of  the  free  school  ; 
these  privileges,  properly  improved,  in  their  turn  stimulate 
the  man  to  sustain  and  enlarge  this  institution  as  the 
richest  inheritance  that  has  descended  from  a  vigilant  and 
patriotic  ancestr}'.  And  here  it  should  be  distinctly  un- 
derstood that,  the  farther  we  depart  from  a  pure  republican 
polity  and  the  nearer  we  approach-the  monarchical  model, 
the  more  does  that  natural  distinction,  formed  by  personal 
merit,  give  place  to  those  artificial  distinctions  created  by 
riches,  office,  and  rank.  And  this  clearly  appears  from 
the  fact  that  in  those  countries  where  the  great  mass  have 
neither  the  right  nor  the  ability  to  be  free,  the  lusts  of 
individual  opulence  and  individual  power  have  had  full 
scope ;  and  from  them  have  proceeded  the  despotisms 
and  hierarchies  under  which  down-trodden  humanity  has 
groaned  for  myriads  of  ages. 

"The  earlv  settlers  of  New  England  understood  all 
this ;  they  learned  it  by  sad  experience ;  hence,  it  was 
their  primar}-  object,  after  the  settlements  here  had  perma- 
nently commenced    to  establish    the    means  of    instruction 


*Christiaii  Examiner,  vol.  47,  pages  389,  390. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  181 

on  a   permanent   basis,  that   the  rising    generation  might 
understand  the  art  of  self-government. 

"  Within  about  ten  years  after  the  landing  of  our  fathers 
upon  the  peninsula  of  Boston,  the  college  at  Cambridge 
went  into  operation.  Even  while  the  wild  forest  extended 
to  its  very  doors  and  the  savage  built  his  wigwam  in  the 
immediate  vicinity,  the  corner-stone  of  the  temple  of 
American  freedom  was  there  laid,  amid  the  labors  and 
prayers  and  tears  of  its  pious,  self-denying,  and  self-de- 
termined founders !  And  every  seminary  of  learning, 
from  the  classic  halls  of  this  first  university  down  to  the 
humblest  district  school-house,  has  been  a  stone  in  that 
noble  edifice  ;  every  child  who  has  learned  the  rudiments 
of  his  national  literature  has  prepared  himself,  in  a  meas- 
ure, to  sustain  and  beautify  it.  Can  it,  then,  be  supposed, 
while  men  have  the  ability  and  the  right  to  act,  as  mem- 
bers of  a  free  state,  that  this  beautiful  structure  will  be 
deprived  of  any  of  <its  parts  or  appendages  ?  With  the 
means  of  a  universal  education,  and  the  privilege  of  free 
suffrage,  will  not  our  country  remain  the  sublime  instructor 
of  every  other  nation  on  the  globe?"     ***** 

After  the  speaker  had  set  forth  the  early  struggles  of 
the  settlers  of  Shirley  to  sustain  the  free-school  system, 
and  the  more  recent  attempts  that  had  been  made  to  estab- 
lish a  select  school,  he  proceeded  to  congratulate  his  fel- 
low-citizens on  the  ample  accommodations  which  the  new 
building  afforded  for  this  purpose.       He  said  : 

"It  must  be  a  realization,  in  part,  of  the  hopes  of  the 
friends  of  education  that  so  extensive  arrangements  have 
been  furnished  for  the  latter  enterprise,  in  the  edifice  in 
which  we  are  now  assembled.  The  form  of  the  structure 
seems  a  fit  emblem  of  the  process  by  which  the  youth  is 
prepared  to  act  the  part  of  the  man.  The  basement  story 
where  he  receives  his  instruction,  bears  up  the  place 
where  that  instruction  is  to  be  used  in  vindicating  his 
rights  and  in  sustaining  the  government  of  which  he  is  a 
constituent  part.     As  he  ascends  from  one  stage  of  duty  to 


182  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

the  other,  may  his  every  step  be  characterized  by  that  wis- 
dom and  prudence  which  are  an  earnest  of  his  future  use- 
fulness and  success,  as  a  man,  a  citizen,  and  a  republican  ! 
"I  presume  I  have  not  overstated  the  value  of  the  free- 
school  system  as  a  support  of  republican  liberty,  nor  can 
we  sufficiently  admire  the  patriotism  of  our  ancestors,  who 
would  establish  this  system  at  the  expense  of  the  comforts 
and  even  the  conveniences  of  life.  Here  their  wisdom 
exceeded  that  of  the  wisest  states  in  the  old  world.  It  is 
well  illustrated  in  the  following  anecdote,  which  I  once 
heard  related  by  an  American  clergyman.  He  said  that 
early  one  spring  he  was  travelling  through  a  back 
country,  over  an  uneven  and  miry  road,  in  company  with 
an  English  lady  whose  literary  accomplishments  made 
her  an  interesting  companion.  She  bitterly  complained  of 
the  slothfulness  of  Americans  in  permitting  their  highways 
to  remain  in  such  a  broken  and  unfinished  state, — for  so 
much  neglecting  their  dwellings  and  gardens,  and,  indeed, 
everything  that  can  conduce  to  the  physical  comfort  of 
man.  At  the  same  time  she  enlarged  upon  the  works  of 
art  in  her  own  country — the  grandeur  of  their  bridges — 
the  magnificence  of  their  cities — the  splendor  of  their 
public  and  private  edifices — the  smoothness  of  their  roads 
— the  luxuries  of  their  gardens — the  beauty  of  their  hedges 
— all  of  which  she  presented  in  contrast  with  what  she 
saw  in  her  American  travels.  As  they  rode  through  a 
forest  and  emerged  from  a  swamp  the  first  building  that 
met  their  view  was  a  little  district  school-house,  situated 
by  the  wayside.  Instantly  the  tone  of  the  lady  was 
changed  ;  the  truth  in  all  its  power  flitted  across  her  mind, 
and  she  exclaimed,  'There  is  where  your  countrymen  ex- 
cel; juhile  they  have  neglected  outzvard  comforts^  they 
have  laid  the  foundation  of  their  own  and  their  nation's 
glory.'' 

"As,  therefore,  we  prize  the  freedom  we  enjoy,  we 
shall  bless  the  memory  of  our  worthy  ancestors,  who 
labored  to  obtain  and  establish  it. 

"Is  it    a    matter    of  wonder    that    people    thus   trained 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  183 

should  refuse  to  be  deprived  of  all  their  natural  and  char- 
tered rights?  'Mother-land,'  they  filially  styled  Great 
Britain,  —  'Blessed  Enjj^land,'  thev  reverentiallv  called 
her ;  yet  they  would  not  consent,  even  for  her  loved  sake, 
to  wear  the  chain  of  the  slave  !  I  need  not  tell  you  how 
much  this  mother  intruded  upon  her  daughter's  rights  by 
the  passage  of  the  'Stamp  act,'  the  'Boston  port-bill,'  etc. 
But  I  will  ask  the  real  cause  of  American  resistance. 
Was  it  not  the  denial  of  the  right  of  representation  in  the 
body  that  levied  the  tax?  Was  it  not  a  refusal  to  permit 
them  to  act  in  the  affairs  of  their  own  government?  The 
tax  in  itself  was  not  the  most  oppressive  part  of  the  griev- 
ance ;  it  was  the  manner  in  which  it  was  laid.  They 
could  pay  the  tax  easier  than  they  could  support  a  war 
of  independence  ;  but  they  could  shed  their  hearts'  blood 
before  they  could  submit  to  the  galling  power  of  such  un- 
just oppression  !  Here  they  nobly  contended  for  the  right 
of  suffrage,  the  freedom  of  the  ballot-box,  the  right  of 
the  many  against  the  few  ;  they  nobly  contended  for  all 
the  rights  of  which  we,  their  children,  have  become  the 
happy  participators  ; — rights  which  we  hope  to  sustain  in 
this  hall,  in  a  manner  worthy  of  the  example  left  b}^  our 
ancestry." 

After  some  allusion  to  the  part  which  the  inhabitants 
of  Shirley  took  in  the  stormy  scenes  of  the  Revolution — 
which  events  are  more  fully  recorded  in  another  part  of 
this  history — the  speaker  proceeded  to  notice  the  public 
and  private  liberality  which  had  been  exhibited  in  the 
progress  and  accomplishment  of  the  work  before  them. 
He  said  : 

"A  spirit  of  public  liberality  has  been  manifested  in 
this  enterprise  worthy  of  high  commendation.  Situated 
as  the  town  is,  in  regard  to  population  and  pecuniary 
resources,  and  burdened  as  the  people  have  been  with 
taxes,  it  required  no  small  degree  of  energy  to  grapple 
with  an  undertaking  which  could  not  be  accomplished 
without  considerable  pecuniary  expense ;  but,  without 
murmuring,    all     have    come    up    to    the    work,   with    an 


184  HISTORY    OF    SHIRI.EY. 

apparent  desire  to  perform  it  in  such  manner  as  would 
redound  to  the  honor  of  the  town.  And  we  trust  the  result 
has  been  universally  satisfactory. 

"But  notwithstanding  this  liberality,  it  is  but  just  to  say 
that  the  work  could  not  have  been  accomplished  at  present 
but  for  the  private  munificence  which  has  been  also  mani- 
fested. A  generous  philanthropy  has  been  engaged  to 
secure  the  important  object ;  and  gratitude  to  the  Hying 
donors  should  awaken  in  us  the  desire  that  they  may  long 
remain  to  witness  the  fruits  of  their  kindness  in  the  grow- 
ing virtue  and  prosperity  of  their  fellow-citizens. 

"While  those  particularly  interested  would  scarcely 
pardon  a  more  direct  allusion  to  the  efforts  of  the  living — 
great  as  they  have  truly  been — we  cannot  thus  lightly  pass 
over  the  praise  due  to  the  honored  dead.  Before  the 
corner-stone  of  this  edifice  was  laid,  he  who  was  the  cor- 
ner-stone of  the  enterprise  had  passed  the  bourn  of  earth. 
Long  desirous  of  having  a  public  building  for  the  use  of 
the  town,  he  procured  the  plan  of  one  which,  had  he 
been  spared  another  3^ear,  he  would  have  erected.  But 
as  he  found  this  hope  was  to  be  disappointed,  he  left  a 
legacy,  which,  added  to  the  subsequent  donations  just 
alluded  to,  amounted  to  about  one-half  of  the  entire  cost 
of  the  whole  undertaking.  Let  not  this  munificence  be 
disregarded  or  lightly  esteemed,  for  it  was  the  commence- 
ment of  an  enterprise,  the  benefits  of  which  future  gen- 
erations, as  well  as  the  present,  cannot  realize  without 
appreciation.  His  body  sleeps  in  the  cemetery,  hard  by, 
within  the  beautiful  enclosure  erected  by  himself,  sur- 
rounded by  the  graves  of  some  of  his  nearest  earthly 
triends,  from  whose  communion  he  was  not  long  separated 
by  death.  May  the  air  which  waves  the  grass  that  rises 
over  his  resting-place  never  be  mingled  with  the  din  of 
strife  amongst  his  fellow-citizens  ;  and  while  we  believe 
ourselves  assisted  and  blessed  by  his  efforts,  may  we 
never  cease  to  hold  in  cherished  regard  the  honored 
memory  of  James    P.   Whitney." 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  185 

In  the  erection  of  the  town-hall  the  people  had 
mainl}'  in  view  to  secure  a  place  for  the  public  records 
and  to  have  a  convenient  assembly  room  for  municipal 
meetings.  If  any  other  purpose  was  conceived,  except 
that  of  converting  a  part  of  the  basement  story  into  a  high- 
school  room,  it  was  not  mentioned.  But  it  was  soon  found 
convenient  to  devote  the  new  temple  to  various  other  and 
important  purposes.  Lyceums  were  instituted,  lectures 
given,  and  various  other  social,  literary,  and  charitable 
entertainments  were  here,  from  time  to  time,  enacted. 
These,  with  the  common  variations  incident  to  such 
ephemeral  institutions,  have  been  continued  to  the  present 
time  ;  by  which  means  the  dull  monotony  of  winters  in 
the  country  has  been  prevented,  and  a  zest  and  energy 
have  marked  the  character  of  the  citizens,  rather  than 
thoughtlessness  and  stupidity.  So  decidedly  popular  have 
been  these  entertainments,  that  few,  even  of  the  most  re- 
motely located  citizens,  would  be  willing  to  return  to  that 
state  which  favored  none  of  these  experiences. 

Still  the  score  of  years  between  1850  and  1870  pre- 
sented a  want  harder  of  endurance  as  time  progressed. 
The  South  Village  had  a  large  and  increasing  part  of  the 
population  of  the  town,  and  to  unite  in  entertainments  at 
the  town-hall  imposed  upon  the  people  of  that  village 
a  journey  of  two  miles.  While  many  were  ready  to 
submit  to  this  inconvenience,  and  zealously  partici- 
pate in  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  proffered 
occasion,  others,  especially  the  female  portion  of  the 
community — who  had  no  other  method  of  transport  than 
that  offered  to  pedestrians — could  not  avail  themselves  of 
the  privilege  of  attendance  except  at  rare  intervals. 

The  evil,  however,  was  remedied  and  the  want  sup- 
plied through  a  private  generosity.  Mr.  Munson — whose 
name  is  already  familiar  to  the  readers  of  this  history — 
having  purchased  and  removed  to  a  suitable  location  the 
original  church  structure  of  the  Universalist  parish — en- 
larged and  fitted  it  up  for  a  public  building,  supplying  all 
the  appurtenances    necessary   to  adapt  it  to    the   different 

24 


18G  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

uses  required  of  such  an  edifice.  The  hall,  or  auditor}-, 
is  eighty  feet  long,  thirty-eight  feet  wide,  and  nineteen 
feet  high,  slightly  vaulted,  and  well  adapted  to  both 
speaking  and  hearing.  At  the  side  opposite  the  front 
entrance  is  a  dais  or  raised  platform,  on  which  an  organ 
is  located,  and  where  a  movable  desk  is  placed  when 
required  for  lectures  or  discourses  delivered  by  note. 
The  room  is  commodiously  furnished  with  settees,  and 
is  illuminated  by  two  beautiful  chandeliers,  imparting  ele- 
gance as  well  as  usefulness  to  the  entire  apartment. 

In  the  rear  of  the  auditory  is  a  dining-hall,  thirty- 
eight  feet  in  length  and  fifteen  feet  in  width.  This  room 
is  furnished  with  tables,  composed  of  black-walnut,  suf- 
ficient in  number  to  fill  the  central  part  of  the  room,  and  a 
proportionate  number  of  chairs.  Nothing  could  be  better 
adapted  to  the  wants  of  a  social  party,  desiring  to  con- 
nect feasting  with  their  other  entertainments,  than  this 
apartment.  Contiguous  to  this  dining-hall  is  a  kitchen,  as 
there  should  be,  furnished  with  all  the  apparatus  neces- 
sary for  cooking  and  serving  up  banquets.  This  kitchen 
is  united  with  the  main  building,  in  the  form  of  an  L,  and 
is  two  stories  in  height.  The  upper  story  forms  a  ladies' 
dressing-room.,  and  is  supplied  with  furniture  adapted  to  the 
purposes  for  which  it  is  designed.  A  similar  apartment 
over  the  dining-hall  is  devoted  to  the  use  of  gentlemen. 
It  is  provided  with  places  for  overcoats,  overshoes,  hats 
and  umbrellas,  so  ample  in  size  that  no  mistake  or  confu- 
sion need  occur,  either  in  depositing  or  recovering  gar- 
ments which  the  exigencies  of  time  or  place  require  to  be 
laid  aside  for  a-season.  The  rooms  are  all  supplied  with 
closets,  cupboards,  and  other  conveniences  necessary  to 
answer  the  wants  of  any  entertainment  that  a  social  com- 
munity desires,  either  for  mental  or   pleasurable  exercise. 

The  cost  of  this  entire  structure  was  about  four  thou- 
sand dollars,  all  of  which,  with  its  varied  and  in  some 
respects  expensive  furnishing,  was  supplied  by  one  man, 
who  nobly  tenders  its  use  for  all  important  purposes. 

Its  first  and  most  important  use,  thus  far,  has  been  for 
the  delivery  of  lectures  on  important  subjects  of  science, 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  187 

general  history,  social  improvement,  the  arts,  filial,  paren- 
tal and  business  instruction.  Two  courses  were  spoken 
in  the  winters  of  1871  and  1872.  Some  of  the  most  able 
and  experienced  lecturers  in  the  Commonwealth  and  out 
of  it,  such  as  "Carlton,"  "Oliver  Optic,"  Dr.  Chapin  of 
New  York,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Murra}^  of  Park  street  church, 
Boston,  were  employed,  and  the  prospect  is  that  the  same 
wise  course  of  instruction  will  be  continued  for  years  to 
come. 

Other  performances  calculated  to  cheer  the  mind  and 
improve  the  heart  have,  from  time  to  time,  been  presented 
for  the  acceptance  of  a  discriminating  public, — perform- 
ances that  lash  the  vices  and  follies  of  mankind,  and  at 
the  same  time  form  a  source  of  rational  and  elegant 
amusement.  And  it  is  gratifying  to  see  those  who  cannot 
worship  at  the  same  religious  altar,  unite  in  a  place  like 
the  "Village  Hall," — the  name  of  the  structure  here  de- 
scribed,— and  drink  in  truth  from  the  same  fountain,  and 
receive  pleasure  from  the  same  artistic  scene ;  the  fact 
goes  to  prove  that  as  mind  progresses,  hearts  are  drifting 
towards  that  union  which  will  eventually  include  all  who 
wear  the  human  form  and  bear  the  moral  image  of  the 
great  Creator. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Town  Officers  : —  Town  Clerks  —  Selectmen  —  Treas- 
urers —  Representatives,  Senators,  etc.  —  Votes  for 
Governor  from  the  establishment  of  the  State 
Constitution. 

As  it  is  always  a  matter  of  interest  and  service  to  the 
successive  generations  of  a  town  locality  to  have  some 
authentic  source  of  reference,  whereby  to  learn  the  names 
of  those    who    have    borne   the  burdens    and    shared    the 


188 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


honors  of  municipal  appointments,  the  names  of  such,  to- 
gether with  the  dates  of  their  several  elections,  are  here 
inserted. 


TOWN    CLERKS. 


1753-58'  Joseph  Longley. 
1758-62,  Jonathan  Moors.* 
1763,         Obadiah  Sawtell. 
1764-70,  John  Longley. 

1 77 1,  Francis  Harris. 

1772,  John  Longley. 
1773-76,  Obadiah  Sawtell. 
1777-78,  John  Ivory. 
1779-83,  Obadiah  Sawtell. 

1784,  John  Kelsey. 

1785,  Obadiah  Sawtell. 


1786,        John  Kelse}'. 
1787-99,  Joshua  Longley. 
1800,         Thomas  Whitney. 
1801-2,    Joshua  Longley. 
1803-41,  Thomas  Whitney. 
1842-44,  James  P.  Whitney. 
1845-65,  Zenas  Brown. 
1866-67,  Charles  Brown. 
1868-69,  Herman  S.  Hazen. 
1870,        Jonas  Longley. I 


SELECTMEN. 


1753,  Joseph  Longley,  Samuel  Hazen,  Nathaniel  Harris, 

John  Whitney,  William  Symons. 

1754,  James  Patterson,  John  Whitney,  William  Symons. 

1755,  Joseph  Longley,  Samuel  Hazen,  John  Whitney. 

1756,  Joseph  Longley,  John  Whitney,  Francis  Harris. 

1757,  Joseph  Longley,  Jarathmael  Powers,  Francis  Harris. 

1758,  Jarathmael  Powers,  Jonathan  Moors,  John  Longley. 

1759,  Jarathmael  Powers,  Francis  Harris,  Jonathan  Moors. 

1760,  Jarathmael  Powers,  Francis  Harris,  Jonathan  Moors. 

1761,  Jarathmael  Powers,  Francis  Harris,  Jonathan  Moors. 

1762,  Jarathmael  Powers,  Jonathan  Moors,  Jonas  Longley. 

1763,  Francis  Harris,  Amos  Holden,  Thomas  Trowbridge, 

Charles  Richards,  William  Little. + 

1764,  John  Longley,  Amos  Holden,  Thomas  Trowbridge, 

Charles  Richards,  William  Little. 

1765,  John  Longley,  Hezekiah  Sawtell,  Obadiah  Sawtell. 


*Jonathan  Moors  was  chosen  on  the  6th  of  July,  1758,  Mr.  Longley  having 
left  town  and  entered  his  Majesty's  service,  as  a  common  soldier,  in  which 
service  he  died.     tStill  in  office,  1882. 

|The  two  last  named  were  added  to  the  board  on  the  6th  of  May. 


CIVIL    HISTORY. 


189 


\ 


1766,  John  Longley,  Hezekiah  Sawtell,  Obadiah  Savvtell. 

1767,  John  Longley,  Hezekiah  Sawtell,  Obadiah  Savvtell. 

1768,  John  Longley,  Obadiah  Sawtell,  Francis  Harris. 

1769,  John  Longley,  Francis  Harris,  Joiin  Ivory, 

1770,  ^ohn  Longley,  Jonas  Longley,  Henry  Haskell. 

1771,  Francis  Harris,  Obadiah  Sawtell,  John  Ivory. 

1772,  John  Longley,  Jonas  Longley,  Henry  Haskell. 

1773,  Obadiah  Sawtell,  Henry  Haskell,  Asa  Holden. 

1774,  Francis  Harris,  Obadiah  Sawtell,  Asa  Holden. 

1775,  Francis  Harris,  Obadiah  Sawtell,  Asa  Holden. 

1776,  Francis  Harris,  Obadiah  Sawtell,  Asa  Holden. 

1777,  John  Longley,  John  Ivory,  John  Pierce. 

1778,  John  Longley,  John  Ivory,  Oliver  Livermore. 

1779,  Obadiah  Sawtell,  Oliver  Livermore,  Asa  Holden. 

1780,  Francis  Harris,  Asa  Holden,  Joshua  Longley. 

1781,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Heald,  John  Kelsey. 

1782,  John  Heald,  Ebenezer  Pratt,  James  Parker. 

1783,  John  Heald,  Ebenezer  Pratt,  Obadiah  Sawtell. 

1784,  John  Kelsey,  James  Dickerson,  John  Edgerton. 

1785,  Obadiah  Sawtell,  John  Ivory,  Asa  Holden. 

1786,  John  Heald,  John  Kelsey,  Joseph  Brow^n. 

1787,  Asa  Holden,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Edgerton. 

1788,  Asa  Holden,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Kelsey. 

1789,  Asa  Holden,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Kelsey. 

1790,  Asa  Holden,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Edgerton. 

1791,  Obadiah  Sawtell,  John  Kelsey,  John  Longley,  Jr. 

1792,  Asa  Holden,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Edgerton. 

1793,  Asa  Holden,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Edgerton. 

1794,  Asa  Holden,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Edgerton. 

1795,  Asa  Holden,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Edgerton. 

1796,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Edgerton,  Nathaniel  Holden, 

1797,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Edgerton,  Nathaniel  Holden, 

1798,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Edgerton,  Nathaniel  Holden, 

1799,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Edgerton,  Nathaniel  Holden, 

1800,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Edgerton,  Daniel  Livermore, 

1801,  Joshua  Longley,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Daniel  Liver- 

more. 

1802,  Joshua  Longley,  Nathaniel  Holden,  John  Edgerton, 

Thomas  Whitney,  Abel  Longley. 


190  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

1803,  John  Edgerton,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Thomas  Whit- 

ney. 

1804,  John  Edgerton,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Thomas   Whit- 

ney. 

1805,  John  Edgerton,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Thomas 'Whit- 

ney. 

1806,  John  Edgerton,  Thomas  Whitney,  Abel  Moor. 

1807,  John  Edgerton,  Nathaniel  Livermore,  Jonas  Liver- 

more. 

1808,  John  Edgerton,  Nathaniel  Livermore,  Jonas  Liver- 

more. 

1809,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Nathaniel  Livermore,  Jonas  Liv- 

ermore. 

1810,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Nathaniel  Livermore,  Jonas  Liv- 

ermore. 

1811,  Joshua  Longley,  Nathaniel  Livermore,  Jonas  Liver- 

more. 

1812,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Edgerton,  David  Livermore. 

1813,  Joshua  Longley,  John  Edgerton,  Nathaniel  Holden. 

1814,  Joshua  Longley,*  Nathaniel  Holden,  Nathaniel  Liv- 

ermore. 

1815,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Thomas  Whitney,  Nathaniel  Liv- 

ermore. 

1816,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Thomas  Whitney,  Nathaniel  Liv- 

ermore. 

1817,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Thomas  Whitney,  Nathaniel  Liv- 

ermore. 

1818,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Thomas  Whitney,  Nathaniel  Liv- 

ermore. 

1819,  Thomas  Whitney,    Nathaniel    Livermore,    Stephen 

Longley. 

1820,  Thomas  Whitney,    Nathaniel    Livermore,    Stephen 

Longley. 

1821,  Nathaniel  Livermore,  Stephen  Longley,  Joseph  Ed- 

gerton. 

1822,  Nathaniel  Livermore,  Stephen  Longley,  Nathaniel 

Holden. 


*Mr.  Longley  died  in  office,  and  his  place  was  filled  by  Thomas  Whitney. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  191 

1823,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Stephen  Longle}-,  Joseph  Edger- 

ton. 

1824,  Stephen  Longley,  Artemas  Longley,  Zenas  Brown. 

1825,  Adolphus  Whitcomb,  Willard  Porter,  Thomas  Whit- 

ney, Jr. 

1826,  Adolphus  Whitcomb,  Willard  Porter,  Thomas  Whit- 

ney, Jr. 

1827,  Adolphus    Whitcomb,  Thomas  Whitney,  Jr.,     Na- 

thaniel Holden,  Jr. 

1828,  Adolphus  Whitcomb,  Thomas  Whitney,  Jr.,   David 

Firmin. 

1829,  Joseph  Day,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Jr.,  Joseph  B.  Ed- 

gerton. 

1830,  Joseph  Day,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Jr.,  Joseph  B.  Ed- 

ge rton. 

1831,  Joseph  B.  Edgerton,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Jr.,  Thomas 

Clark. 

1832,  Joseph   B.    Edgerton,    James    P.    Whitney,     Israel 

Longley. 

1833,  Joseph   B.    Edgerton,   James    P.    Whitney,     Zenas 

Brown. 

1834,  Joseph  B.  Edgerton,  James  P.  Whitney,  Nathaniel 

Holden,  Jr. 

1835,  James  P.  Whitney,  Nathaniel'  Holden,  Jr.,  Willard 

Worcester.* 

1836,  James   P.  Whitney,   Stephen  M.   Longley,  Willard 

Porter. 

1837,  James  P.  Whitney,   Stephen    M.    Longley,  Samuel 

Hazen. 

1838,  James   P.  Whitney,  Stephen   M.    Longley,  Joseph 

B.   Edtjerton. 

1839,  Zenas  Brown,  Almond  Morse,  Israel  Longley. 

1840,  Israel  Longley,  Almond  Morse,  James  P.  Whitney. 

1841,  Israel  Longley,  James    P.   Whitney,    Stephen    M. 

Longley. 

1842,  James  P.  Whitney,  Joseph   B.    Edgerton,    Stephen 

M.  Longley. 


*At  the  town-meeting  in  April,  Stephen  M.  Longley  and   Amos   Day  were 
added  to  the  board  of  Selectmen. 


192  HISTORY  OF  SHIRLEY. 


1843 
1844 

1845 
1846 

1847 

1848 

1849 

1850 
185I 

1852 

1853 

1854 
1855 
1856 

1857 
1858 

1859 
i860 

1861 

1862 

1863 

1864 

1865 
1866 
1867 


Israel  Longley,  Joseph  Hazen,  Jonas  Holden,  2d. 
Israel  Longley,  Zenas  Brown,  Stillman  D.   Benja- 
min. 
Zenas  Brown,  John  K.  Going,  James  O.  Parker. 
James    O.   Parker,  Jonas    Holden,   2d,    Harvey  A. 

Woods. 
James   O.    Parker,  Jonas    Holden,   2d,    Harvey  A. 

Woods. 
John  K.   Going,   Stillman  D.   Benjamin,  Nathaniel 

Holden. 
John  K.   Going,  Stillman  D.   Benjamin,  Nathaniel 

Holden. 
Ebenezer  P.  Hills,  N.  C.  Munson,  Andrew  J.  Reed. 
Andrew  J.  Reed,  James  P.  Longley,  George  Davis. 
John  K.  Going,  Alfred  Page,  Robert  Woods. 
James  P.   Longley,   Samuel   Farnsworth,  Jeremiah 

C.  Hartwell. 
James  P.   Longley,  George  Davis,  Alfred  Page. 
David  Porter,  George  Sanderson,  Thomas  Clark. 
Oliver   Howe,     Samuel   Farnsworth,     Stephen    M. 

Longley.* 
Oliver  Howe,  David  Porter,  Samuel  W.  Shattuck. 
James  P.  Longley,  David  Porter,  Moses  W.  Woods. 
James  P.  Longley,  David  Porter,  Moses  W.  Woods. 
James  P.  Longley,  Samuel  Farnsworth,   Moses  W. 

Woods. 
James  P.  Longley,  Samuel  Farnsworth,  Charles  A. 

Edgarton. 
Stillman  D.  Benjamin,  Nathaniel  Hartwell,  Alfred 

Page. 
Stillman  D.  Benjamin,  Nathaniel  Hartwell,  Alfred 

Page. 
Stillman  D.  Benjamin,  Nathaniel  Hartwell,  Alfred 

Page. 
David  Porter,  George  Davis,  Edwin  L.  White. 
David  Porter,  Edwin  L.  White,  George  Davis. 
David  Porter,  George  Davis,  Edwin  L.  White. 


*Messrs.  Farnsworth  and  Longley  resigned  before  their  time  expired  and 
David  Porter  and  James  O.  Parker  were  elected  in  their  places. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  193 

1868,  Stillman  D.    Benjamin,     Edwin  L.    White,    Alfred 

Page. 

1869,  David  Porter,  Alfred  Page,  Edwin  L.  White. 

1870,  Alfred  Page,  Samuel  Longley,  WilHam  M.  Park. 

187 1,  Samuel    Longley,     Orrin    M.    Bennett,    John    W. 

Thatcher. 

1872,  Samuel    Longley,     Orrin    M.    Bennett,    John    W. 

Thatcher. 

1873,  Samuel  Longley,  Alfred  Page,  Edwin  L.  White. 

1874,  Samuel  Longley,- Edwin  L.  White,  George  Davis. 

1875,  Samuel   Longley,     Edwin   L.    White,    Stillman   P. 

Holden. 

1876,  Samuel  Longley,     Edwin   L.    White,    Stillman   P. 

Holden. 

1877,  Edwin  L.  White,   Levi   Holbrook,   Nathaniel   Hart- 

well.* 

1878,  Edwin  L.White,  John  W.  Thatcher,  Levi  Holbrook. 

1879,  Edwin  L.  White,  John  W.  Thatcher,  John  Conant. 

1880,  Samuel   Longley,    Thomas  L.  Hazen,    Herman  S. 

Hazen. 

1881,  Samuel  Longley,   Thomas  L.  Hazen,    Herman  S. 

Hazen. 

1882,  Herman  S.  Hazen,  John   G.   Conant,  William  M. 

Park. 

TOWN    TREASURERS. 

1753-57,  Jonas  Longley.       1784,        James  Parker. 
1758,        Jonathan  Gould.      1785-86,  Samuel  Walker. 
1759-62,  Samuel  Walker.      1787-1802,  Joseph  Brown. 
1 7631         Jonathan  Moors.     1803,        Joshua  Longley. 
1764-65,  Jonas  Longley.       1804,         Wallis  Little. 
1766,         Francis  Harris.       1805,        Joshua  Longley. 
1767-68,  Samuel  Walker.     1806,        Wallis  Little. 
1769-73,  Oliver  Livermore.  1807-11,  Benjamin  Hartwell. 
1774-76,  Samuel  Walker.     1812,         Nathaniel  Holden. 
1777-81,  Jonas  Longley.        1813-24,  Benjamin  Hartwell. 

1782,  *  Oliver  Livermore.  1825-29,  Joseph  Day. 

1783,  Samuel  Walker.     1830-32,  Zenas  Brown. 


*Died  in  office. 
25 


194  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

1833,  David  Livermore.       1865-67,  James  P.  Longley. 

1834,  Stephen  M.  Longley.  1868-        Seth  Chandler.* 
1835-64,  Thomas  Whitney,  Jr. 

REPRESENTATIVES    TO    THE    STATE    LEGISLATURE.! 

1776,         Obadiah  Sawtell.  i347,  Charles  Butler. 

1806-10,  Nathaniel  Holden.  1850,  Leonard  M.  Parker. 

1827-29,  Adolphus  Whitcomb.  185 1,  Daniel  L.  Chandler. 

1832,        James  P.  Whitney.  1855,  William  Taylor. 

1833-34,  Israel  Longley.  1856,  Moses  T.  Gardner. 

1835,  ^Leonard  M.Parker.  1858,  James  P.  Longley. § 
1835-36,  Zenas  Brown.  1861,  David  Porter. 

1840,  Thomas  Clark.  1864,  George  Davis. 

1841,  Thomas  Whitney,  Jr.   1868,  Asahel  A.  Plympton. 

1842,  Augustus  G.  Parker.    1871,  Alvin  Lawton. 

1843,  Jonas  Holden,  2d.        1875,  Samuel  Longley. 
1845,  John  K.  Going.  1879,  N.  C.  Munson, 

SENATORS  FROM  SHIRLEY. 

1818-21,  Leonard  M.  ^arker.  1840,        Leonard  M.Parker. 
1836-38,  Leonard  M.  Parker.  1845-46,  James  P.  Whitney. 

Delegate  to  the  First  and  Second  Provincial  Con- 
gresses^— Francis  Harris. 

Delegate  to  the  Convention  to  adopt  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States — Obadiah  Sawtell. 

Delegate  to  the  Convention  to  amend  the  Constitution 
of  Massachusetts,  1821 — Nathaniel  Holden. 

Delegate  to  the  Convention  to  amend  the  Constitution 
of  Massachusetts,  1853 — Abram  Foster. 


*Still  in  office,  1S82. 

tThe  years  omitted  the  town  was  unrepresented. 

JMr.  Parker  was  elected  to  the  Senate  the  same  year,  and  resigned  his  seat 
in  the  House. 

§Mr.  Longley  and  those  that  follow  were  District  Representatives,  yet  resi- 
dents of  Shirley. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  195 

VOTES    FOR    GOVERNOR. 

The  following  presentation  of  the  number  of  votes 
received  by  the  representatives  for  gubernatorial  election, 
from  the  adoption  of  the  State  Constitution  unto  the  year 
1881,  will  give  evidence  of  the  political  status  of  the  town 
for  more  than  a  century  after  the  establishment  of  a  free 
government  in  the  nation.  The  names  of  the  candidates 
brought  forward  for  the  freemen's  ballots  will  show  the 
nature  of  the  party  bias  that  prevailed  from  year  to  year, 
and  afford  some  idea  of  the  political  character  of  the 
people  of  the  town  : 

1780 — John  Hancock,  51 — all  the  votes  cast. 

1 781 — John  Hancock,  36 — all  the  votes  cast. 

1782 — John  Hancock,  22 — all  the  votes  cast. 

1783 — John  Hancock,  23 — all  the  votes  cast. 

1784 — John  Hancock,  20;  James  Bowdoin,  i. 

1785 — John  Hancock,  11  ;  Azor  Orne,  i  ;  Thomas  Gush- 
ing, 3- 

1786 — John  Hancock,  10;  James  Bowdoin,  2. 

1787 — John  Hancock,  33  ;  James  Bowdoin,  7. 

1788 — John  Hancock,  52  ;  Elbridge  Gerry,  i. 

1789 — John  Hancock,  51  ;  James  Bowdoin,  i. 

1790 — John  Hancock,  44 — all  the  votes  cast. 

1 791 — John  Hancock,  32 — all  the  votes  cast. 

1792 — John  Hancock,  50 — all  the  votes  cast. 

1793 — John  Hancock,  38 — all  the  votes  cast. 

1794 — Samuel  Adams,  25  ;  James  Sullivan,  7. 

1795 — Samuel  Adams,  43 — all  the  votes  cast. 

1796 — Samuel  Adams,  51  ;  James  Sullivan,  5. 

1797 — James  Sullivan,  62 — all  the  votes  cast. 

1798 — Increase  Sumner,  27  ;  James  Sullivan,  26. 

1799 — Increase  Sumner,  27  ;  William  Heath,  ^6. 

1800 — Caleb  Strong,  i  ;  Elbridge  Gerry,  78;  Moses  Gill, 
10. 

1801 — Caleb  Strong,  11  ;  Elbridge  Gerry,  70. 

1802 — Caleb  Strong,  24  ;  Elbridge  Gerry,  58. 

1803 — Caleb  Strong,  25  ;  Elbridge  Gerry,  22. 


196  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

1804 — Caleb  Strong,  18;  James  Sullivan,  49. 

1805 — Caleb  Strong,  16 ;  James  Sullivan,  74. 

1806 — Caleb  Strong,  17  ;  James  Sullivan,  66. 

1807 — Caleb  Strong,  12  ;  James  Sullivan,  82. 

1808 — Christopher  Gore,  13  ;  James  Sullivan,  85. 

1809 — Christopher  Gore,  19;  Levi  Lincoln,  95. 

1810 — Christopher  Gore,  19;  Elbridge  Gerry,  91. 

1811 — Christopher  Gore,  25  ;  Elbridge  Gerry,  84. 

181 2 — Caleb  Strong,  23  ;  Elbridge  Gerry,  91. 

1813 — Caleb  Strong,  32  ;  Joseph  Varnum,  88. 

1814 — Caleb  Strong,  38;  Samuel  Dexter,  82. 

1815 — Caleb  Strong,  41  ;  Samuel  Dexter,  76. 

1816 — John  Brooks,  39;  Samuel  Dexter,  73. 

1817 — John  Brooks,  36;  Henry  Dearborn,  54. 

1818 — John  Brooks,  33  ;  B.  Crowninshield,  50. 

1819 — John  Brooks,  32  ;  B.  Crowninshield,  56. 

1820 — John  Brooks,  30;  William  Eustis,  57. 

182 1 — John  Brooks,  35  ;  William  Eustis,  62. 

1822 — John  Brooks,  30;  William  Eustis,  55. 

1823 — Harrison  G.  Otis,  34  ;  William  Eustis,  72. 

1824 — Samuel  Lathrop,  30  ;  William  Eustis,  79. 

1825 — Levi  Lincoln,  60 — all  the  votes  cast. 

1826 — Levi  Lincoln,  62 — all  the  votes  cast. 

1827 — Levi  Lincoln,  64  ;  William  C.  Jarvis,  4. 

1828 — Levi  Lincoln,  54;  R.  L.  Winthrop,  2. 

1829 — Levi  Lincoln,  50;  R.  L.  Winthrop,  i. 

1830 — Levi  Lincoln,  46;  Marcus  Morton,  12. 

1831 — Levi  Lincoln,  54  ;   Marcus  Morton,  16. 

1832 — Levi   Lincoln,  32;     Marcus  Morton,    11;     Samuel 

Lathrop,   27. 
1833 — ^John    Davis,    24 ;     Marcus   Morton,   29 ;    John   Q^ 

Adams,  42. 
1834 — Jo^"*!"^  Davis,  70;  Marcus  Morton,  15  ;   John  Bailey, 

39- 
1835 — Edward  Everett,  36  ;    Marcus  Morton,   53;    S.   T. 

Armstrong,  i. 
1836 — Edward  Everett,  57  ;   Marcus  Morton,  91  ;    Samuel 

Sewall,  4. 


CIVIL    HISTORY.  197 

1837 — Edward  Everett,  60  ;  Marcus  Morton,  77  ;    Samuel 

Sewall,  2. 
1838 — Edward  Everett,  61  ;  Marcus  Morton,  76. 
1839 — Edward  Everett,  64;  Marcus  Morton,  103. 
1840 — John  Davis,  76;  Marcus  Morton,  104;    George  W. 

Johnston,  2. 
1841 — John  Davis,  67  ;  Marcus  Morton,  104. 
1842 — ^John  Davis,  78;  Marcus  Morton,  114. 


Marcus  Morton,  104. 
George  Bancroft,  116. 
Isaac  Davis,  116. 
Isaac  Davis,  100. 
Caleb  Gushing,  98. 
Caleb  Gushing,  84;    S.  C. 


1843 — George  N.  Briggs,  78 
1844 — George  N.  Briggs,  84 
1845 — George  N.  Briggs,  78 
1846 — George  N.  Briggs,  77 
1847 — George  N.  Briggs,  63 
1848 — George  N.  Briggs,  62 

PhiUips,  15. 
1849 — George  N.  Briggs,  72  ;     George   S.   Boutwell,  91  ; 

S.  C.  Phillips,  6. 
1850 — George  N.  Briggs,  72  ;     George  S.  Boutwell,   loi  ; 

S/C.  Phillips,  3. 
1851 — R.    C.    Winthrop,    78;     George   S.    Boutwell,   91: 

J.  G.  PallVey,  14. 
1852 — ^John  H.  Cliftbrd,  75  ;    H.  W.  Bishop,  87  ;    Horace 

Mann,  35. 
1853 — Emory  Washburn,  95  ;    H.  W.  Bishop,  84;    Henry 

Wilson,  20;  B.  L.  Wales,  15. 
1854 — Emory  Washburn,  42  ;    H.  W.   Bishop,  31  ;    H.  J. 

Gardner,  109;  Henry  Wilson,  5. 
1855— Julius    Rockwell,   33;    E.    D.   Beach,    58;     H.  J. 

Gardner,  70;  S.  H.  Walley,  17. 
1856— Luther  V.  Bell,  16;  E.  D.  Beach,  47  ;   H.  J.  Gard- 
ner, 132  ;  G.  W.  Gordon,  10. 
1857— Nathaniel  P.  Banks,  48;    E.  D.  Beach,  31  ;    H.  J. 

Gardner,  51. 
1858— Nathaniel  P.  Banks,  105  ;  E.  D.  Beach,  45  ;  A.  A. 

Lawrence,  16. 
1859 — Nathaniel  P.  Banks,  81  ;  B.  F.  Butler,  51  ;  George 

N.  Briggs,  23. 


198  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

i86o^ohn  A.  Andrew,  60;  E.  D.  Beach,  41;  A.  A. 
Lawrence,  25  ;  B.  F.  Butler,  5. 

1861 — John  A.  Andrew,  96;  Isaac  Davis,  55. 

1862 — ^John  A.  Andrew,  113  ;  Charles  Devens,  82. 

1863 — ^John  A.  Andrew,  66 — all  the  votes  cast. 

1864 — John  A.  Andrew,  157  ;   Henry  Paine,  62. 

1865 — Alexander  H.  Bullock,  73  ;  Darius  N.  Couch,  20. 

1866 — Alexander  H.  Bullock,  104;  T.  H.  Sweetser,  30. 

1867 — Alexander  H.  Bullock,  120;  John  Q^  Adams,  81. 

1868 — William  Claflin,  159;  John  Q^  Adams,  64. 

1869 — William  Claflin,  74;  John  Q^.  Adams,  68. 

1870 — William  Claflin,  70;  John  Q_.  Adams,  55;  Wen- 
dell Phillips,  7. 

1871 — William  B.  Washburn,  124;  John  Q^.  Adams,  59; 
R.  C.  Pitman,  6. 

1872 — William  B.  Washburn,  153  ;  Francis  Bird,  57. 

1873 — William  B.  Washburn,  50;  William  Gaston,  25. 

1874 — Thomas  Talbot,  81  ;  William  Gaston,  88. 

1875 — Alexander  H.  Rice,  140;  William  Gaston,  62. 

1876 — Alexander  H.  Rice,  159;  Charles  F.  Adams,  75. 

1877 — Alexander  H.  Rice,  96;  William  Gaston,  44; 
R.  C.  Pitman,  2. 

1878— Thomas  Talbot,  153  ;  B.  F.  Butler,  46;  J.  G.  Ab- 
bott, 8. 

1879 — John  D.  Long,  131;  B.  F.  Butler,  34;  John  Q^. 
Adams,  7. 

1880 — ^John  D.  Long,  156;  Charles  P.  Thompson,  43. 

1881 — ^John  D.  Long,  52  ;  Charles  P.  Thompson,  14. 


PART  II. 


ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


CHAPTER   I. 

Early  Ecclesiastical  Movements — First  Meeting-Hotise — 
Candidates  for  the  Ministry  —  Settlonent  of  Mr. 
Whitney — Formation  of  a  Church  —  Church  Cove- 
nants. 

The  separation  of  the  state  from  the  church,  and  the 
adoption  of  the  congregational  form  of  church  govern- 
ment, confined  the  ecclesiastical  movements  of  New  Eng- 
land w^ithin  a  compass  of  great  sameness  and  simplicity. 
The  church  was  an  essential  object  of  the  thought  and 
care  of  the  early  colonists,  and  to  secure  a  free  church 
they  would  submit  to  any  sacrifice.  Still,  the  history  of 
one  church  community  is  essentially  the  history  of  them 
all,  unless  some  serious  quarrel  chanced  to  occur  to  give 
incidental  notoriety  to  a  particular  locality. 

For  the  first  century  and  a  half  ecclesiastical  history 
consisted,  generally,  of  accounts  of  especial  fasts,  the 
calling,  ordaining  and  burying  of  ministers,  (for  it  was 
rarely  the  case  that  one  was  dismissed,  or  voluntarily  re- 
linquished his  position  while  he  lived,)  of  forming  churches, 
disciplining  members,  and  of  building  meeting-houses. 
Occasionally  this  history  has  been  varied  by  the  minutes 
of  councils  that  have  been  called  to  deal  with  immoral 
brethren,  or  with  those  accused   qf  heresy  ;   but   as   these 

26 


202  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

latter  evils  have  never  disturbed  the  equanimity  of  religious 
progress  in  this  town,  nothing  more  can  be  expected,  in 
this  department,  than  a  brief  statement  of  the  tirst-named, 
commonplace  facts. 

True  to  the  principles  and  policy  of  a  Puritan  ances- 
try, the  early  settlers  of  Shirley  were  regular  worshippers 
with  their  brethren  in  Groton  until  they  were  able  to  erect 
a  public  altar  among  themselves.  The  distance  was  from 
three  to  nine  miles  ;  the  roads  were  rough  and  hilly,  and 
they  had  no  other  means  of  crossing  the  Squannacook 
than  by  fording  it,  or  by  a  narrow  foot-bridge.  Yet  few, 
of  either  sex,  were  found  missing  from  their  accustomed 
places  in  the  church,  unless  prevented  by  sickness,  bad 
weather,  or  bad  travelling.  The  family  horse,  equipped 
with  saddle  and  pillion, — and  this  latter  appendage  was 
frequently  substituted  by  a  small  blanket — was  the  only 
means  of  conveyance  for  families  of  the  best  estate,  while 
far  the  larger  part  pursued  their  journey  on  foot. 

About  six  months  after  the  settlement  had  become 
regularly  organized  as  a  district,  a  meeting  of  the  voters 
was  called  to  ascertain  if  public  worship  could  not  be 
established  nearer  home.  The  following  records  relate  to 
the  subject,  and  constitute  the  first  regular  movement  in 
this  important  relation. 

"At  a  legal  meeting  begun  and  held  at  the  house  of 
Mr.  Jonathan  Moore  in  s"  District  *  *  *  *  Art.  2'^ 
To  see  if  the  tow^n  would  hire  any  preaching  this  spring. 
Passed  in  the  negative."' 

Nothing  daunted,  the  friends  of  religion  and  order 
persevered  in  their  good  work  by  calling  another  meeting 
which  was  more  successful,  as  the  following  record  shows  : 

"At  a  legal  meeting  begun  and  held  at  the  house  of 
Mr.  Jonathan  Gould,  in  s*^  District  of  Shirley,  it  was  voted 
to  raise  Ten  Pound,  lawful  money,  to  hire  preaching." 

Now  when  it  is  understood  that  the  current  expenses 
of  the  town,  aside  from  the  ministry  and  the  schools,  were 
that  year  met  by  an  outfit  of  £13  6s.  8d.  we  cannot  deny 
that  a  most  commendable  zeal  was  manifested  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  ordinances  of  religion  in  this  infant  settlement. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  203 

For  the  space  of  nine  years  no  minister  was  settled,  yet 
the  people  did  not  leave  themselves  without  the  word  of 
life  publicly  dispensed. 

The  following  extracts  from  the  town  records,  and 
other  reliable  sources,  show  the  position  of  the  people  on 
this  subject. 

Although  ten  pounds  had  been  appropriated  for 
preaching  within  the  first  year  of  the  incorporation  of  the 
district,  as  above  stated,  it  is  not  probable  that  any  portion 
of  it  had  been  drawn,  if  raised,  until  the  opening  of  spring 
the  next  year,  1754;  when,  at  a  meeting  held  May  2d, 
it  was  "voted  to  hire  three  months' preaching  ;"  and  then,  at 
a  meeting  holden  Nov.  29th  of  the  same  year,  it  was  "voted 
to  have  six  weeks'  preaching  this  winter."  During  the 
next  summer,  that  of  1755,  we  do  not  learn  from  the  rec- 
ords that  any  public  religious  service  was  held,  and  it  is 
probable  that  the  people  were  too  poor  to  meet  the  expense 
of  any  such  service.  Yet  they  did  not,  at  the  call  of  pov- 
erty, dismiss  the  duty  as  impracticable,,  but  resorted  to 
another  measure.  At  the  September  meeting  of  the  colo- 
nial legislature,  1755,  the  following  petition  was  presented 
for  the  consideration  of  that  body. 

"Province  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay. 

"To  His  Honour  Spencer  Phips,  Esq.,  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor and  Commander-in-chief  of  said  Province  ;  to 
the  Honorable,  His  Majesty's  Council  and  House  of 
Representatives,  in  General  Court  assembled  at  Bos- 
ton, September  24"%  1755  : 

"The  petition  of  John  Whitney,  James  Patterson  and 
Jonas  Longley,  a  committee  duly  appointed  by  the  District 
of  Shirley,  humbly  sheweth,  that  the  said  District  is  small 
and  many  of  them  poor ;  but  the  great  distances  they  lived 
from  the  Public  Meeting-House  in  Groton,  obliged  them  to 
get  off  from  said  town,  in  order  to  receive  privileges  among 
themselves  ;  altho'  we  have  been  set  off  more  than  three 
years,  we  have  not  been  able  to  settle  a  minister,  tho'  we 
have  built  a  small  House  for  the  publick  worship  of  God, 


204  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

and  have  hired  preaching  part  of  the  time  since  we  were 
set  off;  and  so  it  is,  that  there  is  now  about  one-third  of 
our  Ratable  Polls  are  inlisted  into  His  Majesty's  Service  ; 
but  we  being  desirous  to  settle  a  Minister  among  ourselves, 
(but  think  ourselves  not  able  without  some  further  assist- 
ance than  to  raise  our  Estates,  and  what  Polls  we  have,) 
and  there  being  several  Hundred  of  Acres  of  unimproved 
Lands  lying  within  our  District,  which  is  made  much  more 
in  value  for  our  improvements ;  so  that  we  humbly  pray 
your  Honour  and  Honours,  to  enable  the  said  District  of 
Shirley  to  assess  all  the  unimproved  Lands  lying  within 
the  said  District,  for  three  years  next  coming,  at  two  Pence 
per  Acre,  to  enable  us  in  settling  of  a  Minister,  and  other 
necessary  charges  in  said  District ;  and  to  assess  and  col- 
lect the  same  in  such  way  and  manner  as  your  Honours 
shall  see  meet;  as  in  duty  bound  shall  ever  pray. 

"James  Patterson. 
"John  Whitney." 

"In  the  House  of  Representatives,  Sept.  26,  1755. 

''Read  and  ordered,  that  the  Petitioners  serve  the  Non- 
resident and  other  Proprietors  of  the  unimproved  Lands 
in  the  District  of  Shirley  with  this  Petition,  by  inserting 
the  substance  thereof  in  one  of  the  pubHck  Prints  for  three 
weeks  successively,  that  they  show  cause  (if  any  they 
have)  on  the  second  Friday  of  the  next  setting  of  this 
court,  why  the  prayer  should  not  be  granted.     Sent  up  for 

concurrence. 

"T.  Hubbard,  Speaker. 

"In  Council,  Sept.  26,  1755.     Read  and  concur'd. 

"Thomas  Clarke,  Dep.  Sec'y. 

"Copy  examined.      Per  Thomas  Clarke,  Dep.  Sec'y." 

The  above  was  taken  from  the  "Boston  Gazette,  or 
Country  Journal,"  and  was  printed  in  that  paper  October 
6th,  1755. 

Whether  public  worship  was  entirely  suspended  Irom 
November,  1755,  until  the  following  July  the  record  does 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  205 

not  State ;  it  is  probable,  however,  that  there  was  preach- 
ing at  least  a  part  of  that  time,  sustained  by  funds  pre- 
viously collected  ;  but  the  next  entry  is  as  follows  :  "July 
29,  1756.  Voted  to  hire  six  days'  preaching,  if  Mr.  Good- 
hue will  preach  with  us."  Mr.  Goodhue  was  a  candidate 
for  settlement  in  Shirley,  as  will  be  seen  in  a  subsequent 
part  of  this  history.  In  the  December  following  it  was 
"Voted  to  have  six  sabbaths'  preaching."  Then  it  would 
seem  that  the  meeting-house  was  closed  until  November, 
1757,  when  it  was  "Voted  to  hire  four  sabbaths'  preaching 
this  winter."  Then  it  appears  that  there  was  a  suspension 
until  July  6,  1758,  when  it  was  "Voted  to  hire  three  da3's' 
preaching."  And,  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year,  it  was 
"Voted  not  to  have  any  preaching  this  fall  or  winter."  In 
the  April  of  the  next  year,  1759,  ^^  ^"^^^  "Voted  to  hire 
three  months'  preaching  as  soon  as  may  be."  In  the 
following  August  it  was  "Voted  to  have  six  sabbaths' 
preaching ;"  and  at  a  meeting  holden  November  30th, 
it  was  "Voted  to  hire  some  preaching  this  winter."  Then 
the  whole  subject  matter  of  public  worship  laid  over  for 
almost  one  year,  when  we  read  the  following  action : 
"Nov.  3,  1760.  Voted  to  have  twelve  sabbaths'  preaching, 
and  voted  to  hire  on  probation.  Voted  not  to  pay  over 
I2S.  per  day  for  s**  preaching."  Thus  it  appears  that  the 
people  of  Shirle}"  were  unable  to  maintain  public  worship 
more  than  about  one  year  out  of  the  first  seven  years  of  the 
town's  organization  ;  yet  they  never  lost  sight  of  their  pur- 
pose, but  persevered  in  the  good  work  until  they  had 
obtained  a  settled  and  permanent  ministry,  as  the  reader 
will  soon  discover. 

Turning  from  this  branch  of  the  ecclesiastical  record 
and  passing  back  a  few  years,  we  come  to  notice  the 
building  of  the  first  temple  for  religious  worship,  which 
was  set  up,  li-ke  the  Jewish  tabernacle,  in  the  wilderness. 

In  1753,  October  24th,  the  first  steps  were  taken  to 
have  a  public  meeting-house, — religious  meetings  having 
been  previously  conducted  in  private  dwellings.  A  town 
(or  district)  meeting  was  convened  at  the  house  of  Robert 


206  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Henry,  and  adjourned  from  there  to  the  place  that  had 
been  selected  as  a  suitable  location  for  a  meeting-house. 
It  was  then  and  there  "voted  to  move  the  meeting-house 
place  from  where  the  committee  stated  it,  about  thirty 
poles  west,  to  a  white-oak  tree  and  heap  of  stones."  And 
William  Symonds,  Jerahmeel  Powers,  and  Samuel 
Walker  were  chosen  a  committee  "to  move  the  meeting- 
house ;"  that  is,  to  establish  its  location,  or  perhaps  to 
remove  the  timber  that  had  been  prepared  for  the  house. 
At  the  same  meeting  the  people  were  invited  to  labor  on 
the  house  and  grounds,  and  were  allowed  four  shillings  a 
day  for  a  man,  and  one  shilling  a  day  for  a  pair  of  oxen. 
Pursuant  to  this  arrangement  a  site  was  prepared,  and  the 
frame  of  a  house  was  erected  during  the  following  month 
(November)  ;  and  it  stood  nearly  opposite  the  location  of 
the  present  centre  school-house. 

On  the  6th  day  of  the  next  month  (December)  it  was 
"voted  that  the  frame  be  covered  on  the  outside,  ceiled  up 
on  the  inside,  both  floors  be  laid,  and  the  roof  covered 
with  long  shingles,  and  that  this  work  be  accomplished 
before  the  middle  of  May  next."  On  the  26th  of  Decem- 
ber another  meeting  was  organized,  at  which  a  vote  was 
passed  "to  raise  £16  to  provide  building  materials."  A 
former  vote,  to  cover  the  house  with  long  shingles,  was 
reconsidered,  and  short  ones  were  substituted.  It  was  also 
voted  that  each  tax-payer  might  find  his  proportion  of  the 
materials. 

May  3d,  1754,  ^  town-meeting  was  convened,  at 
which  it  was  voted  to  extend  the  time  appointed  for  the 
completion  of  the  above-named  work  and  the  underpin- 
ning of  the  house,  to  four  weeks  from  that  day. 

This  structure  must  have  presented  a  rude  appear- 
ance, being  only  rough-ceiled  on  the  outside,  and  wholly 
without  pews  or  seats,  either  on  the  ground  floor  or  in  the 
galleries.  Still  it  was  an  essential  point  of  attraction  for 
all  true  lovers  of  the  sanctuary ;  it  protected  them  from 
the  rough  winter  blasts  and  from  the  scorching  suns  of 
summer, — and  supplied  the  hardy  settlers  with  a  place  of 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  207 

worship  which  they  would  gladly  occupy  until  more  pro- 
pitious times  should  open  to  them  fairer  accommodations. 

Some  months  after  the  occupancy  of  this  house  had 
commenced,  the  galleries  were  furnished  with  permanent 
seats,  as  was  also  the  central  part  of  the  ground  floor. 
Leave  was  also  granted  to  such  of  the  inhabitants  as  were 
able,  to  purchase  places  and  erect  pews  against  the  walls 
of  the  house.  Tradition  says  that  the  town  built  a  pew  on 
the  right-hand  side  of  the  pulpit  for  the  family  of  the 
minister ;  and  that  Francis  Harris  erected  one  for  his  own 
use  on  the  other  side  of  the  pulpit ;  and  that,  for  a  long 
time,  they  were  the  only  pews  the  house  contained.  In  a 
process  of  years  the  ground  was  all  taken  up  and  the  four 
sides  of  the  house  were  walled  with  pews.  There  could 
not,  however,  have  been  great  uniformity  in  them,  as 
every  man  built  his  enclosure  according  to  his  own  fancy. 

After  the  meeting-house  had  been  supplied  with  seats, 
a  committee  was  appointed  to  provide  each  inhabitant  with 
a  permanent  place;  or,  as  the  record  has  it,  "to  seat  the 
house."  The  largest  tax  payers  were  considered  the  most 
honorable,  provided  they  had  done  nothing  of  an  immoral 
nature  to  degrade  their  standing ;  and  by  this  rule  all  the 
worshippers  were  arranged  throughout  the  house.  The 
two  front  seats  on  the  lower  floor  were  called  highest, — and 
the  front  seat  in  the  front  gallery  was  next  in  order ; — 
then,  the  third  seat  below  ;  afterward  followed  the  other 
seats  in  rotation,  the  men  occupying  places  at  the  right- 
hand  of  the  broad  aisle  and  their  wives  the  same  position 
on  the  left-hand.  As  property  was  ever  varying,  this  deli- 
cate business  of  "seating  the  church"  had  to  be  attended 
to  every  year,  that  the  aristocratic  rule  might  not  be 
violated. 

In  1762 — nine  years  after  the  house  was  built — the 
town  "voted  to  choose  a  committee  to  repair  the  meeting- 
house and  make  some  new  windows,  as  they  shall  receive 
orders.  Capt.  Longley,  Capt.  Harris  and  Nathan  Smith 
were  chosen  for  the  above  committee."  "Voted  to  leave  it 
to  the  committee  to  repair  the  meeting-house  as  they  shall 


208  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

think  proper  ;  that  they  shall  put  a  new  window  in  the 
ministerial  pew,  and  that  as  much  light  be  given  to  the 
pulpit  as  possible."     A  ■wise provision,  truly! 

October  24,  1763,  "Voted  that  each  seat  in  the  meet- 
ing-house shall  go  out  on  the  sabbath  days  according  to 
their  dignity."  The  people  of  later  generations  may  too 
often  fail  of  proper  respect  for  their  superiors  in  standing 
and  years ;  yet  a  change  from  the  etiquette  of  former 
times  betokens  no  deterioration  of  public  manners. 

This  house — which  was  used  for  town  and  military 
meetings  as  well  as  for  the  public  worship  of  God — 
was  continued  for  these  purposes  for  the  space  of  twenty- 
two  years.  Thither,  regardless  of  storm  without  or  cold 
within,  almost  all  the  people  made  their  way  on  every  re- 
turning Sabbath.  Thither  the  faithful  parent  carried  his 
infant  offspring — of  one  week  old — to  the  altar  of  bap- 
tism. There  the  convicted  sinner  consecrated  his  life  to 
the  work  of  righteousness,  and  there  the  trembling  peni- 
tent craved  the  forgiveness  of  a  prayer-hearing  God. 
Such,  however,  had  become  the  increase  of  population 
that  the  house  was  now  found  too  small  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  its  worshippers ;  it  was,  therefore,  decided  to 
exchange  it  for  a  larger  and  more  commodious  structure. 
Accordingly  it  was  disposed  of,  and  the  materials  of  which 
it  was  composed  were  converted  into  a  barn,  on  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Mr.  Melzor  V.  Farnsworth. 

After  the  first  meeting-house  was  set  up  and  enclosed, 
the  people  resolved,  without  unnecessary  delay,  to  have  a 
settled  ministry.  On  the  4th  day  of  April,  1754,  "-^^  ^^^ 
voted  to  give  a  minister  a  call;  and  Mr.  John  Whitney, 
James  Patterson,  William  Symonds,  and  William  Longley, 
were  then  chosen  a  committee  to  seek  advice  of  the  neigh- 
boring ministers."  "Voted  that  the  committee  shall  go  to 
the  ministers  hereinafter  named,  viz  :  Mr.  Caleb  Trow- 
bridge, Mr.  David  Stearns,  Mr.  Phinehas  Hemenway, 
Mr.  Secomb,  Mr.  Joseph  Emerson,  and  Mr.  Daniel  Emer- 
son." 

Nothing  is  recorded  as  resulting  from  this  first  effort. 
According  to  a  prevailing  custom,  therefore,   the    people 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  209 

agreed  upon  the  observance  of  a  day  of  fasting  and 
prayer,  that  they  might  have  the  divine  guidance  in  a 
matter  of  such  great  moment.  In  pursuance  of  the  plan 
the  assistance  of  the  neighboring  clergymen  was  solicited 
and  the  fast  was  observed,  June  i8th,  1755. 

From  this  time  until  February  of  the  following  year 
a  Mr.  Goodhue  from  Hollis,  N.  H.,  supplied  the  pulpit. 
He  remained  in  town  during  this  period,  and  boarded 
with  Mr.  Jonas  Longley, — the  town  voting  Mr.  Longley 
£5  I2s.  "for  the  minister's  board  and  for  keeping  his 
horse."  An  invitation  was  then  extended  to  Mr.  Goodhue 
"to  settle  with  the  people  of  Shirley  in  the  Gospel  min- 
istry." To  this  invitation  Mr.  Goodhue  acceded,  provided 
that  a  mile  of  territorv  from  the  town  of  Lunenbur";  could 
be  annexed  to  Shirley,  for  the  doing  of  which  a  petition 
had  already  been  forwarded  to  "the  Great  and  General 
Court"  at  Boston.  This  petition  was  not  granted,  and  the 
laudable  efforts  of  the  people  thus  far  to  settle  a  minister 
were  defeated. 

Nearly  two  years  after  this  the  same  gentleman,  who 
it  appears  was  yet  a  candidate,  received  a  second  call  to 
take  up  his  abode  in  Shirley.  The  town  voted  to  give 
him  "£133  6s.  8d.  for  a  settlement;"  one-half  to  be  paid 
in  labor  or  building  materials,  and  one-half  in  money.  It 
was  also  voted  to  give  £46  13s.  4d.  a  year  as  a  salary, 
until  there  should  be  one  hundred  ratable  polls  in  town, 
and  then  £6  13s.  4d.  should  be  added  to  the  annual  salary. 
These  offers  the  candidate  again  saw  fit  to  decline,  and 
the  people  were  again  disappointed. 

More  than  a  year  passed  away,  in  which  the  ministry 
was  sustained  a  part  of  the  time  as  the  people  could  find 
and  compensate  preachers.  April  30,  1759,  ^^  ^'^^  once 
more  voted  to  take  advice  of  the  neighboring  ministers, 
and  probably  another  fast  was  kept. 

From  this  time  until  the  following  December  a  Mr. 
Sparhawk,  from  Lynn,  supplied  the  pulpit  on  probation  ; 
which    resulted    in    his    receiving  an    invitation    to    settle. 


27 


210  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

The  following  terms  were  proposed  on    the  part   of  ''ye 
District :" 

"Voted  to  give  Mr.  Sparhawk  £133  6s.  8d.  as  a  settle- 
ment, and  that  one-half  be  paid  in  three  months  and  the 
residue  within  the  year.  And,  voted  to  give  £53  13s.  4d. 
as  a  salary,  to  be  raised  to  £60  when  the  town,  or  district, 
should  have  sevent3'-tive  families;  and  to  £66  13s.  4d. 
when  there  should  be  eightv-tive  families."  It  seems  that 
these  terms  were  not  accepted  by  the  candidate  ;  where- 
upon, at  a  subsequent  meeting,  the  people  voted  him  the 
last  mentioned  sum  at  once  ;  but  he  declined  remaining 
with  them.  This  was  a  third  disappointment ;  but  it  did 
not  dishearten  the  anxious  seekers  after  the  blessings  of  a 
stated  ministry,  but  rather  gave  stimulus  to  their  efforts. 

And  it  seems  they  did  not  labor  in  vain.  February 
25th,  1762,  Mr.  Phinehas  Whitney  of  Weston  —  having 
preached  an  allotted  time  on  probation — received  a  unani- 
mous call  to  settle.  The  same  terms  were  proposed  to 
Mr.  Whitne}'  that  had  been  made  to  Mr.  Sparhawk — 
with  the  addition  of  tweniv  cords  of  wood,  annuallv,  to  be 
carried  to  his  door — with  which  terms  the  candidate  com- 
plied. The  district  owned  certain  lands,  which  were  sold 
to  Mr.  Whitney  towards  paying  the  sum  voted  to  him  as  a 
settlement,  on  which  lands  he  erected  his  buildings  and 
lived.  The  farm  is  pleasantly  situated  half  a  mile  west 
from  the  meeting-house,  and  is  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Thomas  K.  Fisk.  The  house  built  by  Mr.  Whitney  pos- 
sessed much  architectural  taste,  and  stood  until  the  year 
1855  when  it  was  demolished. 

The  records  that  relate  to  the  settlement  of  Mr.  WHiit- 
ney  are  here  inserted  : 

May  12,  1762,  "Voted  to  let  Mr.  Phinehas  Whitney 
have  the  land  that  was  purchased  for  the  use  of  the  dis- 
trict, for  seventy-three  pounds,  six  shillings  and  eight 
pence  ;  and,  voted  to  have  Capt.  Harris  give  Mr.  Whitne}' 
a  deed  of  s'^  land  and  take  a  receipt  of  Mr.  Whitney  for  so 
much  of  his  settlement." 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  211 

The  following   is  the  letter  of  acceptance   from  Mr. 
Whitney  : 

"To  THE    Inhabitants  of  the   District  of  Shirley: 

"  Gcntlcmoi : — It  is  now  some  time  since  you  gave  me 
an  invitation  to  settle  with  you  in  the  work  of  the  Gospel 
ministry.  Doubtless  you  are  sensible  that  a  matter  of 
such  great  importance  and  consequence  ought  to  be  well 
weighed  and  maturely  considered,  in  order  for  a  proper 
resolution  ; — accordingly  I  have  had  the  same  under  con- 
sideration some  considerable  time,  and  I  have  not  been 
unmindful  to  ask  wisdom  and  direction  from  the  Fountain 
of  wisdom  and  Head  of  all  influence — as  well  as  advice 
from  the  ablest  counsellors  I  could  find — and  am  now 
ready  to  give  you  an  answer.  And,  gentlemen,  I  am 
obliged  to  you  for  the  favorable  opinion  you  have  con- 
ceived of  my  public  performances,  as  well  as  private 
converse  among  you,  and  that  you  are  unanimous  in  your 
desire  that  I  should  settle  among  you  ; — the  consideration 
of  which,  I  think,  is  a  strong  circumstance  that  Providence 
designs  my  settlement  among  you,  and  obliges  me  to  think 
that  I  have  a  call  from  God  to  accept  your  invitation. 
I  acknowledge  that  I  am  too  much  unfit  for  the  business, 
and  unable  of  myself  to  perform  the  great  and  important 
work ;  but  yet,  depending  upon  the  grace  of  Christ  to 
assist  and  strengthen  me,  I  freely  accept  of  your  invita- 
tion. I  very  earnestly  desire  that  you  would  not  be 
unmindful  of  me  in  your  prayers  to  God,  that  I  may  have 
grace  and  strength  to  go  through  this  great  work.  The 
offers-you  make  in  regard  to  my  maintenance,  I  acknowl- 
edge are  very  generous,  considering  how  few  you  are  in 
number,  together  with  all  other  considerations ; — and  I 
doubt  not,  if  you  are  punctual  in  your  payments,  and  also 
are  kind  and  generous,  and  your  love  and  regard  for  me 
is  sincere,  and  continues  thus  to  be, — I  say  I  doubt  not  but 
that  I  shall  have  an  honorable  maintenance,  and  with  a 
blessing  live  comfortably  among  you.  I  heartily  wish 
that  we  may  be  mutually  blessings  to  each  other,  and  that 
all  the  blessings  and  benefits  of  the  new  and  everlasting 


212  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

covenant  may  be  our  portion.  May  the  God  of  peace 
keep  you  in  love  and  peace,  and  ever  delight  in  your 
prosperity,  and  finally  bring  us  to  live  and  dwell  together 
in  the  heavenly  kingdom  ;  which  is  the  hearty  wish  and 
fervent  prayer  of  3'our  most  devoted  servant, 

"Phinehas  Whitney. 
"Shirley,  April,  1762." 

This  letter  was  directed  "to  Capt.  Longley,  Capt. 
Harris,  Ens"  Longley,  Lieut.  Powers,  and  Lieut.  Walker, 
committee  for  the  District  of  Shirley,  to  communicate  to 
the  inhabitants." 

The  preliminaries  being  thus  happily  settled,  the 
district  proceeded  to  the  ordination  of  the  candidate,  an 
account  of  which  performance  is  here  subjoined,  from  the 
church  records  : 

"Shirley,  June  the  23d,  1762. 

"Mr.  Phinehas  Whitney  was  ordained  pastor  of  the 
church  which  was  gathered  in  Shirley,  by  the  venerable 
council  on  that  day  appointed  for  the  ordination.  The 
churches  sent  to  were  the  following,  viz  : — The  church  in 
Stow — the  church  in  Lancaster — the  church  in  Pepperell 
— the  church  in  Weston — the  church  in  Groton,  and  the 
church  in  Harvard ;  who  attended  by  their  elders  and 
delegates. 

"Introductory  prayer  was  made  by  Mr.  Emerson  of 
Pepperell.  Sermon  was  preached  by  Mr.  Woodward  of 
Weston — charge  by  Mr.  Gardner  of  Stow.  The  Rev. 
Timothy  Harrington  of  Lancaster  made  the  last  prayer 
and  gave  the  right  hand  of  fellowship." 

It  is  not  stated  who  made  the  consecrating  prayer, 
but  probably  Mr.  Dana  of  Groton. 

The  church,  which  the  council  organized  previous  to 
the  ordination,  adopted  the  following  compact,  which  was 
copied — as  is   believed — from    the  one  in  use   at   Groton, 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  213 

where  the  most  of  the  members  who  subscribed  it  had  pre- 
viously belonged  : 

"a  church  covenant. 

"We  whose  names  are  hereunto  subscribed, — being 
inhabitants  of  the  District  of  Shirley,  New  England, — 
knowing  that  we  are  very  prone  to  oftend  and  provoke  the 
Most  High  God,  both  in  heart  and  life,  through  the  pre- 
vailence  of  sin  that  d\yelleth  within  us,  and  manifold 
temptations  from  without  us,  for  which  we  have  great 
reason  to  be  unfeignedly  humble  before  him  from  day  to 
day  ; — do  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with 
dependence  upon  the  gracious  assistance  of  his  Holy 
Spirit,  solemnly  enter  into  covenant  with  God,  and  with 
one  another  according  to  God,  as  follows  : 

"  I))ip?'wii's .  That,  having  chosen  and  taken  the  Lord 
Jehovah  to  be  our  God,  we  will  fear  him,  cleave  to  him  in 
love,  and  serve  him  in  truth  with  all  our  hearts,  giving  up 
ourselves  to  him  to  be  his  people  ;  in  all  things  to  be  at 
his  direction  and  sovereign  disposal ;  that  we  may  have 
and  hold  communion  with  him,  as  members  of  Christ's 
mystical  body,  according  to  his  revealed  will,  unto  our 
lives'  ends. 

"2.  We  also  bind  ourselves  to  bring  up  our  children 
and  servants  in  the  knowledge  and  fear  of  God,  by  holy 
instructions,  according  to  our  best  abilities  ;  and  in  special 
by  the  use  of  Orthodox  catechism,  that  the  true  religion 
may  be  maintained  in  our  families  while  we  live  ;  yea  and 
among  such  as  shall  live  when  we  are  dead  and  gone. 

"3.  And  we  further  promise  to  keep  close  to  the 
truth  of  Christ,  and  drawing  with  lively  affection  toward 
it  in  our  hearts,  to  defend  it  against  all  opposers  thereof, 
as  God  shall  call  us  at  any  time  thereunto  ;  which  that  we 
may  do  we  resolve  to  use  the  hoi}'  scriptures  as  our  plat- 
form, whereby  we  may  discern  the  mind  of  Christ,  and 
not  the  new-found  inventions  of  men. 

"4.  We  also  engage  ourselves  to  have  a  careful  in- 
spection over  our  own  hearts,  viz.,  so  as  to  endeavor,  by 


214  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

the  virtue  of  the  death  of  Christ,  the  mortification  of  all 
our  sinful  passions,  worldly  frames,  and  disorderly  affec- 
tions, whereby  we  may  be  withdrawn  from  the  living  God. 

"5.  We  moreover  oblige  ourselves  (in  the  faithful 
improvement  of  our  ability  and  opportunity)  to  worship 
God  according  to  all  the  particular  institutions  of  Christ 
for  his  church,  under  Gospel  administrations,  as  to  give 
reverent  attention  unto  the  word  of  God,  to  pray  unto  him, 
to  sing  his  praises,  and  to  hold  communion  each  with 
others,  in  the  use  of  both  the  seals  of  the  covenant, 
namely.  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper. 

"6.  We  likewise  promise  that  we  will  peaceably  sub- 
mit to  the  holy  discipline  appointed  by  Christ  in  his 
church,  for  offenders  ;  obeying  (according  to  the  will  of 
God)  those  that  have  the  rule  over  us  in  the  Lord. 

"7.  We  also  bind  ourselves  to  walk  in  love  one 
towards  another,  endeavoring  our  mutual  edification,  visit- 
ing, exhorting,  comforting,  as  occasion  serveth,  and 
warning  any  brother  or  sister  which  offendeth,  not  divulg- 
ing private  offences,  irregularly,  but  heedfully  following 
the  several  precepts  for  church  dealing,  (Matthew  xviii,  16 
and  17,)  willingly  forgiving  all  that  do  manifest,  unto  the 
judgment  of  charity,  that  they  truly  repent  of  their  mis- 
carriages. 

"8.  Moreover  we  farther  agree  and  covenant  that  we 
will  have  ruling  elders  and  deacons,  and  when  any  differ- 
ences may  arise  between  any  members  of  the  church,  then 
they  shall  be  tried  and  admonished  by  the  pastor,  ruling 
elders  and  deacons ;  if  either  party  be  dissatisfied  with 
their  determination,  then  there  may  be  an  appeal  to  the 
church  at  large  ;  and  if  either  party  be  dissatisfied  with 
the  determination  of  the  church,  then  there  may  be  an 
appeal  to  an  ecclesiastical  council,  according  to  the  custom 
of  Congregationalism. 

"Now  the  God  of  peace,  that  brought  again  from  the 
dead  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  Great  Shepherd  of  the 
sheep,   through    the    blood    of   the    everlasting    covenant. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  215 

make  us  perfect  in  every  good  work  to  do  his  will,  work- 
ing in  us  that  which  was  well-pleasing  in  his  sight, 
through  Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  be  glory  forever  and  ever. 
Amen. 

"Phinehas  Whitney. 

"John  Longley. 

"Charles  Richards. 

"Richard  Harrington. 

"Jonas  Longley. 

"Stephen  Holden. 

"Samuel  Walker. 

his 

"Daniel  ><J   Page. 


"John  X   Patterson. 

mark 

"Jonathan  Moors. 
"Jonas  Stearns. 
"Francis  Harris. 
"Hezekiah  Saw^tell." 

This  covenant  provides  for  church  elders  as  well  as 
deacons,  but  there  is  no  record  that  such  officers  were  ever 
appointed.  About  one  month  after  the  settlement  of  a 
minister,  John  Longley  and  Hezekiah  Sawtell  were 
elected  deacons,  and  not  far  from  this  time  ten  persons 
were  united  with  the  church. 

The  custom  of  "owning  the  covenant"  was  adopted 
by  the  church  in  Shirley,  that  children  might  receive  the 
seal  of  baptism  whose  parents  were  not  in  regular  com- 
munion with  the  church.  This  custom — no  longer  in  use 
— has  been  the  cause  of  much  bitter  controversy  in  New 
England.  Yet  it  prevailed  so  extensively  that  most  of  the 
infants,  in  many  towns,  received  the  rite.  In  Shirley,  a 
large  portion  of  those  born  before  the  present  centurv 
were  presented  for  baptism. 

Parents  who  were  not  church  members  in  regular 
standing,  before  offering  their  children  were  required  to 
ozvii  the  following 

"covenant. 

"You  do  now,  in  the  presence  of  God  and  his  people, 
own  the  covenant  into  which  you  were  entered  and  given 


216  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

up  to  God  in  baptism,  and  take  upon  3^ourself  the  obliga- 
tion your  baptism  laid  you  under.  You  do  now  humbly 
beg  of  God,  remission  of  all  your  sins  [both  actual  and 
original,]*  and  with  all  your  heart  you  desire  to  accept  of 
Jesus  Christ  as  your  only  Savior,  as  he  is  offered  to  poor 
sinners  in  the  Gospel ;  and  you  do  now  solemnly  promise, 
to  the  best  of  your  power,  and  as  God  shall  enable  you, 
that  you  will  forsake  the  vanities  of  the  world,  and  in  all 
respects  live  as  those  with  the  great  God  and  his  people  ; 
and  you  do  now  particularly  promise,  as  God  shall  enable 
you,  to  make  it  your  prayer  and  endeavour  that  you  may 
be  prepared  aright  to  attend  to  the  ordinances  and  institu- 
tions of  Christ,  and  meet  him  where  his  death  is  showed 
forth  ;  and  you  likewise  promise  to  submit  yourself  to  the 
watch  and  discipline  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  strive 
that  your  behavior  be  approved  by  both  God  and  man. 

"Do  you  consent  to  this  covenant? 

"May  God  enable  you  to  keep  it." 

It  was  also  an  established  ecclesiastical  rule,  for 
parents  who  had  recently  united  with  the  church  and 
wished  to  bring  their  adult  children  to  baptism,  to  require 
such  children  to  ozvn  the  following 

"covenant. 

"You  do  now  solemnly  give  yourself  to  God  in  Jesus 
Christ,  the  mediator  of  a  new  covenant.  You  do  sin- 
cerely beg  of  God  the  forgiveness  of  your  sins,  whether 
original  or  actual,  through  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ;  and 
with  all  your  heart  you  desire  to  forsake  every  sin,  and 
lead  a  new  and  holy  life  ;  and  as  you  are  about  to  receive 
the  badge  of  Christianity — the  initiatory  seal  of  the  cove- 
nant of  grace — you  do  solemnly  promise  to  the  best  of 
your  power  to  live  as  a  Christian,  and  to  do  your  whole 
duty  to  God  and  to  man,  as  far  as  you  know  it.  You  like- 
wise submit  yourself  to    the  watch  and    discipline  of  the 


*The  sentence  in  brackets  was  erased  from  the  covenant,  at  a  period  sub- 
sequent to  its  adoption. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  217 

church,  and  behave  so  as  not  to  give  just  offence   to  any 
person  whatever. 

"Do  you  consent  to  this  covenant? 

"May  God  enable  you  to  keep  it." 

As  may  be  seen,  the  covenant  which  was  adopted  at 
the  formation  of  the  church  contained  few  things  that 
liberal  Christians  of  this  day  would  reject.  But  as  the 
Arminian  heresy  began  to  gain  ground,  the  conservatives 
of  that  day  unwisely  thought  to  suppress  its  progress  by 
making  church  creeds  speak  more  detinitely  the  sentiments 
of  the  Synod  of  Dort,  and  of  the  Assembly  of  West- 
minster. Accordingly  the  "Cambridge  Platform," — which 
was  established  on  the  basis  of  the  published  deliberations 
of  these  two  celebrated  convocations  of  divines, — became 
a  sort  of  model,  by  which  was  formed  the  creeds  of  local 
churches.  Many  churches,  for  the  sake  of  peace,  or  from 
a  fear  that  they  might  depart  too  far  from  the  received 
standards,  undoubtedly  came  into  this  measure  without  a 
deliberate  conviction  that  it  would  be  of  any  vital  utility. 
Among  such  the  Church  in  Shirley  may  be  reckoned. 
Mr.  Whitney,  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  told  some  of 
his  friends  that  he  was  assisted  in  preparing  his  revised 
Confession  of  Faith  and  Covenant,  (which  follow,)  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Appleton  of  Cambridge,  whose  catholic  mind 
revolted  at  that  bigotry  which  attempted  to  limit  mental 
research  in  its  application  to  religious  truth,  and  which 
would  tbrce  adherence  to  tenets  with  which  neither  reason 
nor  conviction  could  sympathize.* 

"confession  of  faith  for  those  who  join  the 
church  in  full  communion. 

"i.  You  believe  in  one  God,  in  three  persons  (or 
characters,)  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 

"2.  You  believe  the  sacred  Scriptures  are  the  word  of 
God,  and  a  perfect  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 

"3.  You  believe  that  man  is  a  fallen  creature,  and 
cannot  be  justified  by  the  deeds  of  the  law. 


*See  Appendix  S. 

28 


218  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

"4.  You  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God, 
and  Savior  of  men,  and  that  God  will  bestow  salvation  on 
all  those  who  will  repent  and  believe  in  his  name,  and  live 
according  to  the  precepts  of  his  Gospel. 

"5.  You  believe  in  a  resurrection  of  the  body,  and  a 
future  state  of  rewards  and  punishments. 

"6.  You  believe  that  baptism  is  an  institution  of  Christ, 
and  the  Lord's  Supper  is  a  sacrament,  by  which  his  church 
should  commemorate  his  dying  love  ;  to  which  church  you 
believe  it  your  duty  to  join  yourself. 

"Do  you  consent  to  this? 

"covenant. 

"You  do  now  in  everlasting  covenant  give  yourself  to 
God  through  Jesus  Christ. 

"You  do  humbly  and  penitently  ask  of  God  forgive- 
ness of  all  your  sins,  whether  original  or  actual,  and  with 
all  your  heart  you  desire  to  adopt  Jesus  Christ  for  your 
Savior  and  Redeemer,  as  he  is  offered  to  poor  sinners  in 
the  Gospel.  You  likewise  solemnly  promise  before  God 
and  the  holy  angels,  and  before  this  assembly,  that  being 
helped  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  you  will  deny  the  vanities  of 
this  evil  world,  and  approve  yourself  the  true  disciple  of 
Jesus  Christ,  in  all  good  carriage  towards  God  and  man. 
And  particularly  you  promise,  so  long  as  God  shall  con- 
tinue you  among  us,  to  walk  in  communion  with  the 
Church  of  Christ  in  this  place,  and  carry  it  here  accord- 
ing to  the  rules  of  the  Gospel  in  all  things  agreeably  to 
what  you  know,  or  shall  hereafter  know,  to  be  your  duty. 
"Do  you  consent  to  this  covenant? 

"I  then,  in  the  name  of  the  great  Head  of  the  Church, 
do  declare  you  to  be  a  member  in  full  communion  with  this 
church.  I  promise,  being  helped  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  we 
will  carry  it  towards  you  as  towards  a  member  of  the  same 
body  with  ourselves,  watching  over  you  with  a  spirit  of 
meekness,  love  and  tenderness,  earnestly  praying  that 
•  God  would  delight  to  dwell  among  us,  and  that  the  divine 
blessing  may  be  upon  us,  and  his  kingdom  advanced  by 
us.     Amen." 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  219 

I  have  introduced  these  several  documents  to  exhibit 
to  the  present  generation  some  of  the  ecclesiastical  usages 
of  a  pious  ancestry  ;  and,  also,  that  existing  formulas  of 
faith  may  be  fairly  compared  with  more  ancient  creeds. 
The  difference  between  liberal  congregationalists  of  the 
present  time  and  those  of  the  Arminian  faith  of  a  century 
ago  is  not  so  great  as  some  have  supposed.  And  a  candid 
consideration  of  those  extremes  of  profession,  to  which 
dogmatical  Christianity  has  urged  the  ardent  controversial- 
ist, may  lead  the  mass  of  believers  to  that  rational  medium 
which  is  a  safe  basis  of  religious  peace  and  progress. 

I  also  have  hoped,  by  their  insertion  in  this  volume, 
to  save  these  formulas  of  our  fathers  from  oblivion,  to 
which — being  long  out  of  use — they  are  exposed  while 
confined  to  single  manuscript  copies. 


CHAPTER   II. 

Second  Meeting-House — Events  of  Mr.  Whitney's  Min- 
istry —  Enlargement  of  Meeting-House — Settlement 
of  a   Colleague. 

The  first  meeting-house — with  all  its  inconveniences — 
remained  the  place  of  worship  for  about  twenty  years, 
during  eleven  of  which  the  district  had  experienced  the 
advantages  of  a  settled  ministry.  It  had  become  too  small 
to  accommodate  its  worshippers,  and  was  too  imperfect  in 
its  construction  to  admit  any  further  repairs  or  enlarge- 
ment. 

The  proposal  to  have  a  new  temple  of  worship 
seemed  to  accord  with  the  wishes  of  the  entire  commu- 
nity ;  and  to  encourage  the  enterprise  the  pastor  proposed 
to  contribute  £io  lawful  money,  "  for  the  carrying  ofi  of 


220  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

the  new  meeting-house,"  for  which  his  parishioners  passed 
a  vote  of  thanks,  at  a  district  meeting. 

The  preliminary  steps  having  been  taken,  a  public 
meeting  was  held  May  21,  1771.  It  was  voted  that  "the 
new  meeting-house  be  fifty  feet  in  length,  and  forty  feet  in 
breadth,  and  that  it  be  raised  as  soon  as  June  of  next 
3'ear."  At  a  subsequent  meeting  it  was  "voted  that  the 
timber  be  provided  by  the  inhabitants,"  that  "the  work 
should  be  contracted  for,  and  that  £200  be  assessed  to  de- 
fray the  expense  that  should  be  incurred." 

So  great  was  the  importance  attached  to  the  raising 
of  meeting-houses,  in  those  days,  that  special  meetings  of 
the  citizens  were  often  called  to  make  arrangements  for 
the  occasion.  It  was  so  in  this  case.  June  29,  1772,  a 
district  meeting  was  held,  and  the  following  business 
transacted  : 

"Voted  to  raise  the  new  meeting-house,  which  the  dis- 
trict is  about  to  build."  "Voted  to  adjourn  this  meeting 
for  half  an  hour  to  the  new  meeting-house  spot,  to  view 
and  consider  whether  it  is  best  to  raise  said  house  on  the 
spot  where  the  sills  were  framed."  "Upon  viewing  the 
same,  returned  back  at  the  time  and  place  aforesaid,  and 
voted  to  raise  said  meeting-house  on  the  spot  where  the 
sills  were  framed."*  "Voted  to  choose  a  committee  to 
appoint  a  day  when  said  house  shall  be  raised,  and  to 
provide  materials  for  the  raising  said  house,  and  provision 
for  those  men  the}'  shall  appoint  to  raise  said  house,  to  the 
number  of  fifty  men."  "Voted  that  John  Ivory,  Oliver 
Livermore  and  John  Longley  be  said  committee." 

The  house  was  not  completed  till  the  autumn  of  the 
following  3^ear  (1773)  ;  and  without  a  formal  dedication 
was  made  ready  and  opened  for  divine  service  on  the  day 
of  the  annual  Thanksgiving,  which  was  the  25th  of  No- 
vember. The  entire  cost  of  the  structure  was  £168  los. 
lod.  3qrs.  ! 


*See  Appendix  T. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  221 

Much  of  the  original  of  this  church  building  exists  at 
the  present  time,  notwithstanding  the  changes,  externally 
and  internally,  of  later  years  which  remain  to  be  de- 
scribed. The  frame-work,  from  ground-sill  to  ridge-pole, 
with  much  of  its  covering  has  continued  unimpaired  by 
time  and  exposure  during  the  entire  century  of  its  exist- 
ence. The  shingles  on  the  north  roof  were  removed  after 
a  service  of  eighty-three  years,  with  trifling  appearance  of 
decay.  Indeed  the  entire  body  of  the  house  gives  promise 
to  the  beholder  of  as  permanent  usefulness,  for  genera- 
tions to  come,  as  it  did  to  the  "fifty  men"  who  reared  it  in 
a  former  age. 

This  work  was  completed  at  a  most  favorable  time, 
as  the  war  of  the  American  Revolution  soon  broke  out. 
That  war  required  all  the  funds  that  could  be  commanded 
throughout  the  United  Colonies,  and  might  have  sus- 
pended an  enterprise  like  that  of  the  building  of  a  meeting- 
house for  several  years. 

To  the  eye  of  modern  taste  the  interior  form  and 
finish  of  this  ancient  temple  presented  an  antique  appear- 
ance. It  had  doors  of  entrance  on  three  sides,  from  which 
alleys  led  across  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  house, 
cutting  each  other  at  right-angles.  Other  alleys  divided 
what  were  called  the  wall  pews  from  those  situated  on  the 
central  floor.  The  pews  were  high,  of  a  square  form, 
and  at  the  upper  part  ornamented  wdth  fancy  rounds. 
The  seats  were  fastened  with  hinges,  that  they  might  be 
raised  while  the  congregation  was  standing.  The  body  of 
the  ground  floor  was  occupied,  one  half  by  pew^s,  the 
other  half — nearest  to  the  pulpit — by  long  seats.  The 
stairs  that  led  to  the  galleries  were  in  the  interior  of  the 
building,  and  the  galleries  were  extended  over  about  two- 
thirds  of  the  lower  part  of  the  house.  The  pulpit  was 
very  high,  and  over  it  hung  a  large  sounding-board,  a 
necessary  appendage  to  all  well-finished  Puritan  churches. 
In  front  of  the  pulpit  w^as  the  communion  table,  and  a  seat 
for  the  use  of  the  deacons.  The  structure  presented  a 
specimen  of  that  rich  and  varied  architecture  which  has 
now  almost  wholly  passed  into  disuse. 


222  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

In  disposing  of  the  pews  in  the  new  meeting-house, 
the  same  aristocratic  course  was  pursued  that  had  been 
observed  in  "seating  the  old  house."  The  pews  were  all 
appraised,  and  the  largest  tax-payers  had  the  privilege  of 
choosing  according  to  the  valuation  of  their  several  estates, 
after  appropriating  the  pew  by  the  pulpit  stairs  for  the  use 
of  the  minister's  family. 

While  the  new  meeting-house  was  in  process  of  build- 
ing, Madam  Hancock,  the  wife  of  the  first  governor  of 
Massachusetts  under  the  constitution,  presented  an  elegant 
folio  Bible  (London  edition),  for  the  use  of  the  pulpit. 
The  following  letter,  in  acknowledgement,  was  forwarded 
to  the  donor  by  order  of  the  district : 

LETTER    TO    MRS.    HANCOCK. 

''Madam  : — The  inhabitants  of  Shirley,  being  this  day 
assembled  at  the  public  meeting-house,  take  this  first 
opportunity  to  return  their  sincere  thanks  to  you  for  your 
late  generosity  in  giving  them  a  very  handsome  folio 
Bible,  to  be  read  in  public  every  Lord's  day.  They  are 
sensible  that  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  in  public  is  very 
commendable,  and  hope  it  will  be  really  serviceable  to 
them  ;  and  at  the  same  time  assure  you  that  they  have  a 
grateful  sense  of  your  generosity  and  piety  in  promoting 
such  a  laudable  practice.  They  sincerely  wish  you  [may] 
live  and  continue  to  diffuse  your  kindness  to  the  needy, — 
that  you  may  enjoy  happiness  here,  and  in  the  future 
world  be  received  to  reap  the  reward  of  your  extensive 
charity,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

"John  Longley,  Dis'  Clerk. 
"Shirle}'',  December  28,  1772. 

"Voted  that  the  above  letter  of  thanks  be  signed  by  the 
district  clerk,  and  be  sent  to  Madam  Hancock  of  Boston, 
and  a  copy  of  it  entered  on  the  district  book,  there  to 
stand  in  perpetual  memory  of  the  thing. 

"John  Longley,  Dis'  Clerk." 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  223 

The  same  Bible,  in  very  perfect  condition,  now  lies 
on  the  pulpit  of  the  First  Parish,  and  is  "read  in  public 
every  Lord's  day." 

The  ministry  of  Mr.  Whitney,  which  lasted  for  more 
than  half  a  century,  was  one  of  general  peace  and  pros- 
perity. He  had  the  confidence  of  his  people,  and  between 
him  and  them  a  good  degree  of  harmony  was  maintained. 
He  was  also  favorably  considered  abroad,  was  frequentlv 
invited  to  sit  in  ecclesiastical  councils,  and  assist  in  the 
settlement  of  clergymen,  and  was  noted  for  his  decision 
and  firmness.  The  only  unpleasant  event  in  his  ministry, 
that  is  particularly  worthy  of  notice,  relates  to  his  pecu- 
niary support  during  the  trying  period  of  the  American 
Revolution.  The  inability  of  the  people  to  pay  his  salary 
when  due,  and  the  advanced  price  demanded  for  all  the 
necessaries  of  life,  were  difficulties  that  he  could  not  sur- 
mount, and  he  was  therefore  compelled  to  ask  of  the 
district  some  direct  action  in  his  behalf.  At  first  his  peti- 
tion was  dismissed,  but  afterwards  it  was  voted  to  pay  him 
£66  13s.  4d.,  exclusive  of  his  regular  salary,  for  one  year. 
With  this,  Mr.  Whitney  was  not  satisfied,  and  proposed  to 
the  district  either  to  grant  him  a  dismission,  or  meet  his 
present  demand  with  something  like  a  generous  appropri- 
ation. The  district  very  decidedly  voted  not  to  dismiss 
their  pastor,  but  to  raise  the  special  appropriation  to  £133 
6s.  4d.  Owing,  however,  to  the  great  depreciation  in 
paper  money,  Mr.  Whitney  found  even  these  enlarged 
means  entirely  inadequate  to  his  wants ;  this  fact  he  com- 
municated to  the  district,  whereupon  it  was  voted  to  raise 
something  more  to  remunerate  the  pastor.  This  indefinite 
action  brought  out  from  Mr.  Whitney  the  following  letter 
which  we  copy  from  the  records  of  the  district. 

"Shirley,  March  26,  1778. 

"To  THE  Inhabitants  of  the  District  of  Shirley  : 

"  Gentlemen : — I  have  been  made  acquainted  by  your 
committee  of  what  you  have  done  for  me  by  way  of  sub- 
scription, in  addition  to  ni}'  former  stipulated  salary,  upon 


224  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

the  account  of  the  extraordinary  price  of  the  necessaries  of 
Hfe.  I  tind  it  amounts  to  £86  12s.  4d.  The  terms  upon 
which  you  offer  it,  as  mentioned  in  your  subscription 
papers,  are  not  so  clearly  expressed  but  that  they  might 
leave  room  for  dispute  afterward  ;  to  prevent  dispute  I  would 
observe  to  you,  I  suppose  the  subscription  was  designed 
for  my  present  year's  salary.  As  such  I  accept  it,  unless 
the  district  shall  think  proper,  at  their  present  meeting,  to 
adopt  some  other  method  for  my  support,  more  to  their 
own  as  well  as  to  my  satisfaction.  If  I  have  the  subscrip- 
tions I  expect  the  papers  will  be  left  open,  and  I  shall  be 
entitled  to  what  may  be  yet  added  to  the  subscription, — 
which  I  must  promise  myself  will  be  considerable,  con- 
sidering that  there  are  about  one-third  of  the  district,  and 
many  of  them  able  persons,  [who]  have  not  subscribed 
anything  at  all — and  considering  what  is  subscribed  is  not 
half  enough  to  make  my  salary  what  it  was  formerly. 
But  as  small  as  it  may  be,  if  paid  together  with  my 
former  stipulated  salary,  I  expect  and  engage  to  give  you 
a  receipt  in  full  for  my  year's  salary  ;  that  is,  from  the  23d 
of  June  1777,  to  the  23d  of  June  1778.  But  if  little  or  no 
addition  is  made,  in  any  way,  to  the  subscription,  and  the 
times  do  not  alter,  you  must  not  blame  me  if  I  don't  trust 
your  generosity  so  late  another  year,  nor  if  I  continue  to 
pay  some  small  attention  to  some  other  business  which 
may  assist  a  little  to  support  me  ;  but  on  the  other  hand,  if 
any  of  you  make  my  support  anything  near  so  good  as  it 
formerly  was,  I  shall  have  reason  again  to  trust  your  gen- 
erosity, and  shall  lay  aside  every  business  which  may 
hinder  me  in  your  service,  and  devote  m3^self  as  much  to 
the  work  of  the  ministry  as  my  health  will  admit.  This, 
gentlemen,  from  your  sincere  friend   and   servant   in  the 

gospel, 

P.  Whitney." 

The  matter  was  finally  adjusted  by  a  committee  of 
live  persons,  appointed  to  confer  with  Mr.  Whitney  ;  his 
necessities  were    duly    considered,   and  met  by  proposals 


REV.   PHINEHAS  WHITNEY. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  225 

that  were  satisfactory  to  him.  The  result  was  then  em- 
bodied in  a  report  and  submitted  for  the  action  of  the  dis- 
trict, at  a  meeting  appointed  for  the  purpose,  June  21,  1779. 
The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  report : 

"We,  the  subscribers,  being  appointed  a  committee  to 
confer  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Whitney  upon  the  second  article 
of  the  warrant  for  the  district  meeting  of  the  17th  inst., 
which  article  refers  to  his  salary,  report  as  follows,  viz  : 
That  we  find  Mr.  Whitney  is  desirous  of  doing  no  busi- 
ness for  his  support  that  in  any  measure  interferes  with  his 
ministerial  work.  This  committee  are  of  opinion  that  his 
present  salary  is  entirely  insufficient  for  his  support ;  they 
are  therefore  of  the  opinion  that  the  district  from  the  23d 
day  of  this  instant  June,  during  the  present  war  with  Great 
Britain,  pay  his  salary  of  £66  13s.  4d.  annually,  according 
to  the  price  of  Indian  corn  and  Rie^  reckoning  Indian 
corn  at  £0  2s.  8d.  per  bushel,  and  Ric  £0  4s.  per  bushel, 
said  salary  to  rise  and  fall  as  the  price  of  said  grain  rises 
and  falls ;  also  that  the  price  of  said  grain  be  estimated  by 
the  assessors  annually,  when  the  assessment  is  made  for 
the  payment  of  salar}^ ;  the  salary  being  paid  in  the  fore- 
going manner,  upon  the  following  conditions,  to  which 
Mr.  Whitney  freely  consents,  viz  :  that  there  be  a  deduc- 
tion made  by  the  assessors,  during  the  war,  from  his  salary 
thus  paid,  of  his  full  proportion  of  taxes  assessed  upon  the 
district  according  to  his  estate,  real  and  personal. 

"Obadiah  Sawtell,    "] 

"Francis  Harris, 

"Oliver  Livermore,   \  Committee. 

"John  Longley, 

"Henry  Haskell,        j 

"Shirley,  June  21,  1779." 

The  above  report  was  unanimously  accepted,  and  the 
following  vote  was  unanimously  passed  : 

"Voted  that  the  thanks  of  the  district  be  given  to  the 
Rev.   Mr.   Whitney  for  his   generous  and    truly  patriotic 

21) 


226  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

spirit  and  disposition,  in  being  willing  to  bear  his  equal 
proportion  of  the  very  extraordinary  heavy  taxes  his 
people  are  laboring  under  at  this  distressing  time. 

"Obadiah  Sawtell,  Dis.  Clerk.'' 

There  ended  all  difficulties  in  relation  to  the  salary  of 
Mr.  Whitney.  He  found  a  competent  support  until  many 
years  afterward;  when,  on  account  of  physical  infirmity, 
he  was  obliged  to  hire  supplies  from  abroad,  being  himself 
unable  to  preach.  He  asked  assistance  on  this  account, 
and  $ioo  was  readily  voted  for  the  purpose. 

There  are  a  few  events  connected  with  the  ministry  of 
Mr.  Whitney,  of  no  great  importance  in  themselves,  3'et 
worthy  of  a  place  of  perpetual  record.  They  are  here 
introduced  without  much  regard  to  chronological  arrange- 
ment. 

It  has  been  said  that,  at  the  formation  of  the  Church, 
Mr.  John  Longle}'  and  Mr.  Hezekiah  Sawtell  were  ap- 
pointed deacons.  John  Ivory  was  appointed  to  the  same 
office,  Dec.  2,  1777.  Deacon  Ivory  was  a  well  instructed 
man,  of  his  time,  was  for  several  years  clerk  of  the  district, 
and  entered  his  public  records  with  a  precision  and  chirog- 
raphy  that  far  excelled  any  other  who  held  that  office  in 
remote  times.  Joseph  Brown  was  elected  a  deacon  July 
5,  1784.  He  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-seven 
years,  and  remained  in  office  to  the  close  of  his  life.  The 
last  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  at  which  he  offici- 
ated, occurred  but  a  few  weeks  before  his  death.  John 
Heald  was  chosen  to  the  office  of  deacon  September  13, 
1790,  making  five,  in  all,  who  officiated  in  this  capacity 
during  the  ministry  of  the  first  pastor. 

In  1777,  December  2, — fifteen  years  after  the  settlement 
of  Mr.  Whitney,  and  twent3'-four  years  after  the  building 
of  the  first  meeting-house, — the  following  entry  was  made 
in  the  records  of  the  church  :  "It  was  put  to  vote  to  see  if 
the  church  would  agree  to  sing  Dr.  Watts'  version  of  the 
Psalms,  and  it  passed  in  the  affirmative."  It  is  supposed 
that  the  version  of  "Tate  and  Brady"  had  been  in  use  pre- 
viously. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  227 

During  the  early  years  of  this  church,  congregational 
sinking  was  exclusively  practiced  in  the  worship  of  the 
sanctuary.  The  senior  deacon  read  the  psalm  or  hymn — 
a  line  at  a  time — and  all  the  people  who  could  sing  fol- 
lowed with  such  harmony  as  their  abilities  could  com- 
mand. In  1786  it  was  decided  that  this  essential  part 
of  the  sabbath  services  should  be  conducted  by  a  select 
choir,  and  that  the  back  seats  in  the  front  gallery  should 
be  exclusively  appropriated  to  the  use  of  the  singers.  As 
this  measure  received  some  opposition  from  persons  who 
had  occupied  those  seats,  it  was  conceived  proper  to  bring 
the  matter  before  the  people  at  a  regular  town-meeting. 
The  following  article  was  accordingly  introduced  into  a 
warrant  calling  a  town-meeting  : 

"To  see  if  the  town  will  vote  the  two  hind  seats  in  the 
front  gallery,  to  be  fitted  for  the  use  of  the  singers,  instead 
of  the  two  hind  seats  on  the  lower  floor."  The  meeting 
"voted  to  choose  a  committee  to  confer  with  the  singers 
about  the  carrying  on  that  part  of  worship,  and  concerning 
their  seat,  and  report  at  the  next  meeting." 

The  committee  submitted  the  following  report : 

"We,  the  subscribers,  being  a  committee  to  agree  with 
sundry  persons  respecting  an  article  in  a  warrant  for  the 
last  meeting  of  the  town,  respecting  a  convenient  seat  for 
the  singers  ;  having  attended  to  that  service,  beg  leave  to 
report, — that  having  held  a  conference  with  them,  we  have 
agreed  that  the  two  hind  seats  in  the  front  gallery  be  made 
into  a  proper  pew,  with  a  table  suitable  for  them,  or  con- 
venient for  books,  and  they  take  the  said  pew  for  their 
seats  so  long  as  they  serve  in  singing. 

"John  Kelsey,  ^ 

"Obadiah  Sawtell,    >  Committee, 
"James  Dickerson,     3 

"Shirley,  April  y^  13,  1786." 

This  report  was  accepted ;  yet,  as  the  persons  who 
were  removed  from  their  seats  by  the  change  were  disaf- 
fected, the  matter  was  again  brought  before  the  town  at  a 


228  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

meeting  held  in  October  of  the  aforesaid  year.  It  was, 
however,  voted  not  to  rescind  the  former  vote,  and  the 
singers  were  accordingly  established  in  the  front  gallery 
for  all  coming  time. 

April  24th,  1787,  after  many  unsuccessful  trials,  it 
was  voted  by  the  town  to  purchase  a  bass-viol,  "for  the  use 
of  the  meeting-house."  Capt.  Thomas  Whitney,  Jonas 
Livermore  and  Nathaniel  Holden  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  select  and  purchase  said  instrument.  A  chest 
was  made — at  the  expense  of  the  pastor — for  the  safe- 
keeping of  the  viol  when  not  in  use.  This  same  instru- 
ment continued  to  accompany  the  voices  of  the  choir  down 
to  the  year  1842,  and  for  forty  years  was  conducted  by  the 
same  individual,  David  Livermore.  The  people  of  Shir- 
ley were  so  much  gratified  when  any  improvements  could 
be  made  in  their  church  harmony  that  no  religious  scruples 
stood  in  the  way  of  introducing  instrumental  music,  as  was 
the  case  in  many  of  the  New-England  towns. 

Sometime  in  the  early  part  of  Mr.  Whitney's  ministry 
a  Mr.  Samuel  Barron  of  Groton  presented  to  the  church 
in  Shirley  a  note  of  £1  6s.  8d.,  which  was  placed  in  the 
hands  of  Deacon  John  and  Mr.  Jonas  Longley,  and  was 
upon  interest  for  several  years.  At  a  church  meeting 
holden  July  5th,  1784,  it  was  "voted  to  collect  this  money, 
and  purchase  linen  for  the  communion  table,  and  to  lay  out 
the  residue  for  cups,  etc.,  for  the  use  of  the  church." 

At  a  subsequent  period  the  church  received  the  gift 
of  a  flagon  for  the  communion  table,  from  another  gentle- 
man of  Groton  ;  of  which,  however,  no  record  appears 
upon  the  church  book.  The  vessel  bears  upon  its  front 
the  following  inscription  : 

"the    gift    of    capt.   B.   BANCROFT    OF    GROTON, 
TO    THE    CHURCH    IN    SHIRLEY." 

During  the  years  of  Mr.  Whitney's  ministry  previous 
to  June  23d,  1802,  tzuo  hundred  and  fo7'ty-scven  per- 
sons made  a  profession  of  religion,  and  were  united  with 
the  church  ;  and  during  forty-five  years,    which   brought 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  229 

•his  ministry  to  June  23d,  1807,  eight  hundred  and  forty- 
one  persons — infants  and  adults — received  the  seal  of  bap- 
tism. From  that  time  the  record  of  these  events  has  been 
lost.  Thus  the  quiet  and  unostentatious  ministry  of  the 
first  pastor  was  blessed  with  many  precious  results. 

More  than  one-quarter  of  a  century  had  passed  away 
after  the  second  meeting-house  was  completed,  when  a 
plan  of  enlargement  and  improvement  was  proposed. 
The  enlargement  was  to  be  made  by  adding  three  porches, 
to  be  constructed  over  the  three  entrances  to  the  house. 
Two  of  these  were  to  be  of  sufficient  dimensions  to  receive 
the  stairs  leading  to  the  galleries  ;  and  the  stairs  in  the 
interior  were  to  be  removed  to  make  room  for  additional 
pews.  The  porch  upon  the  west  side  of  the  house  was  to 
be  carried  up  into  a  tower,  surmounted  by  a  vane,  etc., 
and  furnished  with  a  belfry.  The  house  was  to  be  further 
improved  by  removing  the  free  seats  from  the  first  floor 
and  supplying  their  places  with  pews ;  and  the  whole 
structure  was  to  be  carefully  underpinned  with  hammered 
granite. 

After  various  struggles  and  controversies  this  entire 
plan  was  adopted  at  a  towfl-meeting  held  in  April,  1804. 
"William  Conant,  Capt.  John  Edgerton  and  Wallis  Little 
were  appointed  a  committee  to  provide  materials  for  the 
work."  It  proved  to  be  a  long  and  tedious  undertaking, 
yet  it  was  finally  effected  according  to  the  plan  as  above 
stated.  The  cost  of  these  improvements  was  not  entered 
upon  the  town  records. 

Wallis  Little,  Esq.,  presented  a  bell  to  the  town,  to 
be  hung  in  the  tower  of  the  newly-modelled  church.  The 
town  acknowledged  the  gift  through  a  committee  ap- 
pointed for  the  purpose.  The  committee  communicated 
with  Mr.  Little  in  the  following  note  : 

"The  subscribers  being  chosen  a  committee  to  thank 
Wallis  Little,  Esq.,  for  the  meeting-house  bell,  we,  in 
behalf  of  the  town,  give  him  our  sincere  thanks  for  his 
generosity  in  presenting  the  town  with  said  bell. 


John  Edgerton,      >  ^  -.^     -> 

..•i  T  i-  Committee. 

Jonas  Livermore,  5 


230  •  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

To  which  communication  the  donor  made  the  follow- 
ing reply  : 

"Gentlemen: — Your  note  as  a  committee  expressing 
the  thanks  of  the  town  of  Shirley  for  the  bell  given  them 
by  me  for  the  use  of  the  town,  I  receive  without  ostenta- 
tion, having  only  the  good  of  the  town  in  view.  I  dread 
not  the  censure  of  the  malicious,  nor  court  the  applause  of 
any,  but  am  grateful  for  the  approbation  of  my  friends, 
and  they  are  welcome  to  the  gift.  Accept,  gentlemen,  my 
sincere  wishes  for  your  prosperity.  I  am,  gentlemen, 
your  humble  servant,  "Wallis  Little. 

;;Capt  John  Edgerton,  >  Committee. 
Mr.  Jonas  Livermore,  5 

"Shirley,  April  4,  1808." 

Mr.  Whitney  had  continued  to  perform  the  entire 
d*ities  of  his  office  for  more  than  Ibrty  years  when  he  was 
attacked  with  paralysis,  which  impaired  his  speech  and 
rendered  him  unable  to  conduct  the  services  of  public 
worship.  He  was  consequently  obliged  to  ask  assistance 
of  the  town  in  supplying  the  pulpit  wdth  preachers.  Help 
was  afforded  from  time  to  time,  but  the  wiser  part  saw  the 
necessity  of  re-establishing  a  permanent  ministry,  and  this 
they  proposed  to  do  by  settling  a  colleague  "with  their 
aged  and  infirm  pastor."  To  effect  this  object  a  town- 
meeting  was  held  September  23,  1811.  It  was  "voted  to 
choose  a  committee  to  consult  with  a  Mr.  White  respecting 
settling  in  the  ministry  in  this  place."  "Joshua  Longley, 
Esq.,  Wallis  Little,  Esq.,  Mr.  Nath'  Livermore  and  Mr. 
Nath'  Holden  were  appointed  for  said  committee."  It  is, 
however,  presumed  that  nothing  was  effected,  as  the  town 
records  contain  no  further  reference  to  the  candidate. 

About  this  time  disturbances  began  to  occur  in  town, 
occasioned  by  the  prospect  that  a  large  increase  of  cost 
would  be  incurred  for  the  support  of  public  worship. 
Mr.    Whitney,    though    unable    to    preach,    could    by   the 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  231 

terms  of  his  settlement  claim  his  salary  during  life  ;  and 
if  a  colleague  were  to  be  settled  the  expense  of  the  min- 
istry would  be  more  than  doubled.  To  bring  about  a 
reconciliation  Mr.  Whitney  made  the  following  generous 
proposal : 

"To  the  Selectmen  of  the  tow^n  of  Shirley — to  be  com- 
municated to  the  inhabitants  in  town-meeting  assembled  : 

"Shirley,  November  12,  1812. 
"To  THE  Inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Shirley: 

^"^  Gentlemen  : — I  have  been  anxiously  concerned  to  have 
public  worship  carried  on  in  this  place  ever  since,  by 
the  providence  of  God,  I  have  been  unable  to  lead  in  it 
myself.  You  have  been  supplied  more  than  twenty  sab- 
baths without  any  expense  to  the  town  ;  and  I  now  expect 
the  pulpit  will  be  supplied  a  considerable  time  yet  to  come 
by  the  kindness  and  charity  of  Congregational  ministers  ; 
and  I  would  further  observe  that  if  I  should  increase  in 
health  and  strength  a  few  months  to  come,  as  I  have  for 
several  months  past,  it  is  very  probable  that  I  shall  be 
able  to  perform  the  public  services  of  the  sanctuary  my- 
self. But,  considering  my  age  and  infirmities,  I  sincerely 
wish  to  have  you  settle  another  minister  in  this  town  as 
soon  as  you  can.  And  I  now^  renew  the  offer  that  I  made 
by  your  committee  last  year,  that  if  the  town  will  settle 
another  minister  with  me  that  is  not  yet  fifty  years  old, 
and  one  whom  the  neighboring  churches  shall  approve,  I 
will,  from  the  day  of  his  ordination,  relinquish  one-half  of 
my  salary  forever  thereafter.  I  would  further  observe, 
such  is  my  solicitude  for  the  welfare  and  order  of  the 
town,  that  I  should  willingly  relinquish  the  w'hole  salary 
if  they  would  settle  another  regular  minister, — if  I  could 
do  it  and  do  justice  to  myself,  my  family  and  my  creditors. 
Wishing  you  divine  direction,  I  subscribe  myself  your 
affectionate  pastor, 

"Phinehas  Whitney." 


232  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

This  friendly  and  unimpassioned  appeal  to  the  good 
sense  of  the  people  was  not  entirely  without  effect.'  The 
pulpit  was  supplied  for  about  two  years  by  labors  of  love 
from  neighboring  clergymen,  by  lay  services,  by  town 
appropriations,  and  by  private  subscriptions.  The  minds 
of  the  people  were  then  favorably  disposed  for  renewing 
the  attempt  to  establish  a  regular  ministration  of  the  word 
and  ordinances.  Rev.  William  Bascom  had  just  received 
a  dismission  from  the  Congregational  Church  in  Fitch- 
burg,  and  was  regarded  by  the  church  in  Shirley  as  best 
fitted  to  labor  here  in  the  offices  of  pastor  and  religious 
teacher.  Accordingly  a  town-meeting  was  held,  and  with 
the  following  result : 

"Sept.  14,  1814.  Voted,  to  give  Rev.  William  Bascofn 
a  call  to  settle  in  the  gospel  ministry  in  this  place,  as  col- 
league with  Rev.  P.  Whitney,  and  that  a  committee  of 
live  be  appointed  to  carry  this  vote  into  effect."  "Voted 
that  Joshua  Longley,  Esq.,  Wallis  Little,  Esq.,  James 
Parker,  Thomas  Whitney  and  Nathaniel  Holden  be  this 
committee." 

Before,  however,  any  action  could  be  taken  the  chair- 
man of  the  committee  died  very  suddenly,  and  Nathaniel 
Day  was  chosen  in  his  place.  On  the  day  of  the  above- 
named  meeting  the  church  was  convened,  and  the  follow- 
ing is  from  the  records  of  their  proceedings  : 

"After  addressing  the  throne  of  grace  for  direction,  it 
was  voted,  to  proceed  to  give  the  Rev.  William  Bascom  an 
invitation  to  settle  as  colleague  with  the  aged  and  infirm 
pastor  of  the  Church  and  Christian  Society  in  Shirley." 

These  rich  anticipations  were  doomed  to  be  disap- 
pointed owing,  most  probably,  to  a  neglect  in  carrying  the 
plan  into  immediate  execution.  The  candidate  was  soon 
employed  and  settled  in  another  town,  and  full  half  a  year 
rolled  away  before  the  subject  was  again  brought  forward. 
At  the  town-meeting  in  May,  1815,  it  was  "voted  that  the 
town  hire  six  months'  preaching  and  hear  candidates." 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  233 

Within  one-half  of  this  time  the  right  man  came,  as 
we  should  infer  from  the  ecclesiastical  records  which 
follow  : 

"Aug.  14,  1815.  Voted  to  give  Mr.  Samuel  Howe 
Tolman  a  call  to  settle  as  colleague  with  Mr.  Whitney,  in 
this  place,  in  the  gospel  ministry. 

"Voted  to  accept  the  report  of  the  committee,  chosen 
to  consider  and  report  what  sum  is  necessary  for  the  town 
to  give  Mr.  Samuel  Howe  Tolman,  as  a  salary  and  settle- 
ment, which  report  is  as  follows : — We,  a  committee 
chosen  at  a  legal  town-meeting  on  Monday,  the  fourteenth 
day  of  August,  in  the  3'ear  one  thousand,  eight  hundred 
and  fifteen,  to  take  into  consideration  and  report  to  the 
town  what  measures  are  best  to  be  taken,  and  what  salary 
and  settlement  to  propose  to  Mr.  Samuel  Howe  Tolman 
to  settle  as  a  colleague  with  the  Rev.  Phinehas  Whitney  in 
the  ministry,  in  the  town  of  Shirley,  report  as  follows  : 

"i.  That  the  town  give  him,  the  said  Samuel  Howe 
Tolman,  as  a  salary  during  the  life  of  Mr.  Whitney,  one 
hundred  seventy-seven  dollars  and  seventy-eight  cents ; 
and,  at  the  decease  of  Mr.  Whitney,  an  additional  sum  of 
two  hundred  and  twenty-two  dollars  and  twenty-two  cents, 
and  ten  cords  of  wood  ;  in  the  whole,  after  the  decease  of 
Mr.  Whitney,  four  hundred  dollars  and  ten  cords  of  wood, 
to  be  paid  him  annually  so  long  as  he  supplies  the  pulpit 
and  does  the  duties  of  a  faithful  congregational  minister  in 
the  town  of  Shirley. 

"2.  That  Rev.  Mr.  Whitney  make  over  one-half  of 
his  salary  in  ever}'  part  (which  he  has  proposed  to  the 
congregation,  to  settle  a  colleague)  to  Mr.  Tolman,  in 
writing,  in  consideration  of  his  settling  as  a  colleague  with 
him  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  the  town  of  Shirley, 
during  the  life  of  said  Whitne3^ 

"3.     That,  in  lieu  of  a  settlement,  the  town  of  Shirley 

purchase    a    real    estate,  of  the   value   of  fifteen    hundred 

dollars,  for  a  parsonage   for  the  congregational   minister, 

for  his  use  and  improvement  as  long  as    he  supplies  the 

30 


234  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

pulpit  and  does  the  duties  of  the  office  of  a  faithful  min- 
ister ;  but  still  to  remain  the  property  of  the  town  forever. 
Said  purchase,  if  accepted  by  the  town,  to  be  made  within 
one  year  after  the  ordination  ;  or,  if  not  done  at  that  time, 
to  pay  four  per  cent,  until  it  is  completed. 

"To  be  left  at  the  option  of  the  town  to  pay  twenty 
dollars,  or  ten  cords  of  wood  as  mentioned  above,  after 
Mr.  Whitney's  decease. 

"Nathaniel  Holden, 
"Thomas  Whitney, 
"Nathaniel  Livermore, 
"Wallis  Little, 
"David  Livermore, 
"Matthew  Clark, 
"John  Walker, 
"Francis  D wight, 
"James  Parker,  Jr., 
"Edmond  Staples, 
"James  Parker." 

The  terms  proposed  to  Mr.  Tolman — as  given  in  the 
above  report — received  the  following  modification  at  a  sub- 
sequent meeting  of  the  town  : 

"Sept.  19,  1815.  Voted  to  Mr.  Samuel  Howe  Tolman 
the  complete  interest  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  annually, 
so  long  as  he  supplies  the  pulpit  and  does  the  duties  of  a 
faithful  congregational  minister  in  this  place, — instead  of 
purchasing  a  parsonage  to  that  amount  and  giving  him 
the  use  and  improvement  of  it,  as  it  was  voted  in  the  town- 
meeting  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  August,  last  past ;  and 
also  that  the  town  will  grant  him  two  or  three  sabbaths  to 
be  absent  from  the  pulpit  if  necessary. 

"Voted  to  choose  a  committee  to  consult  with  Mr. 
Tolman  and  appoint  a  day  for  his  ordination.  Chose  Mr. 
David  Livermore,  Wallis  Little,  Esq.,  and  Mr.  Matthew 
Clark,  committee. 

"Voted  that  the  selectmen  be  a  committee  to  let  out  the 
entertainment  of  the  council  for  the  ordination. 

"The  committee  that  was  appointed  to  consult  with  Mr. 
Tolman    and   appoint  a   day  for   his   ordination,   reported 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  235 

verbally  that  they  had  met  and  consulted  him  on  that  sub- 
ject, and  had  appointed  Wednesday,  the  twenty-fifth  day 
of  October  next,  for  the  day  of  his  ordination. 

"Attest,  Thomas  Whitney,  Town  Clerk," 

The  church  voted  its  concurrence  with  the  foregoing 
action  of  the  town,  at  a  meeting  convened  August  14th, 
1815  : 

"After  addressing  the  throne  of  grace  for  direction — 
"i.     Voted  unanimously  to  give  Mr.  Samuel  H.  Tol- 
man,  of  Winchendon,  an  invitation  to   settle   as   colleague 
with    the    aged    and   infirm    pastor   over  the   Church   and 
Christian  Society  in  Shirley. 

"2.  Voted  to  choose  a  committee  of  three,  viz  : 
Wallis  Litde,  Esq.,  Matthew  Clark,  and  brother  Nathaniel 
Holden  to  present  Mr.  Tolman,  at  a  proper  time,  with  a 
copy  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Church  on  this  occasion. 

"A  true  copy:  Attest,  Phinehas  Whitney,  Pastor.'' 

An  ordination,  in  those  days,  was  of  such  rare  occur- 
rence that  it  called  out  a  large  Concourse  of  people.  At 
an  early  hour,  on  the  appointed  day,  the  common  swarmed 
with  life  and  the  meeting-house  was  filled  to  overflow^ing 
with  persons  anxious  to  witness  the  imposing  ceremonies. 

The  venerable  council  assembled  at  the  house  of 
Stephen  Longley,  Esq.,  to  deliberate  on  the  momentous 
duties  of  setting  apart  a  brother  Levite,  by  solemn  conse- 
cration, to  the  work  of  the  gospel  ministry.  The  record 
declares  that — 

"At  an  ecclesiastical  council  in  Shirley,  Oct.  25,  1815, 
agreeably  to  letters  missive  : — The  council  was  organized 
by  choosing  Rev.  John  Bullard,  moderator,  and  the  Rev. 
Levi  Pilsberry,  scribe.  The  following  churches  were 
present  by  the  pastors  and  delegates,  viz  :  The  church 
in  Groton  —  church  in  Pepperell  —  church  in  Rindge — 
church   in   Lancaster  —  church   in   Townsend  —  church  in 


236  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Leominster  —  church   in   Hingham  —  church  in  Antrim — 
church  in  Lunenburg — church  in  Winchendon. 

"The  council  united  with  the  moderator  in  addressing 
the  throne  of  divine  grace,  for  aid  and  direction  in  the 
solemn  transactions  of  the  day." 

After  attending  to  the  usual  preliminaries,  "The 
council  assigned  the  following  pastors  to  take  parts  in  the 
exercises  of  the  ordination  : 

"Rev.  Seth  Payson,  D.  D.,  to  make  the  introductory 
prayer. 

"Rev.  John  M.  Whiton  to  preach  the  sermon. 

"Rev.  John  Bullard  to  make  the  ordaining  prayer. 

"Rev.  Daniel  Chaplin  to  give  the  charge. 

"Rev.  David  Damon  to  give  the  right-hand  of  fellow- 
ship. 

"Rev.  Nicholas  B.  Whitney  to  make  the  concluding 
prayer. 

"John  Bullard,  Moderator. 

"Levi  Pilsberry,  Scribe.^'' 

The  expense  incurred  for  entertaining  the  council  was 
sixty  dollars.  The  serAon,  charge  and  right-hand  of 
fellowship  were  printed,  at  the  expense  of  the  church,  for 
general  distribution. 

The  settlement  of  a  colleague  formed  a  new  era  in 
the  ecclesiastical  history  of  the  town,  and  was  an  event  to 
which  the  aged  senior  pastor  had  long  looked  with  anxiety 
and  hope.  Bowed  down,  as  he  was,  with  the  weight  and 
infirmity  of  years,  and  unable,  for  a  single  occasion,  to 
conduct  the  services  of  the  sanctuary,  he  had  striven  to 
persuade  his  people  to  re-establish  the  ministry  on  a  per- 
manent basis,  by  having  one  with  them  on  whom  they 
might  rely  for  all  the  duties  that  belong  to  the  sacred 
office.  His  mind  was  now  relieved  of  its  burden  of  offi- 
cial cares,  which  were  hereafter  to  be  borne  by  one  freshly 
entered  into  the  service.  And  as  the  venerable  man 
beheld  his  young  associate  putting  on  the  harness  of  the 
spiritual   soldier,   he  could   not  fail    to   mentally  exclaim. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  237 

with   old    Simeon:    "Lord,    now  lettest  thou   thy   servant 
depart  in  peace." 

But  the  next  chapter  will  show  the  fallaciousness  of 
all  such  hopes,  as  it  records  the  dismission  of  the  young 
colleague  before  the  death  of  his  aged  senior. 


CHAPTER   III. 

Ministry  and   Dismission    of  Mr.    Tohnan — Death    and 
Character  of  Mr.   Whitney. 

At  the  time  of  the  settlement  of  Mr.  Tolman  the  lines 
between  the  Calvinistic  and  liberal  parts  of  the  Congre- 
gational body  had  not  been  established,  and  hence  the 
orthodoxy  or  heterodoxy  of  his  faith  were  not  a  subject 
of  discussion.  It  was  only  supposed  necessary  to  have  a 
Congregational  minister,  and  the  spiritual  wants  of  the 
great  majority  would  be  met  and  supplied. 

But  it  was  soon  ascertained  that  the  sentiments  of  Mr. 
Tolman — and  his  manner  of  presenting  Christian  truth — 
were  widely  different  from  those  clergymen  by  whom  the 
Shirley  pulpit  had  been  supplied.  High  Calvinism  seemed 
to  be  brought  in  competition  with  a  liberal  Arminianism, 
which  gradually  disturbed  the  harmony  that  ought  to  have 
subsisted  between  the  church  and  its  newly  elected  pastor. 
He  was,  however,  regarded  a  man  of  piety,  whose  walk 
— both  in  the  church  and  in  the  world — was  according  to 
godliness ;  hence  he  was  much  respected  as  a  man  by 
those  who  doubted  the  correctness  of  his  religious  opin- 
ions. 

By  consulting  the  records  kept  by  Mr.  Tolman  we 
have  found  that  during  his  ministry  one  of  his  deacons, 
John  Heald,  and  his  daughter,  Elenor  Bowers,  sepa- 
rated themselves  from  his  church,  on  account  of  his  faith 


238  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

and  preaching,  and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  Lunenburg.  The  reasons  for  this  step  were  embodied 
in  a  letter  addressed  to  the  church,  by  the  dissenters,  the 
principal  one  of  which  was,  "that  the  doctrines  of  Calvin- 
ism were  taught  in  the  ministrations  of  Mr.  Tolman." 
Whereupon  the  church  took  the  following  action  in 
relation  to  the  delinquents. 

"Shirley,  September  5,  1816.  The  church  after  the 
preparatory  lecture,  met,  at  which  time  a  paper,  without 
any  date,  signed  by  Dea.  John  Heald  and  Elenor  Bowers, 
was  read.  The  church,  after  hearing  it  read  a  number  of 
times,  and  deliberating  upon  it,  passed  the  following 
votes,  namely: — Voted,  i.  That  the  church  consider  the 
conduct  of  Dea.  John  Heald,  and  Elenor  Bowers  his 
daughter,  irregular  and  highly  disapprove  of  it ;  because 
they  have,  for  a  long  time,  withdrawn  from  the  ordinances 
of  the  Gospel  administered  in  this  place,  and  have  violated 
their  covenant  obligations ;  and  because  they  would  not 
return  to  their  duty,  after  having  been  visited  by  their  ju- 
nior pastor  and  Dea.  Brown. 

"2.  Voted  that  Dea.  J.  Heald  be  no  longer  an  officer 
of  this  church." 

At  the  commencement  of  the  fourth  year  of  his  min- 
istry Mr.  Tolman  found  the  dissatisfaction  of  his  people 
increased  to  such  a  degree  as  to  render  a  continuance  of 
his  union  with  them  unpleasant  to  himself  and  unprotitable 
to  them.  This  was  occasioned  in  a  great  degree  by 
the  inability  of  the  town  to  support  two  pastors  after  the 
Shakers  and  Universalists  had  withdrawn  and  established 
altars  peculiar  to  their  own  faith.  Accordingly  he  requested 
a  dismission  from  the  pastoral  office.  The  church  records 
contain  the  following  entries,  in  relation  to  this  event  : 

"Shirley,  January  31,  1819.  The  church  tarried  after 
the  blessing  was  pronounced.  The  junior  pastor  then  re- 
quested that  the  ministerial  relation  between  them  and 
himself  be  dissolved.  The  church  then  proceeded  to  act 
upon  the  request  of  their  pastor  in  the  following  manner, 
namely:    i.     Voted,    unanimously,    to  grant    their    junior 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  239 

pastor  his  request,  and  to  unite  with  him  in  calhng  an 
ecclesiastical  council,  that  he  may  be  regularly  dismissed 
and  recommended  to  other  churches. 

"2.  Voted  to  choose  a  committee  of  three  to  confer 
with  their  pastor  in  appointing  the  council,  and  chose 
Dea.  Brown,  Nathaniel  Holden,  Esq.  and  Thomas  Whit- 
ney, Esq.     The  meeting  was  then  adjourned  sine  die. 

"Samuel  H.  Tolman,  'Jun.  Pastor."" 

The  records  of  the  council  are  here  introduced  as  an 
interesting  historical  item  of  the  times,  and  as  an  indica- 
tion of  the  ministerial  standing  and  christian  character  of 
Mr.  Tolman.  This  result  was  drawn  up  by  the  scribe  of 
the  council,  who  well  knew  Mr.  Tolman,  and  who  would 
not  be  persuaded  to  give  an  exaggerated  picture  of  the 
subject  submitted  to  him. 

"result  of  an  ecclesiastical  counxtl  convened  at 
shirley,  february  i7,  1819. 

"At  an  ecclesiastical  council  convened  at  the  house  of 
Thomas  Whitney,  Esq.,  by  virtue  of  letters  missive  from 
the  junior  pastor  and  church  of  Christ  in  Shirley,  were 
present : 

"Rev.  Daniel  Chaplin,  D.  D.  \c-  \ 

"Dea.  Samuel  Lawrence,  delegate,  \ 

"Rev.  John  Bullard,  >  p  ,, 

"Dea.  Jonas  Parker,  delegate,  \      ^^ 

"Rev.  David  Damon,  >  t  i. 

"i:)        -n  T3  J   1        ^  >  Lunenburg. 

Bro.  Peter  Brown,  delegate,  5 

"The  council  formed  by  choosing  Rev.  Daniel  Chap- 
lin, D.  D.,  moderator,  and  Rev.  David  Damon,  scribe. 
The  moderator  then  addressed  the  throne  of  grace  in 
prayer.  Then  proceeded  to  hear  a  statement  from  the 
junior  pastor  and  a  committee  of  the  church,  by  which  it 
appeared  that  the  junior  pastor  had  requested  to  be  dis- 
missed from  his  pastoral  relation  to  the  church,  and  that 


240  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

the  church  had  voted  unanimously  to  grant  his  request, 
and  to  unite  with  him  in  calling  an  ecclesiastical  council  to 
confirm  their  doings,  and  to  recommend  their  pastor  as  ex- 
pressed in  their  letters  missive  to  the  churches  represented 
in  the  council  ; — and  by  which  statement  it  appeared  also 
that  the  church  and  their  junior  pastor  still  continued  of 
the  same  mind  with  respect  to  his  dismission  and  recom- 
mendation. 

"Whereupon  the  council  voted  unanimously  to  confirm 
the  doings  of  the  church  in  Shirley  and  the  Rev.  Samuel 
H.  Tolman,  their  junior  pastor,  and  that  he  be  hereby  dis- 
missed from  his  pastoral  relation  to  the  church  in  Shirley, 
and  that  we  do  most  cordially  and  cheerfully  recommend 
him  as  expressed  and  embodied  in  this  result. 

"It  is  with  extreme  regret  that  the  council  witness  and 
are  called  to  sanction  the  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  rela- 
tion between  the  Rev.  Samuel  H.  Tolman  and  this  church, 
so  soon  after  his  settlement.  But  notwithstanding  the 
praiseworthy  exertions  of  the  Congregational  Church  and 
Society  in  this  place  to  maintain  him,  a  deficiency  has 
arisen  in  his  support  which  renders  his  dismission  in  our 
view  necessary. 

"Our  regret  on  account  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Tolman's  sepa- 
ration from  this  church  and  people  is  the  more  increased, 
the  more  we  reflect  on  his  piety  and  prudence,  his  exem- 
plary character,  his  engagedness  in  the  cause  of  religion, 
and  his  ministerial  qualifications.  We  live  in  his  imme- 
diate vicinity  ;  we  have  witnessed  his  diligence  and  fidelity 
as  an  ambassador  of  Christ,  from  the  time  of  his  settle- 
ment in  this  place  ;  and  it  is  with  sincere  and  deep  sorrow 
that,  we  contemplate  the  prospect  of  his  removal  from  our 
vicinity.  We  do  assure  our  brethren  in  the  ministry  and 
the  churches  everywhere,  that  his  praise  is  in  all  the 
churches  in  the  neighborhood.  We  have  not  heard  even 
sectarians  allege  anything  against  his  moral  and  religious 
character ;  but,  as  far  as  we  are  informed,  they  with  one 
voice  pronounce  their  belief  that  he  is  a  man  of  God. 
Nor  do  they  except  what  is  involved  in  his  difference  of 
opinion  from  them  respecting  religious  doctrines  and  rites. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  241 

The  confident  hope  that  God  will  make  our  dismissed 
brother  an  instrument  of  great  usefulness  in  some  other 
part  of  the  Christian  vineyard  reconciles  us,  in  some 
measure,  to  the  event  of  his  present  dismission.  We  do 
most  affectionately  recommend  him  to  all  vacant  churches 
of  the  Congregational  order,  and  to  the  ministers  of  the 
gospel  in  general,  as  a  faithful  minister  of  the  new  cove- 
nant, whom  they  may  employ  in  clerical  profession  with- 
out hesitation,  and  who,  we  doubt  not,  will  be  esteemed 
very  highly  in  love  for  his  works'  sake  wherever  he  may 
be  called  in  providence  to  labor. 

'^With  regard  to  the  church  and  people  who  are  now 
left  destitute  of  a  minister  able  to  engage  in  the  active 
duties  of  the  sacred  calling,  we  view  them  as  in  a  situation 
peculiarly  critical.  We  hope,  brethren  and  friends,  that 
you  will  be  duly  sensible  of  your  danger.  Inroads  are 
making  in  almost  every  place  upon  the  congregational 
order.  When  the  members  left  of  our  order  are  few,  as 
they  are  here,  the  danger  is  extreme.  We  beseech  you  to 
keep  together  as  a  religious  society,  to  cultivate  love  one 
to  another,  to  be  very  frequent  and  earnest  in  prayer  to 
God,  in  your  present  destitute  condition.  We  recommend 
to  you  to  maintain  public  worship  as  much  of  the  time  as 
you  are  able  ;  and  we  hope  you  will  steadfastly  aim  at  the 
settlement  of  another  minister  in  this  place ;  use  every 
prudential  means  to  promote  that  desirable  event,  and  es- 
pecially look  to  the  Great  Head  of  the  church  in  prayer, 
beseeching  that  in  due  time  you  may  be  provided  with  a 
pastor  who  shall  break  to  you  the  bread  of  life  and  preach 
to  you  and  your  children  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ.  It  will  be  a  real  grief  of  heart  to  us  to  see  you  in 
a  state  of  complete  religious  anarchy  and  confusion,  des- 
titute of  the  word  and  ordinances  of  the  gospel,  and 
scattered  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd.  We  cannot  con- 
template (and  we  trust  you  do  not)  the  danger  which  you 
and  your  children  are  in  of  falling  into  such  a  state,  with- 
out the  deepest  emotions  of  concern. 


31 


242  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

"We  pray  that  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  would  send 
another  laborer  into  this  part  of  his  vineyard,  and  save 
you  and  the  families  which  are  dear  to  you  from  the  evils 
which  we  fear.  We  hope  you  will  add  your  best  endeav- 
ors to  our  prayers,  and  that  you  will  persevere  in  these 
endeavors — for  in  due  time  3'ou  will  reap  if  you  faint  not. 
We  must  not  despair  concerning  the  final  prosperity  of 
Zion.  The  divine  promise  cannot  fail,  but  will  be  cer- 
tainly fulfilled  to  all  who  earnestly  seek  to  promote  the 
Redeemer's  cause  and  kingdom.  Brethren  and  friends,  we 
commend  you  to  God  and  the  word  of  his  grace  and  to  the 
consolations  of  his  Holy  Spirit. 

"Voted  unanimously. 

"Daniel  Chaplin,  Modcratoi-. 
"David  Damon,  Sa-ibc. 

"Shirley,  Feb.  17,  1819. 

"A  true  Copy  :  Attest,  David  Damon, 

^^  Scribe  of  the  Council." 

At  a  town-meeting  of  the  same  date  a  vote  was  passed 
concurring  with  the  church  and  council  in  their  proceed- 
ings in  relation  to  Mr.  Tolman. 

During  his  ministry  in  this  place — which  lasted  only 
three  and  a  half  years — he  solemnized  Jive  marriages  ;  vq- 
CQ.\\ed  fourteen  persons  into  communion  with  the  church, 
and  conferred  the  seal  of  baptism  upon  thirteen  children. 
Thus  it  is  perceived  that  his  short  ministry  was  blessed  with 
the  fruits  of  spiritual  improvement  to  a  part  of  his  people. 

Mr.  Tolman  was  subsequent!}'  settled  in  Dunstable, 
and  afterwards  removed  to  Merrimack,  N.  H.  Here  he 
preached  for  different  societies  in  that  and  the  neighboring 
towns,  everywhere  eliciting  the  kindness  and  good-will  of 
the  people  to  whom  he  ministered,  until  he  finally  pur- 
chased him  a  home  in  the  town  of  Atkinson,  N.  H.,  to 
which  place  he  removed  in  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  and 
where  he  died,  April  2d,  1856,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years. 

The  senior  pastor  lived  but  a  few  months  after  the  dis- 
mission of  his  colleague.       He  had  long  suffered  from  a 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  243 

paralytic  affection  which  somewhat  affected  his  mental  as 
well  as  his  physical  powers.  He  had  attained  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  four  score  years,  and  seemed  awaiting  the 
time  of  his  departure.  He  was  confined  to  his  house  but 
a  few  da3's  before  his  death,  which  occurred  December  13, 
1819.  On  the  sixteenth  the  funeral  rites  were  solemnized 
in  the  presence  of  a  large  concourse  of  people.  The  body 
of  the  deceased  was  carried  to  the  meeting-house  in  which 
he  had  so  long  officiated  as  pastor.  Prayers  were  offered 
by  the  venerable  Dr.  Chaplin  of  Groton,  and  a  sermon 
was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Foster  of  Littleton,  from 
n  Corinthians,  iv,  7, — "We  have  this  treasure  in  earthen 
vessels."  His  remains  w'ere  borne  to  their  final  resting 
place  by  the  Congregational  ministers  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, who  came  to  sympathize  w^ith  the  bereaved  family 
and  parishioners  of  the  deceased  pastor. 

His  grave  is  in  the  churchyard,  in  the  centre  of  the 
town,  hard  by  the  sanctuary  of  his  former  public  devotions 
and  instructions,  and  is  marked  by  a  plain  marble  slab, 
erected  by  his  eldest  son,  Thomas  Whitney,  Esq.  He  is 
the  only  minister  that  ever  died  in  the  town,  and  his  re- 
mains sleep  in  the  cemetery  that  contains  the  relics  of  his 
family  and  parishioners — to  whom  he  ministered  for  more 
than  half  a  century,  and  who  have  now  been  gathered 
about  him  in  the  place  of  the  dead. 

Mr.  Whitney  had  a  large  family*  and  always  labored 
for  a  small  salary  ;  yet  by  care  and  economy  he  secured 
for  his  children  a  good  education,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  in  possession  of  an  estate  of  considerable  value. 
The  permanency  of  the  relation  between  pastor  and  people, 
in  his  time,  greatly  facilitated  the  means  of  a.  comfortable 
livelihood  to  those  who  entered  the  sacred  calling.  'When 
once  settled  in  a  town  they  supposed  that  they  had  found  a 
home  ;  and  immediately  proceeded  to  purchase  real  estate, 
to  erect  buildings,  if  these  were  needed,  and  to  supply 
themselves  with   the   permanent  temporal  comforts  of  life. 


*See  Genealogical  Register,  Part  III  of  this  History. 


244  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

The  changes  that  have  become  the  order  of  L^ter  times 
are  no  less  prejudicial  to  the  spiritual  interests  of  the  people 
than  to  the  temporal  interests  of  ministers.  Of  late  years 
it  is  almost  impossible  for  a  congregation  to  become 
acquainted  with  their  religious  teacher  before  some  dis- 
affected individuals  will  advocate  his  removal  ;  and  to 
preserve  the  peace,  if  not  the  very  existence  of  a  society, 
it  becomes  necessary  for  him  to  be  at  the  labor  and  expense 
of  finding  a  new  place  and  making  new  acquaintances. 
The  prosperity  of  our  parishes  and  the  usefulness  of  our 
ministers  require  a  return  to  the  paths  of  our  fathers,  in 
regard  to  the  permanency  of  their  relations  as  people  and 
pastor.  This  may  be  effected  by  the  mutual  exercise  of 
the  virtues  of  long-suffering  and  forbearance  ;  and  w^hen  it 
shall  be  done  Zion  will  again  prosper,  and  religion  will 
adorn  her  subjects  with  the  beautiful  garments  of  salvation. 
Mr.  Whitney  held  a  respectable  standing  with  the 
ininisters  in  the  vicinity  of  his  labors.  He  w^as  a  class- 
mate and  particular  friend  of  Rev.  Zabdiel  Adams  ot 
Lunenburg,  and  preached  his  funeral  sermon.  He  as- 
sisted at  the  ordination  of  several  young  men  in  his  neigh- 
borhood and  elsewhere,  and  during  his  entire  life,  although 
he  assented  to  some  important  articles  of  the  ancient  stand- 
ards, was  noted  for  the  liberality  of  his  feelings  and 
intercourse  with  people  of  a  different  faith.  He  seemed 
rooted  and  grounded  in  the  noble  principles  of  Arminian 
Congregationalism,  and  felt  that  on  these  principles  the 
church  militant  could  be  most  securely  established. 

He  gave  the  right-hand  of  fellowship  to  Dr.  Chaplin 
of  Groton,  at  his  ordination,  and  to  Rev.  Mr.  Bullard  of 
Pepperell,  at  his  ordination  ;  and  he  made  the  prayer  of 
consecration,  at  the  ordination  of  Rev.  Dr.  Tha\'er  of 
Lancaster.  The  following  is  a  list  of  his  printed  works  : 
— 1788,  a  charge  at  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Whipple,  in 
Alexandria ;  1800,  sermon  at  the  funeral  of  Rev.  Zab- 
dial  Adams  of  Lunenburg;  1801,  a  charge  at  the  or- 
dination of  Mr.  Smily,  at  Springfield,  Vt.,  and  a  sermon 
at  the  ordination  of  his  son,  at  Hingham. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  245 

The  Sunday  following  the  interment  of  Mr.  Whitney, 
Rev.  Mr.  Bullard  of  Pepperell  preached  in  Shirley,  from 
Zech.  I,  5: — "Your  fathers,  where  are  they?  and  the 
prophets,  do  they  live  forever?" 

^  With  the  death  of  Mr.  Whitney  the  civil  and  ecclesi- 
astical concerns  of  the  town  were  separated,  and  the  in- 
stitutions of  religion  have  since  been  entirel}-  supported  by 
the  voluntary  contributions  of  individuals. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

Shaker  Society — B^'ief  Sketch  of  the  Origin,  Progress 
and  Faith  of  the  Shakers  in  general — History  of  the 
Coninmnity  in  Shirley. 

The  ecclesiastical  unity  of  the  town  was  preserved 
down  to  the  year  1781,  when  the  first  religious  secession 
was  effected  through  the  agency  of  Ann  Lee,  the  distin- 
guished preacher  of  Shakerism  and  founder  of  the  sect 
commonly  called  Shakers.  At  this  early  date  religious 
dissension — which  has  since  been  so  much  deplored  in 
ever}'  section  of  this  Commonwealth — began  in  Shirley, 
and  has  been  carried  to  such  extent  that  a  self-sustainintr 
religious  body  can  scarcely  be  found  in  the  town. 

The  new  order  was  commenced  with  two  families, 
who  lived  in  the  extreme  south  part  of  the  town,  and 
though  an  imposing  establishment  has  grown  out  of  this 
small  beginning,  it  has  never  received  large  accessions 
from  the  immediate  vicinity.  It  has  now  existed  for  a  cen- 
tury, always  sustaining  a  respectable  position  both  in  the 
number  and  character  of  its  supporters. 

As,  however,  it  belongs  to  a  communion  that  has  not 
been  sufficiently  numerous  to  be  well  known,  and  yet  suffi- 
ciently conspicuous  to  be  "everywhere  spoken  against," — 
the    reader's    attention    is    respectfully    invited   to    a    brief 


246  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

sketch  of  the  origin,  past  history,  and  present  standing  of 
that  peculiar  people  who  have  been  variously  denominated, 
United  Friends,  Shakers,  and  Shaking  Qiiakers :  but 
who  denominate  themselves  "The  United  Society  of  Be- 
lievers." 

Like  most  other  sects  of  Christians,  the  Shakers 
claim  close  spiritual  affinity  with  the  apostles  and  primi- 
tive believers.  They  affirm  that  their  mode  of  life  is  more 
in  accordance  with  the  teachings  and  practice  of  the  early 
disciples  than  is  that  of  any  other  branch  of  the.  visible 
church.  With  the  primitive  converts  they  repudiate  war, 
slavery,  and  every  social  vice  ;  they  abstain  from  immoral 
companions  and  associations,  and  "have  all  things  in 
common."  They  do  not  invariably  declare  that  the  apos- 
tles directly  taught  or  practised  celibacy — the  fundamental 
of  their  faith  and  practice — but  they  believe  that  the  New 
Testament  lays  the  foundation  of  an  order  of  things  that 
must  eventually  establish  this  custom,  and  make  it  binding 
on  all  who  shall  claim  spiritual  alliance  with  Christ,  and 
be  of  the  first  resurrection.* 

They  reject,  as  unworthy,  the  great  body  of  Chris- 
tians that  lived  after  the  Roman  Empire  was  converted 
from  idolatry,  because  that  change  connected  the  church 
with  civil  and  political  affairs,  with  which,  they  contend, 
it  has  no  legitimate  affinity.  They  unite  all  the  great 
bodies  of  the  protestant  Reformation  with  the  papists,  as 
members  of  the  kingdom  of  antichrist,  because  they  have 
all  perverted  the  true  object  of  Christian  profession,  and 
have  made  religion  subordinate  to  temporal  purposes  and 
hopes. 

They  believe  that  the  elements  of  the  doctrines  they 
advocate  appeared  in  the  "ascetics  of  China,  Persia  and 
India,"  in  "the  sibyls  and  vestals  of  Rome,"  and  in  "the 
self-denying  Essenes  of  India."  They  affirm  that  these 
elements  appear  more  clearly  in  those  ancient  Christian 
sects  that  bore  the  heretical  names  of  Marcionites,  Mani- 
cheans,    Bogomilians,    and     Catharists ;     and     still     more 


*See  Appendix  U. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  247 

clearly  in  those  of  a  later  date,  styled  Picards,  Wal- 
denses,  Albigenses,  Anabaptists  and  Novatians — particu- 
larly because  these  heretics,  unlike  the  predominating 
sects,  considered  Jesus  Christ  as  a  pattern  of  piety  and 
virtue,  and  not  the  founder  of  a  temporal  hierarchy. 

They  entertain  a  still  stronger  feeling  of  regard  for 
the  early  Methodists,  and  especially  for  the  Quaker  sect, 
established  by  George  Fox,  because  the  latter  repudiate 
oaths,  war,  litigation,  and  various  other  customs  for  which 
no  warrant  can  be  found  in  the  New  Testament. 

The  Shakers  do  not  claim  identity  of  faith  with  any 
of  the  above-named  sects  of  "persecuted  heretics,"  but 
regard  them  as  witnesses  whom  God  has  raised  up,  from 
age  to  age,  to  bear  testimony  against  sin  and  the  reign  of 
antichrist ;  a  testimony  that  has  been  made  perfect  in 
their  faith.  They  date  their  own  origin  back  no  farther 
than  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when  their  new 
light  shone  upon  the  world  through  the  following  singular 
circumstances. 

In  the  year  1688  a  sect  arose  in  France  called 
"Prophets,"  because  they  believed  themselves  inspired  by 
the  Holy  Ghost.  They  soon  became  very  numerous,  and 
by  their  extravagant  conduct  excited  much  attention  and 
exposed  themselves  to  much  persecution.  In  their  worship 
they  trembled,  staggered,  and  fell  down  and  lay  as  though 
dead.  They  recovered,  twitching,  shaking,  and  crying  to 
God  for  mercy  for  themselves  and  for  all  mankind. 
When  they  were  quieted  in  their  bodily  agitations,  thev 
began  to  prophesy.  The  burden  of  their  predictions  was, 
"Amend  your  lives;  repent  ye;  the  end  of  all  things 
draws  nigh  ! "  The  hills  resounded  with  their  loud  cries 
for  mercy  and  imprecations  against  the  priests,  the 
church,  the  pope,  and  against  the  antichristian  dominion, 
with  prophecies  of  the  approaching  fall  of  popery.  Much 
that  they  said  was  heard  with  reverence  and  awe. 

In  the  year  1706  three  or  four  of  these  prophets  went 
over  to  London,  and  carried  with  them  their  prophetic 
spirit.  This  mission  of  the  prophets  was  the  forerunner 
of  Shakerism.     It  was  attended  with  much  excitement  for 


248  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

a  time,  without  leaving  any  permanent  convictions.  At 
length  the  attention  of  two  persons  was  arrested, — James 
Wordley  and  Jane,  his  wife,  who  had  belonged  to  the  sect 
of  Qiiakers,  and  who  resided  in  the  town  of  Bolton. 
Other  kindred  spirits  gathered  around  them,  and  they  had 
social  meetings  and  religious  worship,  somewhat  in  the 
style  of  their  forerunners,  "the  Prophets,"  without  the 
adoption  of  any  systematic  creed,  or  mode  or  time  of 
worship. 

They  expressed  the  firm  belief  that  they  should  soon 
receive  new  light  from  some  source,  and  that  from  a  small 
beginning  God  would  raise  up  to  himself  a  cloud  of  wit- 
nesses, through  whom  light  would  beam  on  a  world 
sunken  in  iniquity  and  guilt.  A  people  actuated  by  such 
a  faith,  and  ever  surrounded  by  opponents  ready  to  scoff 
and  persecute,  must  suffer  much  anxiety  and  trouble  of 
spirit.  They,  however,  maintained  their  faith  and  its 
accompanying  burdens,  for  many  years  ;  occasionally  aug- 
menting their  little  communion  with  converts  from  the 
world.  About  the  year  1770  their  long  expected  help 
came,  in  the  person  of  one  of  their  own  converts. 

This  remarkable  person  was  Ann  Lee,  who  had 
joined  them  with  her  parents,  in  1758,  and  who,  after  a 
probation  of  twelve  years,  became  their  principal  teacher 
and  leader. 

She  had  been  previously  married  to  one  Abraham 
Stanley,  who  had  joined  the  new  communion  with  his 
wife  ;  but  they  now  ignored  the  relations  of  husband  and 
wife,  and  maintained  that  the  time  had  come  when  the  true 
witnesses  could  have  no  other  family  connections  than 
those  of  brothers  and  sisters  ;  that  they  could  no  longer 
"marry  nor  be  given  in  marriage."  By  her  talents  and 
infiuence  she  greatly  increased  the  number  of  believers, 
and  was  received  and  reverenced  as  the  Mother^  or 
spiritual  parent  in  the  line  of  the  female,  and  the  second 
heir  in  the  covenant  of  life  according  to  the  present  dis- 
play of  the  gospel.  Hence  she  has  ever  been  called  by 
the  believers  Mother  Ami. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  249 

Her  success  could  not  remain  long  unobserved  and 
unopposed  by  the  people  among  whom  her  lot  was  cast, 
and  she  soon  fell  into  the  hands  of  mobocrats  whose  tender 
mercies  were  cruelty.  When  assembled  with  her  friends 
on  a  certain  day,  in  her  father's  house,  for  worship,  the 
believers  were  beset  by  a  tumultuous  mob,  at  the  head  of 
which  was  the  warden.  The  door  was  broken  open,  Ann 
Lee  was  seized  and  cast  into  prison.  "The  next  morning 
she  was  taken  from  her  dungeon  and  confined  in  Bedlam^ 
or  the  mad-house,  for  several  weeks,  without  any  suste- 
nance except  what  was  conveyed  to  her  by  putting  the 
stem  of  a  pipe  through  the  key-hole  of  the  prison  door 
and  pouring  milk  and  other  liquid  substances  into  the 
bowl  ; — this  was  done  by  one  of  the  Believers.* 

In  the  course  of  a  few  years  such  proved  the  harm- 
less character  of  the  new  sect  that  persecution  was  sus- 
pended, and  the  Believers  were  allowed  to  worship  God 
without  molestation;  still,  like  the  Puritans  in  Holland, 
they  wished  for  a  larger  field  of  operation,  and  to  breathe 
the  pure  air  of  a  legalized  toleration.  Accordingly,  in 
1774,  "Mother  Ann  received  a  revelation  directing  her  to 
repair  to  America ;  also  that  the  second  Christian  Church 
would  be  established  in  America  ;  that  the  Colonies  would 
gain  their  independence  ;  and  that  liberty  of  conscience 
would  be  secured  to  all  people,  whereby  they  would  be 
able  to  worship  God  without  hindrance." 

Accordingly  she,  with  eight  of  her  followers,  made 
preparations  for  their  voyage,  and  embarked  at  Liverpool, 
May  19th,  1774,  ^^^^  arrived  at  New  York  on  the  6th  of 
the  Ibllowing  August. 

After  two  years  of  suffering,  from  sickness  and 
poverty,  the  little  colony  was  established  in  the  woods  of 
Watervliet,  near  Niskeyuna,  about  seven  miles  northwest 
from  Albany,  upon  land  which  they  had  purchased  for  a 
permanent  home. 

The  country  was  then  involved  in  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  but  such  was  their  retirement  from  the  active 


*See  Appendix  V. 
32 


250  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

concerns  of  the  world  that  they  were  enabled  to  enjo}' 
their  faith  in  peace,  and  by  frugality  and  industry  work 
their  way  to  the  reception  and  enjoyment  of  the  temporal 
comforts  of  life. 

As  one  of  their  number  hath  recorded,  ''Here  the}' 
waited  with  patience  God's  appointed  time  for  the  opening 
of  the  testimony  of  that  everlasting  gospel  for  which  they 
had  already  suffered  so  much,  and  which,  above  all  other 
things,  was  nearest  to  their  hearts.  Here  the}'  occupied 
themselves  in  improving  their  new  settlement  and  pro- 
viding for  their  comfortable  subsistence ;  and  here  they 
held  their  solemn  meetings  and  offered  up  their  devotions 
to  God  full  three  years  and  a  half,  until  the  way  was  pre- 
pared for  the  commencement  of  their  testimony  to  the 
world  in  the  spring  of  the  year  1780." 

About  this  time  there  was  a  religious  awakening  at 
New  Lebanon,  a  town  situated  some  thirty  miles  from  the 
settlement  of  Ann  Lee,  and  some  of  the  subjects  of  this 
revival  visited  the  little  family  at  Watervliet,  and  became 
interested  in  the  Shaker  doctrines  and  worship.  Others 
followed  in  the  same  course,  and  the  result  was  that  many 
of  the  subjects  of  the  recent  revival  became  converts  to 
the  ncza  faith. 

After  this  Ann  Lee,  with  her  elders  and  friends,  led  a 
sort  of  missionary  life,  travelling  in  different  states,  and 
establishing  societies  of  her  faith  wherever  they  could 
interest  a  sufficient  number  to  give  their  testimony  against 
''the  root  of  human  depravity,"  and  unite  their  interests 
with  the  people  of  God.  Among  other  places,  the 
"Believers"  held  forth  in  Hancock,  Tyringham,  Harvard 
and  Shirley  in  Massachusetts,  and  in  Enfield  in  Connecti- 
cut, in  all  of  which  places  proofs  of  their  fidelity  remain 
to  this  day, — if  the  establishment  of  flourishing  societies 
can  be  regarded  as  a  proof  of  fidelity. 

Two  years  and  three  months  were  passed  in  this  mis- 
sionary tour,  when  they  returned  to  their  beloved  home  at 
Watervliet,  from  which  the  "Mother"  went  out  no  more. 
She,  however,  received  great  numbers  of  inquirers  during 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  251 

the  following  year,  from  different  parts  of  the  country 
where  her  testimony  had  been  preached,  whose  minds  she 
instructed  and  whose  faith  she  established.  But  her  own 
end  approached.  She  died  Sept.  8th,  1784,  aged  forty- 
eight  years  and  six  months.  Her  ministry  was  fourteen 
years.  She  was  buried  at  Watervliet,  and  a  humble  stone, 
bearing  the  initials  of  her  name,  marks  the  spot  where  her 
remains  lie  interred.  Her  followers  entertain  no  super- 
stitious regard  for  the  place  of  her  burial,  believing  that 
their  departed  friend  is  not  there,  but  that  she  has  arisen. 

Very  different  accounts  have  been  published,  by 
friends  and  enemies,  of  the  character  of  this  remarkable 
woman.  To  say  nothing  about  any  superhuman  properties 
with  which  her  friends  have  invested  her,  they  have  inva- 
riably testified  to  her  kind  and  conciliatory  behavior,  her 
chaste  and  abstemious  life,  her  fortitude  under  suffering, 
her  forbearing  and  forgiving  spirit,  and  her  peaceful  and 
happy  death.  On  the  other  hand,  her  enemies  have 
charged  her  with  an  overbearing  temper,  a  quarrelsome 
disposition,  with  a  character  as  fretful  as  fanatical,  and 
with  habits  of  lewdness  and  adultery.  There  is  but  little 
doubt  that  her  friends  have  marked  her  virtues  with  a 
partial  eye  ;  and,  there  is  as  little  doubt  that  her  enemies 
have  made  her  the  object  of  base  scandal  ;  for  this  has 
been  the  fate  of  all  innovators  upon  time-worn  creeds  and 
customs,  from  the  Savior  down  to  the  humblest  of  modern 
reformers. 

Be  it  as  it  may,  she  must  have  been  possessed  of  both 
genius  and  tact  to  have  interested  such  large  bodies  of 
followers,  to  have  established  them  in  regular  associations, 
and  perpetuated  among  them  a  faith  which  abjures  some 
of  the  oldest  and  most  dearly  cherished  customs,  and 
which,  out  of  their  order,  is  everywhere  spoken  against. 

Until  the  year  1787,  three  years  after  the  death  of 
Ann  Lee,  the  Shakers  had  not  been  gathered  into  regu- 
larly organized  communities — with  the  exception  of  the 
small  company  that  immigrated  from  England,  and  those 
who  had  joined  them  at  Watervliet.     And  even  here  they 


252  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

had  not  established  that  thorough  organization  that  has 
since  been  adopted.  The  process  by  which  this  was 
effected,  will  be  best  understood  if  given  in  tlie  language 
of  one  of  their  own  authors.     He  says  : 

"The  way  having  been  gradually  prepared  for  the 
attainment  of  this  important  object,  particularly  by  the 
ministrations  of  Father  James  [Whitaker] ,  it  now  began 
to  take  place  under  the  ministration  of  Father  Joseph 
[Meacham]  and  Mother  Lucy  [Wright].* 

"The  first  step  was  to  gather  the  believers  into  a  body, 
where  they  could  enjoy  all  things  in  common,  both  of  a 
spiritual  and  of  a  temporal  kind,  and  in  which  their  tem- 
poral interests  could  be  united  and  be  consecrated  to 
religious  purposes.  This  proceeding,  being  dictated  by 
divine  wisdom,  was  a  matter  of  free  choice  to  every  indi- 
vidual ;  for  no  one  was  compelled  to  give  up  his  interest 
contrary  to  his  own  faith  and  inward  feelings.  But  all 
who  had  kept  pace  with  the  work  of  God  in  its  increase 
thus  far,  and  had  been  able  to  settle  their  temporal  con- 
cerns, were  prepared  for  it,  and  esteemed  it  a  privilege  to 
be  admitted  into  that  united  body  and  to  be  numbered  with 
the  most  faithful.  But  the  permanent  establishment  of 
order  was  necessarily  a  progressive  work  and  could  not  be 
suddenly  accomplished. 

"The  gathering  of  the  society  began  at  New  Lebanon, 
in  the  month  of  September,  1787,  and  continued  to  pro- 
o;ress  as  fast  as  circumstances  and  the  nature  of  the  work 
would  admit.  Elders  and  deacons  were  appointed  to  lead 
and  direct  in  matters  of  spiritual  and  temporal  concerns  ; 
suitable  buildings  were  erected  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  members  ;  and  order  and  regularity  were  established 
by  degrees  in  the  society;  so  that  in  the  year  1792  the 
church  was  considered  as  established  in  the  principles  of 
her  present  order  and  spirit  of  government. 

"Those  who  were  thus  p^athered  into  a  united  bodv 
were  denominated    The   Church;    being  a  collective  bod}' 


*See  Appendix  W. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  253 

of  Christians  separate  from  the  world,  and  enjoying  in 
their  united  capacity  one  common  interest.  In  this  situa- 
tion they  were  enabled  to  gain  a  greater  victory  over  the 
nature  of  seltishness,  and  thus  to  subdue  more  effectually 
the  evil  propensities  of  a  carnal  nature.  By  this  means 
they  found  a  greater  degree  of  mortification  and  death  to 
the  nature  of  sin,  and  experienced  a  gradual  growth  in 
love  and  union,  peace  and  harmony,  and  all  those 
heavenly  graces  which  adorn  the  man  of  God  and  render 
him  perfect  in  every  great  word  and  work. 

"But  there  were  many  whose  circumstances  did  not, 
at  that  time,  admit  of  so  complete  a  separation  from  the 
world,  being  under  more  or  less  embarrassments  or  en- 
tanglements with  those  without.  These  were  progres- 
sively gathered  into  families,  in  a  separate  capacity, 
having  a  subordinate  privilege  ;  but  at  the  same  time  they 
were  at  full  liberty  to  follow  the  example  of  the  church,  to 
walk  in  their  steps,  and  to  maintain  the  like  united  interest 
in  that  capacity,  as  fast  as  their  situation  and  circumstances 
would  admit.  Many  of  these,  having  unbelieving  children 
and  heirs  or  being  otherwise  entangled  in  their  temporal 
circumstances,  could  not,  consistently  with  the  principles 
of  justice  to  those  without,  immediately  devote  and  conse- 
crate their  interest  in  the  manner  the  church  had  done.''* 

This  organization,  which,  as  has  been  said,  was  com- 
menced at  New  Lebanon,  became  the  order  of  all  the 
societies  in  the  denomination.  The  number  of  societies, 
as  reported  in  1859,  ^'^^  eighteen  ;  and  the  number  of 
members  something  over  four  thousand.  The  societies 
are  located  in  the  following  named  places  : 

New  Lebanon,  New  York  ;  this  is  the  oldest,  largest 
and  most  influential  of  all  the  Shaker  societies  ;  it  contains 
about  600  members,  and  owns  about  6,000  acres  of  land. 

Watervliet,  near  Albany,  New  York;  has  300 
members. 

Grovel  AND,  Livingston  county,  New  York  ;  has  150 
members. 


*"  Millennial  Church,"  page  59. 


254  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Hancock,  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts ;  has  up- 
wards of  200  members. 

Tyrixgham,  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts;  has 
100  members. 

Harvard,  Worcester  county,  Massachusetts ;  has 
200  members. 

Shirley,  Middlesex  county,  Massachusetts  ;  has  100 
members. 

Enfield,  Hartford  county,  Connecticut ;  has  200 
members. 

Canterbury,  Merrimac  county.  New  Hampshire; 
has  300  members. 

Enfield,  Grafton  county.  New  Hampshire  ;  has  300 
members. 

Alfred,  York  county,   Maine  ;    has  150  members. 

New  Gloucester,  Cumberland  county,  Maine;  has 
100  members. 

These  societies  were  all  formed  within  a  period  of 
five  years — from  1787  to  1792.  No  other  societies  were 
organized  until  1805,  when  the  faith  had  traveled  unto 
what  was  then  called  the  "Far  West,"  and  was  recognized 
by  communities  established  in  the  following  places  : 

Union  Village,  Ohio  ;  contains  nearly  600  mem- 
bers. 

Watervliet,   Ohio ;    contains    100   members. 

White  Water,  Ohio ;    contains   100   members. 

North  Union,  Ohio ;    contains   200   members. 

Pleasant  Hill,  Kentucky ;  contains  over  400 
members. 

South  Union,  Jasper  Springs,  Kentucky :  has 
over  300  members. 

The  common  name  applied  to  this  communion  of 
believers  is  not  of  their  own  choosing,  and  has  never 
received  their  formal  approval.  It  was  given  them  by 
their  enemies,  on  account  of  their  agitation  of  body  and 
limbs  when  engaged  in  worship.  They  have,  however, 
never  repudiated  the  name  which  the  world  has  thus  arbi- 
trarily imposed  upon  them,  but  respond  to  it  with  all  good 
nature  and  affability. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  255 

The  government  of  the  Shakers  appears  to  be  a 
religious  commonwealth,  but  does  not  recognize  the 
elective  franchise.  The  chief  leaders  of  the  communion 
reside  at  New  Lebanon, — a  male  and  a  female  minister, 
the  successors  of  Joseph  Meacham  and  Lucy  Wright, — 
the  first  of  this  order  of  officers,  who  hold  their  position 
for  life  or  during  good  behavior,  who  appoint  their  suc- 
cessors, and  who  have  a  general  leadership  of  the  whole 
body  of  Believers.  Of  Joseph  and  Lucy — who  were 
appointed  by  "Mother  Ann"  herself,  and  whose  mantle 
descends  upon  all  their  successors  —  a  distinguished 
Shaker  writer  hath  said:  "They  were  raised  up,  prepared 
and  appointed,  by  the  gift  and  power  of  God,  each  in 
their  own  order,  to  take  the  first  lead  and  spiritual  concern 
in  the  order  and  government  of  the  Church  ;  and  they 
were  mutually  acknowledged  by  all,  as  our  beloved 
parents,  standing  in  the  visible  order  and  relation  of  the 
fiirst  Father  and  Mother  of  our  redemption,  who  are  the 
invisible  first  pillars  upon  which  the  spiritual  house  of  God 
is  built."* 

The  eighteen  societies  of  the  Shakers  are  grouped 
into  districts  or  bishoprics,  each  of  which  contains  one, 
two  or  more  societies,  according  to  local  convenience. 
These  districts  are  severally  governed  by  four  resident 
ministers — two  males  and  two  females — and  one  of  the 
males  is  bishop,  or  chief  minister.  These  officers  are 
appointed  by  the  presiding  bishop  residing  at  New  Leb- 
anon, with  the  consent  and  approval  of  the  districts  over 
which  they  are  called  to  preside. 

The  societies  which  compose  these  districts  are 
divided  into  one,  two  or  more  families,  over  whom  elders 
are  placed  as  spiritual  fathers,  and  deacons  who  have  the 
charge  of  the  temporal  concerns.  These  under  officers 
are  appointed  by  the  bishop,  or  chief  minister  of  the  dis- 
trict, with  the  approval  of  the  brethren.  "Yet  each  sex 
continues  in  its  own  appropriate  sphere  of  action  in  all 
respects,   there    being   a    proper    subordination,    deference 


*See  "Christ's  Second  Appearing,"  page  502 


25(3  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

and  respect  of  the  female  to  the  male,  in  his  order^  and  of 
the  male  to  the  female,  in  Jicr  order,  so  that  in  any  of 
these  communities  the  zealous  advocates  of  "woman's 
rights"  may  here  find  a  practical  realization  of  their 
ideal."* 

The  Shakers  have  organized  and  regularly  conducted 
schools  in  all  their  societies,  "so  that  the  children  now 
gathered  in  are  regularly  taught  in  the  various  branches 
of  common-school  education ;  and  where  traits  of  genius 
appear,  they  have  opportunities  of  instruction  accordingly  ; 
and  thus  all  receive  instruction  proportioned  to  their 
genius,  talents  and  capacities  for  usefulness."! 

The  Shakers  have  studied  much,  and  successfully,  to 
preserve  health  and  promote  comfort.  Wherever  their 
communities  have  been  located  they  have  supplied  them- 
selves with  buildings  that  have  furnished  large,  commo- 
dious and  well-ventilated  apartments  for  cooking  and 
working,  eating  and  sleeping,  't'hey  have  also  made 
similar  wise  provision  for  their  domestic  animals. 

By  a  concentration  of  action — with  appropriate  rooms 
and  convenient  fixtures — they  are  able  greatly  to  facilitate 
their  culinary  operations  and  other  departments  of  female 
domestic  industry,  and  thus  secure  comparatively  large 
results  with  few  hands.  This  gives  the  "kitchen  sisters" 
full  opportunities  of  leisure  for  pastime,  social  converse 
and  enjoyment. 

They  study  to  supply  themselves  with  wholesome  and 
substantial  food,  avoiding  all  those  luxuries  that  do  not 
nourish  but  rather  debilitate  the  physical  system,  dissipate 
the  mind,  and  render  both  body  and  intellect  heavy  and 
helpless. 

The  dress  of  the  Shakers  may  also  be  regarded  as  a 
pattern  of  neatness  and  singularity.  It  is,  moreover,  pro- 
motive of  ease  and  comfort ;  it  gives  free  action  to  the 
limbs  and  lungs,  and  restrains  none  of  the  animal  func- 
tions. The  body  is  thus  left  a  lit  temple  for  useful  and 
holy    thoughts.       In    a    word,    they     leave     the     physical 


*"  Shakers'  Compendium,"  page  54.      t"  Millennial  Church,"  page  7^ 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  257 

Structure  as  nature  formed  it,  and  ignore   all  the  plans  of 
art  to  deform  it. 

Personal  and  general  cleanliness  is  also  a  moral  and 
religious  duty  with  the  Shakers.  Their  halls,  their  sitting- 
rooms,  their  dining  apartments,  the  avenues  to  all  their 
store-rooms,  work-shops  and  gardens,  are  marked  by  a 
neatness  that  shows  system,  care  and  moral  virtue.  Visit 
them  upon  any  day  in  the  week,  at  any  hour  of  the 
day,  and  when  they  are  engaged  in  almost  any  employ- 
ment, and  you  will  scarcely  ever  find  them  in  dirty 
dishabille.  The  shirts  and  pants  and  frocks  of  the  men 
are  rarely  soiled,  and  the  plain  linen  caps  and  kerchiefs  of 
the  women  never.  They  have  been  accused  of  obstinate 
singularity  in  departing  so  far  from  approved  custom  in 
the  fashion  of  their  apparel ;  but  in  this  regard  they  are 
almost  the  only  consistent  people  that  are  to  be  found. 
They  have  not  departed  from  the  fashion  of  others,  but 
others  have  departed  from  them.  With  a  few  immaterial 
changes  their  clothing  is  after  the  same  model  that  gener- 
ally prevailed  when  they  became  an  organized  community. 
They  have  had  the  consistency  and  the  virtue  to  maintain 
the  same  fashion  of  costume  for  more  than  a  century  ; 
while  most  of  the  people  have  become  the  dupes  and  the 
victims  of  English  and  French  tailors  and  mantuamakers. 

Although,  in  a  social  relation,  they  may  lack  that  near 
and  ardent  attachment  that  characterizes  the  family  circle, 
they  endeavor  to  supply  the  defect  by  bestowing  an  equal 
measure  of  affection  on  a  larger  number ;  on  a  circle  that 
embraces  their  entire  religious  community.  They  regard 
each  other  as  spiritual  brothers  and  sisters,  "dearly 
beloved."  They  always  meet  with  Christian  greetings. 
They  live  in  Christian  affection.  The  aged  have  their 
wants  supplied,  and  the  burdens  of  winter-life  lightened  by 
the  afl:ectionate  solicitude  and  love  of  younger  brethren. 
The  young  have  the  guiding  influence  of  mature  years  to 
direct  their  unprotected  steps  ;  and,  although  they  may  be 
deprived  of  many  comforts  that  are  dearly  prized  by  the 
world,  they  maintain  among  themselves  a  truly  enviable 

33 


258  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

social  position,    and   enjoy   the   best  elements   of  a   social 
character. 

The  religious  tenets  of  the  Shakers  have  been  epit- 
omized by  one  of  their  number  as  follows  : 

"We  believe  that  the  first  light  of  salvation  was  given 
or  made  known  to  the  patriarchs  by  promise  ;  and  that 
they  who  believed  in  the  promise  of  Christ  and  were 
obedient  to  the  command  of  God  made  known  unto  them, 
were  the  people  of  God,  and  were  accepted  by  him  as 
righteous,  or  perfect  in  their  generation,  according  to  the 
measure  of  light  and  truth  manifested  unto  them  :  which 
were  as  waters  to  the  ankles ; — signified  by  Ezekiel's 
vision  of  the  holy  waters  (Ezekiel  xlvii).  And,  although 
they  could  not  receive  regeneration,  or  the  fulness  of  sal- 
vation, from  the  fleshly  or  fallen  nature  in  this  life, — 
because  the  fulness  of  time  was  not  yet  come  that  they 
should  receive  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  fire, — 
yet  Abraham,  being  called  and  chosen  of  God  as  the 
father  of  the  faithful,  was  received  into  covenant  relation 
with  God  by  promise  that  in  him  and  his  seed  all  the  fami- 
lies of  the  earth  should  be  blessed.     *      *     *     * 

"The  second  dispensation  was  the  law  that  was  given 
of  God  to  Israel  by  the  hand  of  Moses ;  which  was  a 
further  manifestation  of  that  salvation  which  was  promised 
through  Christ  by  the  gospel,  both  in  the  order  and  ordi- 
nances instituted  and  given  unto  Israel  as  the  church  and 
people  of  God,  according  to  that  dispensation — which  was 
as  waters  to  the  knees  (Ezekiel  xlvii,  4)  ; — by  which  they 
were  distinguished  from  all  the  families  of  the  earth. 
For,  while  they  were  faithful  and  strictly  obedient  to  all  the 
commands,  ordinances  and  statutes  that  God  gave,  they 
were  approved  of  God  according  to  the  promise  for  life  ; 
and  blessings  were  promised  unto  them  in  the  line  of 
obedience — cursing  and  death  in  disobedience.  *  *  * 
They  who  were  wholly  obedient  to  God,  made  known  in 
that  dispensation,  were  accepted  as  just  or  righteous.  Yet, 
as  that  dispensation  was  short,  they  did  not  attain  that  sal- 
vation which  was  promised  in  the  gospel ;  so  that,  as  it 
respected  the  new  birth  or  real  purification  of  man   from 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  259 

sin,  the  law  made  nothing  perfect — but  was  a  shadow  of 
good  things  to  come.  Their  only  hope  of  eternal  redemp- 
tion was  in  the  promise  of  Christ,  by  the  gospel,  to  be 
attained  in  the  resurrection  from  the  dead. 

"The  third  dispensation  was  the  gospel  of  Christ's  first 
appearance  in  the  flesh, — which  was  as  water  to  the  loins 
(Ezekiel  xlvii,  4)  ; — and  that  salvation  which  took  place  in 
consequence  of  his  life,  death,  resurrection  and  ascension 
to  the  right  hand  of  the  Father ;  being  accepted  in  his 
obedience  as  the  first  born  among  many  brethren .,  he 
received  power  and  authority  to  administer  the  power  of 
the  resurrection  and  eternal  judgment  to  all  the  children 
of  men.  So  that  he  has  become  the  author  of  eternal 
salvation  unto  all  that  obey  him."'     *     *      * 

As,  however,  the  vision  of  Ezekiel  extended  to  a  river 
that  could  not  be  passed  over,  but  was  composed  of  zcaters 
to  szvim  in,  the  mystery  was  not  finished  with  the  first 
advent  or  appearance  of  Christ  in  the  flesh  ;  but  a  fourth 
dispensation  was  required,  which  was  made  in  the  second 
appearance  of  Christ,  "or  final  display  of  God's  grace  to  a 
fallen  world ;  in  which  the  mystery  of  God  will  be  fin- 
ished, and  a  decisive  work  to  the  final  salvation  or  damna- 
tion of  all  the  children  of  men  ;  which,  according  to  the 
prophecies  rightly  calculated  and  truly  understood,  began 
in  the  year  1747,  in  the  manner  following:  To  a  number 
in  the  manifestation  of  great  light,  and  mighty  trembling ; 
— by  the  invisible  power  of  God,  and  visions,  revelations, 
miracles  and  prophecies ; — which  have  progressively  in- 
creased with  the  administrations  of  all  those  spiritual  gifts 
that  were  administered  to  the  apostles  at  the  dav  of 
Pentecost.  And  these  are  a  Comforter  that  has  led  us  into 
all  truth  ;  and  which  was  promised  to  abide  with  the  true . 
church  of  Christ  unto  the  end  of  the  world  ; — and  by 
which  we  find  baptism  into  Christ's  death,  death  to  all 
sin  ;  become  alive  to  God  by  the  power  of  Christ's  resur- 
rection, which  worketh  in  us  mightily ; — by  which  a 
dispensation  of  the  gospel  is  committed  to  us."* 


*History  of  Shakerism,  from  Rupp's  History  of  Religious  Denominations 
in  the  United  States. 


260  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

As  has  been  said  on  a  preceding  page,  Ann  Lee  was 
the  acknowledged  leader  and  spiritual  mother  of  those 
who  "in  the  manifestation  of  great  light  and  mighty 
trembling"  first  came  out  "from  the  world  as  witnesses  of 
the  practical  truths  of  the  gospel.  In  her  Christ  is  be- 
lieved to  have  made  his  second  advent  to  this  world ; 
having  made  his  first  advent  in  the  person  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth. 

We  might  quote  many  passages  from  their  printed 
works  in  illustration  of  this  important  tenet  of  their  faith, 
— all  of  Avhich  are  backed  up  by  an  array  of  Scripture 
texts  from  the  Psalms  and  prophets,  and  other  parts  of  the 
divine  word  ; — but  the  following  brief  sentences  are  suf- 
ficiently explicit : 

"That  Christ  has  come  the  second  time  w^ithout  sin 
unto  salvation,  and  that  he  dwelt  in  Ann  Lee,  and  was 
by  and  in  her  revealed  to  those  who  were  looking  for  him 
as  the  chosen  vessel  appointed  of  God  to  that  work. 
Shakers  do  not  deny  ;  else  they  had  never  made  such 
clean  and  explicit  publications  to  the  world  as  they  have. 
But  with  all  this  they  do  not  expect  to  attain  salvation  by 
Ann  Lee,  and  not  by  ycsus  Christ;  an}'  more  than  the 
apostles  and  other  Christians,  because  Jesus  Christ  re- 
vealed the  Father  to  them,  expected  to  obtain  salvation  by 
the  man  Jesus,  and  not  by  God  the  I^ord,  the  Savior  of 
Israel, — whom  Jesus  ever  acknowledged  as  the  doer  of  the 
work.  They  also  acknowledged  her  as  the  spiritual 
parent ;  and  that  she  is  the  first  mother  in  the  new  crea- 
tion, of  all  who  are  saved,  as  really  as  Jesus  the  Lord, 
hers  and  ours,  is  the  first  Father ;  and  that  she  is  co-heiress 
with  him,  in  the  honor  and  glory  of  our  redemption."* 

"In  her  his  sufferings  appeared  conspicuous  ;  in  her  the 
righteousness  of  Christ  was  clearl}-  manifested  to  all  her 
faithful  followers.  In  her  Christ  was  revealed  the  Lord 
from  Heaven,  a  quickening  Spirit;  in  her  was  renewed 
his    example    of    perfect    obedience    to     the    will    of     his 


*"Dunlavy's  Manifesto,"  page  468. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  261 

heavenly  Father ;  in  her  was  revived  the  way  of  life  and 
salvation  by  the  cross  ;  and  she  plainly  taught  the  impos- 
sibility of  obtaining  it  in  any  other  way.  In  her  was 
wrought  the  complete  redemption  of  the  female ;  and 
through  her  ministration  a  way  was  opened  for  the  restora- 
tion of  the  female  character  to  its  proper  lot  and  dignity, 
from  which  it  had  been  degraded  by  the  transgression  of 
the  first  w^oman."* 

"As  the  first  Eve,  through  the  deceitful  influence  of  the 
power  of  evil,  w^as  the  first  to  violate  the  temple  of  chas- 
tity and  to  lead  mankind  into  the  work  of  generation,  in 
actual  disobedience  to  the  positive  command  of  God,  and 
by  this  corrupted  the  work  at  the  very  fountain  ;  so  a 
female, — who  was  the  natural  offspring  of  the  first  Eve  and 
under  the  same  loss, — was  the  proper  character  to  be  em- 
powered to  break  the  chain  which  binds  mankind  under 
that  loss,  and  to  take  the  lead  in  coming  out  of  it.  Ann 
Lee  was  the  distinguished  female  that  was  chosen  for  that 
purpose  ;  and  being  wrought  upon  by  the  pow'er  of  God 
she  actually  took  up  a  final  cross  against  that  nature,  and 
against  all  those  propensities  that  lead  to  the  gratification 
of  it.  And  having  received  the  spirit  of  Christ,  by  the 
operation  of  which  her  soul  w^as  purified  from  the  fallen 
nature  of  the  flesh,  she  rose  superior  to  it;  and  by  her 
example  and  testimony  she  actually  led  the  way  out  of 
that  nature  and  all  its  works,  and  was  prepared  to  stand  in 
a  proper  order  to  manifest  the  spirit  of  Christ  in  the  female 
line.  Hence  the  image  and  likeness  of  the  Eternal 
Mother  was  formed  in  her,  as  the  first-born  Daughter,  as 
really  as  the  image  of  the  Eternal  Father  was  formed  in 
the  Lord  Jesus,  the  first-born  Son.  Thus  was  she  consti- 
tuted second  heir  in  the  covenant  of  promise,  and  was 
placed  in  a  correspondent  connection  with  Jesus  Christ,  as 
the  second  pillar  of  the  church  of  God  in  the  new^  crea- 
tion. 

"We  would  by  no  means  be  understood  to  apply  this 
character  to  the  human  tabernacle  of  Ann  Lee  ;  that  taber- 
nacle  was   but    flesh    and    blood,    like   those   of  all    other 


*"Millennial  Church,"  page  45. 


262  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

women  ;  but  it  was  a  chosen  vessel  occupied  as  an  instru- 
ment, by  the  spirit  of  Christ,  the  Lord  from  Heaven,  in 
which  the  second  appearance  of  that  divine  Spirit  was 
ushered  into  the  world,  in  order  to  complete  the  manhood. 
It  is  this  spirit  which  has  constituted  her  immortal  part 
the  second  pillar  of  the  new  and  spiritual  creation  ;  it  is 
this  spirit  w^hich  is  the  image  and  likeness  of  the  Eternal 
Mother,  and  which  is  in  reality  the  true  bride  of  the  Lamb, 
and  the  first  Mother  of  all  the  children  of  Christ.  The 
apostle  saith,  "We  preach  Christ  the  power  of  God  and 
the  wisdom  of  God."  But  the  spirit  of  wisdom  in  Christ 
could  not  be  manifested  in  her  true  character  on  earth  as 
the  mother-spirit  in  the  work  of  regeneration,  until  she 
was  revealed  in  the  female  as  a  Mother  /;/  Christ."* 

"The  man  found  his  lot  and  order  in  the  first  appearing 
of  Christ,  who  appeared  in  the  male,  (in  the  person  of 
Jesus,)  which  was  the  first  gospel  dispensation,  or  antitype 
of  the  first  temple.  But  the  second  gospel  dispensation, 
which  was  prefigured  by  the  second  temple,  was  mani- 
fested in  the  female,  and  was  called  the  second  appearing 
of  Christy  in  which  the  woman,  as  well  as  the  man,  is 
restored  to  her  proper  lot  and  order  in  the  new  creation."! 

Speaking,  as  he  believed,  by  inspiration,  a  Shaker 
writer  hath  said;  "It  may  truly  be  said  of  the  Daughter 
of  Zion,  (that  is  Mother  Ann  Lee,)  that  she  represented 
the  Spirit ;  for  in  her  the  spirit  of  Christ  appeared,  with  a 
full  and  complete  salvation  for  such  as  were  willing  to  sac- 
rifice all  to  attain  it.  In  her  was  displayed  my  sacred  and 
saving  power  to  search  the  hearts  and  penetrate  into  the 
souls  of  such  as  come  before  her,  to  much  the  greatest 
extent  of  an}'^  human  being  ever  before  sent  forth,  save  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  whom  I  sent  on  earth,  saith  the  Lord, 
to  tfegin  the  foundation  of  this  kingdom,  which  is  now 
completed,  through  and  by  the  Daughter ;  and  upon  which 
the  building  is  now  arising,  forever  more  to  stand  ;  against 
which  the  powers  of  earth  and  hell  shall  never  prevail.":}: 


*"Millennial  Church,"  Page  265.       tibid,  173. 
fSacred  Roll,"  page  iii. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  263 

The  Shakers  believe  that  to  their  "Mother"  and 
several  of  her  devoted  followers  have  been  imparted  the 
gifts  of  prophecy,  of  working  miracles  and  of  inspiration. 
The  writer  last  quoted  hath  also  said,  "Not  so,  saith  the 
Creator  of  all  things.  Though  I  vested  supernatural 
power  in  Mother  Ann  to  work  miracles,  and  that  power 
is  still  retained  in  my  holy  church  ;  yet  I  suffer  it  not  to  be 
applied,  in  a  natural  point  of  view,  to  the  external  sight  of 
men,  only  at  my  command  ;  whether  it  be  much  or  little. 
*  *  *  And  the  opposition  of  an  unbelieving  world 
was  so  great  that  I  suffered,  in  many  instances,  miraculous 
power  to  be  displayed  in  a  natural  point  of  view,  from  the 
Queen  of  Zion  and  those  with  her,  insomuch  that  the  un- 
believing world  acknowledged  they  knew  there  must  be  a 
supernatural  agency  attending  them."* 

Hence,  though  the  Shakers  receive  the  Scriptures  of 
the  Old  and  New  Testament  as  the  word  of  God  and  "the 
gospel  of  their  salvation,"  they  believe  that  they  have  re- 
ceived other  communications  from  God,  which  they  feel 
bound  to  reverence  as  inspiration.  They  hold  that  all  true 
believers  are  in  that  resurrection  state  where  they  "  neither 
marry  nor  are  given  in  marriage,  but  are  as  the  angels  of 
God  in  heaven."  They  believe  that  the  faithful  receive 
visits  from  heavenly  messengers,  while  yet  in  the  flesh, 
with  whom  they  are  permitted  to  talk  "as  a  man  talketh 
with  his  friend,"  and  that  they  also  hold  vizible  com- 
munion with  the  spirits  of  departed  brethren  who  declare 
to  them  the  m3'steries  and  glories  of  the  invisible  world. 

But  the  great  and  distinguishing  tenet  of  the  Shaker 
faith  is  the  necessity  of  a  life  of  celibacy,  in  order  that  as 
Christians  they  may  secure  to  themselves  that  "holiness 
without  which  no  man  can  see  the  Lord." 

Such  is  the  faith  of  this  singular  people  ;  and  it  is 
held  with  a  sincerity  which  is  manifested  in  all  their 
movements. 

Their  mode  of  worship  is  equally  wide  from  the 
beaten  track  of  most  sects.     Their   church,   or  place   of 


*"Sacred  Roll,"  page  iiS. 


264  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

assembling,  is  a  large  open  hall,  furnished  oftentimes  with 
only  movable  seats.  The  sexes  enter  by  different  doors, 
and  arrange  themselves  in  lines — the  elders  being  in  front 
— where  the\^  listen  to  a  short  opening  address  by  one  of 
their  eldei's  ;  after  which  they  unite  in  a  dance,  regular, 
solemn,  and  uniforml}'^  in  time  with  the  harmony  of  some 
half-dozen  selected  singers.  After  this  they  fall  into  files 
of  two  abreast  and  march,  keeping  step  with  the  music  of 
some  selected  hymn,  which  is  sung  with  much  fervency 
of  spirit.  They  then  bring  up  their  benches  and  seat 
themselves,  while  some  one  of  their  number  interests 
them  with  a  religious  exhortation.  They  then  rise  and 
close  their  service  with  a  song  of  praise.  Everything  is 
performed  with  decorum  and  solemnity.  All  classes,  from 
the  gray-haired  of  fourscore  down  to  the  child  of  five 
years,  seem  attentive  and  interested,  whether  they  march 
or  dance,  or  sing,  or  exhort.  They  uniformly  wave  their 
hands  in  concert  with  their  music,  and  listen  with  pro- 
found attention  to  the  harangues  of  their  spiritual 
teachers.  Ill,  therefore,  does  it  become  outside  lookers-on 
to  question  their  policy,  or  doubt  the  sincerity  of  their 
motives. 

The  following  additional  account  of  the  worship  of 
the  United  Believers  is  from  the  ^^ Berkshire  American,''^ 
and  was  published  some  thirty  years  since, — showing  that 
more  than  one  has  been  favorably  impressed  by  the  solem- 
nity of  their  religious  exercises  : 

"We  were,  a  short  time  since,  very  agreeably  disap- 
pointed in  regard  to  the  worship  of  the  Shakers.  We  did 
not  anticipate  that  pleasing  sort  of  enchantment,  that  mix- 
ture of  awe  and  delight,  that  kind  of  celestial  rapture 
which  we  now  imagine  every  person  will  feel  on  first 
attending  the  Shakers'  worship.  We  went  with  those 
prejudices  which  are  natural  to  the  world,  but  w^ere  con- 
strained to  forget  them  so  long  as  the  worship  continued. 
It  would  not  be  easy,  by  any  description  of  ours,  to  convey 
to  the  reader  an  adequate  idea  of  our  feelings  at  the  time. 

"These  observations  were  suggested  by  a  Sunday  visit 
to    the    Shakers   of    New    Lebanon,     New    York.       The 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  265 

village  itself  is  like  a  well-cultivated  garden,  and  reminds 
you  as  you  pass  along  that  it  is  inhabited  by  a  different 
sort  of  beings  from  the  rest  of  mankind,  as  though  neat- 
ness about  their  houses  and  lands  and  perfection  in  the 
mechanic  arts  were  a  part  of  their  religion.  Everything 
relating  to  these  things  will  strike  you  with  pleasure  if  not 
surprise. 

"But  the  meeting-house  is  the  most  remarkable  object, 
and  in  many  respects  surpasses  every  other  edifice  for 
divine  worship  in  the  country.  It  is  very  large  on  the 
ground,  convex,  and  covered  (so  we  are  told)  with  one 
entire  sheet  of  tin,  the  different  pieces  being  soldered 
together  into  one.  However  this  may  be,  it  has  a  very 
dazzling  appearance  when  viewed  in  the  sunshine  ;  but  if 
you  are  struck  with  the  outside  of  the  building  you  will  be 
much  more  so  on  entering  it.  The  spacious  roof  is  sup- 
ported solely  by  its  arch  ;  there  being  not  a  single  post  or 
column  in  the  interior  to  obstruct  your  view  of  the  inmates 
in  their  exercise  of  worship.  The  walls  and  the  concave 
ceiling  are  neatly  painted  of  a  green  color,  and  the  floor  is 
of  the  most  perfect  material  and  workmanship  as  well  as 
neatness  that  can  be  imagined.  Indeed,  its  appearance  is 
so  smooth  and  so  inviting  to  the  foot  that  we  will  venture 
to  say  there  is  not  a  damsel  to  be  found,  who  is  fond  of 
practising  her  steps,  who  could  forbear  did  not  the  awful 
nature  of  the  place  forbid  the  indulgence  of  any  feelings 
allied  to  this  vain  and  sublunary  world. 

"With  a  politeness  and  attention  to  the  convenience 
of  strangers  not  always  manifested  by  other  sects,  the 
"world's  people"  are  largely  accommodated  with  seats, 
and  those  of  a  most  convenient  kind,  for  witnessing  their 
worship,  and  if  you  are  not  a  believer  in  their  mode  of 
worship  you  will  at  least  bear  testimony  to  the  kind  and 
accommodating  disposition  manifested  by  the  worshippers 
toward  their  stranger  guests. 

"The  peculiarity  of  the  Shaker  worship  consists  in 
what  is  called  laboring.  This,  as  far  as  we  had  oppor- 
tunity to  observe,  is  a  march  and  dance,  performed  alter- 
nately,   and     always    accompanied    with    singing.       The 

34 


266  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

worshipping  troops,  if  we  may  so  call  them,  are  formed 
into  two  companies,  one  of  each  sex,  and  subdivided  into 
sections  of  four  persons.  They  move  round  and  round  in 
a  circle,  having  inside  a  choir  of  singers  of  both  sexes, 
who  stand,  still  and  only  beat  time  with  their  hands  in 
concert  with  their  voices. 

"The  most  perfect  uniformity  in  their  dress  is  observed 
in  each  company.  The  males  all  labor  without  coats,  and 
the  females  are  clad  in  uniform, loose  frocks  or  robes,  of 
snowy  whiteness,  with  black  high-heeled  shoes,  and  plain 
caps  of  thin  muslin  closely  fitting  their  heads,  and  ker- 
chiefs covering  their  necks  and  shoulders  and  of  the  same 
snowy  whiteness  as  their  robes  and  caps. 

"Beholding  the  females  (or  sisters)  thus  clad,  seeing 
them  moving  in  long  rows,  hearing  their  music,  which 
is  different  from  aught  we  have  heard  in  the  world,  and  all 
of  the  most  perfect  regularity,  decorum  and  solemnity,  it 
is  somewhat  difficult  to  persuade  yourself  that  they  are 
real  beings  of  earth,  and  you  are  apt  at  first  to  imagine 
yourself  translated  to  a  different  sphere  of  existence  ;  and 
so  pleasing,  so  solemn,  and  so  pow^erful  the  enchantment 
that,  suffering  yourself  to  be  guided  by  your  feelings,  and 
giving  the  rein  to  your  imagination,  3'ou  feel  in  no  heart  to 
bring  back  your  mind  to  the  cold  realities  "of  earth  or  the 
dry  deductions  of  reason. 

"We  never  saw  any  troops  under  so  perfect  discipline. 
There  is  no  bawling,  no  giving  orders,  no  putting  the 
wrong  foot  forward  ;  as  soon  as  the  music  strikes  up  the 
whole  band  is  in  motion,  beating  time  with  their  hands  and 
keeping  time  with  their  feet.  They  have  a  sort  of  bound- 
ing, elastic  step,  quite  different  from  that  of  the  soldier 
of  the  world,  who  marchino;  to  the  sound  of  drum  and  fife 
puts  down  his  foot  as  if  he  wished  it  to  stick  forever  to  the 
soil  of  this  lower  sphere.  While  you  behold  the  Shakers 
in  this,  accompanied  by  their  singing,  you  can  hardly 
persuade  yourself  that  they  are  not  marching  heavenward, 
and  you  are  almost  tempted  to  join  in  the  procession.  To 
conclude,  if  it  were  right  to  give  any  advice  on  the  sub- 
ject, to  those  whose  design  it  is  to  save  and  to  those  whose 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  267 

object  it  is  to  destroy,  we  would  recommend  to  our  militia 
to  go  to  the  Shakers  and  learn  discipline." 

This  general  sketch  of  the  history  and  faith  of  the 
Shakers  will  be  closed  with  a  list  of  their  printed  works  ; 
"Testimony  of  Christ's  Second  Appearing," — octavo,  four 
editions;  "The  Manifesto,  or  a  Declaration  *of  the  Doc- 
trines and  Practice  of  the  Church  of  Christ,"  by  John 
Dunlary, — two  editions;  "Summary  View  of  the  Millen- 
nial Church," — two  editions;  "Review  of  Mary  M.  Dyer's 
publication  entitled  'A  Portraiture  of  Shakerism,'"  —  a 
tract;  "Testimonies  concerning  the  Character  and  Min- 
istry of  Mother  Ann  Lee  ;"  "Juvenile  Guide,'' — a  tract ; 
"Sacred  and  Divine  Roll;"  "Account  of  the  Kentucky 
Revival," — a  tract ;  "Defence  of  the  Order  and  Govern- 
ment of  the  Shakers," — a  tract;  "Familiar  Dialogues  on 
Shakerism,"  by  Fayette  Mace  ;  "Divine  Book  of  Holy  and 
Eternal  Wisdom  ;"  "Brief  Exposition  of  the  Established 
Principles  and  Regulations  of  the  Shakers,"  —  a  tract; 
"Circular  Letter  in  Defence  of  the  Shakers,"  —  a  tract; 
"Three  Discourses  on  Shakerism,"  by  Wm.  Leonard; 
"Tests  of  Divine  Inspiration,"  by  F.  W.  Evans;  "Short 
Treatise  on  the  Second  Appearing  of  Christ,"  by  F.  W. 
Evans;"  "Millennial  Praises,  a  Collection  of  Hvmns ;" 
"Condition  of  Society,  and  its  only  Hope  in  Obeying  the 
Everlasting  Gospel," — a  tract;  "Plain  Evidences,  —  ex- 
tracts from  Dunlary's  Manifesto," — a  tract ;  "Some  Lines 
in  Verse  about  Shakers," — a  tract. 

From  this  general  survey  of  the  origin  and  history  of 
the  Shakers,  as  a  sect,  the  reader  is  invited  to  a  brief- 
notice  of  that  branch  of  it  that  has  been  established  in 
Shirley. 

It  has  been  declared,  on  a  previous  page,  that  when 
Ann  Lee  made  her  missionary  tour  through  this  part  of 
the  country  she  made  a  stop  in  Harvard ;  and  there  she 
lived  and  preached  in  a  large  "square  house."* 

Many  persons  from  the  neighborhood  went  to  see  her 
and  hear  her  speak,  some  with  a  desire  to  find  a  purer 


*See  Appendix,  W. 


268  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

faith  and  others  out  of  curiosit}'.  A  portion  of  her  hearers 
became  believers  in  her  mission  ;  among  whom  were  two 
farmers,  who  lived  in  the  extreme  southern  part  of  Shirley. 
They  were  brothers — Elijah  and  Ivory  Wild.  These 
were  joined  by  two  other  families  living  in  Lrancaster, 
immediately  contiguous  to  the  residences  of  the  Wilds. 
Their  names  were  John  Warren  and  Nathan  Willard. 
The  farms  of  these  four  individuals  were  united  in  a  joint- 
stock  proprietary,  and  it  forms  the  territory  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  the  Shirley  Shakers.  The  two  dwellings  in 
which  the  Wilds  lived  are  yet  standing — time-worn  and 
weather-beaten — amid  the  more  imposing  structures  which 
the  larger  temporal  means  of  these  humble  believers  have 
enabled  them  to  rear  around.  They  contain  the  rooms  in 
which  their  holy  "Mother"  discoursed  to  her  spiritual 
children,  in  which  her  elders  kneeled  in  prayer,  and  where 
they  led  in  the  sacred  march  and  in  the  solemn  dance. 

This  community  was  divided  into  two  families,  called 
the  Church  family  and  the  North  family.  Elijah  Wild 
was  appointed  the  leader  or  chief  elder  of  the  Church 
family,  and  his  brother  Ivory  held  the  same  position  in  the 
North  family.  Nathan  Willard  was  appointed  the  first 
deacon  or  trustee,  and  was  continued  in  office  until  his 
death  in  1831. 

Their  meetings  for  worship  were  of  frequent  occur- 
rence during  the  earlier  years  of  their  history,  and  were 
often  attended  by  strangers  from  a  distance.  Women 
have  been  known  to  come  to  them  on  foot,  a  journey  of 
twenty  and  more  miles,  and  return  on  the  evening  of  the 
same  day.  On  one  occasion  two  women  walked  from 
Mason — twenty  miles — on  a  rainy  Sunday,  and  were  even 
obliged  to  stop  and  wring  the  water  from  their  stockings 
while  on  the  road  ;  then  proceeding  forward  unharmed  by 
the  elements,  being  protected  by  their  faith. 

Those  who  have  witnessed  the  mild  and  graceful 
movements  of  modern  Shaker  worship  cannot  fully  under- 
stand the  zeal  with  which  the  early  believers  labored  in 
the    same    vocation.       Their    dances    and    marches    were 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  269 

accompanied  with  violent  twitchings  and  stampings,  with 
shakings  and  whirlings ;  and  oftentimes  individuals 
dropped  into  a  swoon,  in  which  they  would  lay  tor  hours 
and  sometimes  for  days.  These  proceedings,  so  new  and 
extravagant,  could  not  be  expected  to  pass  off  unnoticed 
by  an  outside  community.  The  attention  of  the  town  was 
called  to  the  matter  at  a  municipal  meeting,  when  the  fol- 
lowing action  was  taken  : 

"Sept.  12,  1782.  Voted,  that  the  town  disapprove  of 
the  conduct  of  that  people  called  Shaking  Quakers,  and 
of  their  meeting  in  this  town.  Then,  voted  to  choose  a 
committee  of  five  to  wait  on  and  consult  said  people  at 
Elijah  Wild's,  and  discourse  with  them  respecting  their 
conduct.  Messrs.  Obadiah  Sawtell,  Capt.  Francis  Harris, 
Lieut.  John  Kelsey,  Dea.  John  Ivory,  Capt.  Joshua  Long- 
ley,  were  chosen  said  committee.  Then  voted,  to  add  two 
to  the  committee.  Col.  Henry  Haskell  and  Dea.  John 
Longley  were  chosen  in  addition  to  said  committee.  Then 
voted  to  leave  the  matter  discretionary  with  the  committee, 
that  they  make  a  report  to  the  town,  at  the  next  town- 
meeting  in  said  town." 

If  the  above  titled  committee  ever  made  a  report,  the 
document  failed  to  find  a  place  of  record. 

Three  years  after  this  the  following  article  appeared 
in  the  warrant  for  a  town-meeting,  and  was  probably  in- 
serted at  the  request  of  the  Shakers  themselves  ;  which, 
however,  when  called  up  for  action,  was  dismissed  by  a 
vote  of  the  town  : 

"To  see  if  the  town  will  excuse  those  people  called 
Shaking  Quakers  from  paying  a  minister  rate  in  this 
town." 

At  the  meeting  held  by  the  town  in  May  of  the  same 
year  [1785],  it  was  "Voted  to  abate  the  minister  rates  of 
those  people  called  Shaking  Quakers  in  this  town." 

A  similar  vote  was  passed  from  year  to  year  until 
1789,  when  it  was  finally  "Voted  to  free  them  that  are  now 
called  Shakers  from  paying  a  minister's  rate  for  the  future, 
whilst  they  are  of  that  denomination." 


270  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

In  1810  the  town  had  grown  so  lenient  towards  this 
hitherto  persecuted  people  as  to  pass  the  following  vote  : 

"Voted  that  the  people  called  Shakers  draw  their  pro- 
portion of  the  school  money,  in  proportion  to  the  number 
of  scholars  they  have  to  teach  in  future," 

But,  although  the  Shaker  community  in  Shirley  has 
never  been  seriously  incommoded  by  legal  enactments,  it 
did  not,  in  its  earliest  stages,  wholly  escape  the  virulence 
of  mobocracy.  The  most  notable  instance  of  mob  perse- 
cution occurred  at  the  house  of  Elijah  Wild,  on  the 
evening  of  June  ist,  1783,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  fol- 
lowing day.  From  a  written  testimony  left  by  said  Wild, 
the  following  account  has  been  mainly  derived. 

Ann  Lee,  and  her  elders — James  Whittaker  and  Wil- 
liam Lee — had  come  over  from  the  "Square  House"  in 
Harvard  to  hold  a  religious  meeting  with  their  friends  in 
Shirley;  and,  as  the  narrator  states,  "In  consequence  of 
Mother's  testimony  against  all  sin  and  every  kind  of 
impurity  of  flesh  and  spirit,  and  the  great  conviction  it 
produced  among  the  people  in  this  vicinity,  a  tumultuous 
mob  was  raised,  mostly  from  the  town  of  Harvard,  and 
consisting  altogether  of  the  enemies  of  the  cross.  The 
malicious  crew  came  to  my  house  on  Sabbath  evening, 
about  eight  o'clock,  and  surrounded  the  house.  Some  of 
the  leaders  of  the  mob  were,  or  had  been,  captains  in  the 
militia,  and  still  bore  that  title.  They  were  followed  by  a 
large  number  of  men  (supposed  about  one  hundred)  for 
the  evident  purpose  of  abusing  Mother  and  the  elders." 

The  little  assembly  of  worshippers,  thus  invested  by  a 
furious  mob,  knew  not  what  course  to  adopt  in  the  way  of 
protection.  They  had  neither  the  means  nor  a  disposition 
to  resist  by  physical  force  ;  their  feeble  defences  would 
soon  yield  to  the  attacks  of  the  enem}-,  and  no  one  could 
foresee  what  might  follow.  Supposing  that  the  malice  of 
the  invaders  would  be  aimed  chiefly  at  their  female  leader, 
they  hurried  her  into  a  small,  dark  closet  that  led  out  of  a 
chamber,  and  concealed  the  door  of  the  closet  by  placing 
before  it  a  high  chest  of  drawers. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  271 

Their  next  plan  was  to  convey  intelligence  to  the 
municipal  authorities  and  claim  their  protection.  But  this 
could  not  be  easily  effected,  as  the  house  was  completely 
surrounded  b}'  the  mob,  and  none  were  allowed  to  pass 
out.  At  length  a  woman  who  lived  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  who  had  a  nursing  infant  at  home,  asked  permission 
to  depart  and  attend  to  her  little  one  ;  her  request  was 
granted,  and  she  lost  no  time  in  reporting  to  the  proper 
officers  the  perilous  condition  of  her  friends  at  the  house 
of  Elijah  Wild.     The  written  narrative  proceedeth  : 

"When  daylight  appeared,  the  leaders  of  the  mob  called 
for  Mother  and  the  elders  to  come  out  to  them.  With 
this  demand  they  did  not  see  lit  to  comply  ;  but  gave  them 
liberty  to  come  into  the  house,  and  they  came  in  accord- 
ingly. Mother  and  the  elders  requested  us  to  prepare 
some  breakfast  for  them,  which  was  done  ;  and  the  mob 
leaders  sat  down  and  eat.  Mother  then  advised  me  to  feed 
the  residue  of  the  mob,  who  were  in  the  door-yard. 
Accordingly  I  carried  out  bread  and  cheese,  of  which  thev 
eat  freely.  After  this  the  elders  went  into  the  door-3'ard  ; 
and  Elder  James  [Whittaker]  addressed  them,  and  said, 
'Why  have  you  come  here  to  abuse  or  hurt  us?  What 
have  we  done?  Have  we  injured  your  persons  or  prop- 
erty? If  we  have,  make  us  sensible  of  it  and  we  will 
make  you  restitution.' 

"These  words  so  enraged  the  mob  with  enmity  that 
they  seized  the  speaker  by  one  arm,  and  the  brethren 
seized  him  by  the  other  and  held  him  till  he  cried  out, 
^  Lord,  have  mercy  !  Ton  zvill pull  me  in  pieces. ^  At  this 
cry  the  hands  of  the  mob  were  loosed  from  him." 

The  police  arriving  at  this  moment  demanded  peace, 
and  ordered  the  mob  to  disperse.  This  brought  the  intru- 
ders to  a  stand,  and  after  some  parley  the  leaders  in  the 
riot  proposed  that  if  the  two  elders — James  Whittaker  and 
William  Lee — would  return  with  them  to  Harvard,  to 
the  house  of  Jeremiah  Willard — one  of  their  brethren — 
they  would  not  injure  them  or  their  friends.  Though  the 
elders  had  no  confidence  in  the  professions  and  promises 


272  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

of  their  persecutors  they  consented  to  their  proposal, 
hoping  thereby  to  draw  them  away  from  the  house  of  Mr. 
Wild,  and  thus  afford  an  opportunity  of  relieving  the 
"Mother"  from  her  confinement  in  the  closet. 

Accordingly,  with  a  number  of  their  brethren,  they 
proceeded  to  Harvard,  followed  by  the  mob  that  had 
molested  them  through  the  night. 

On  arriving  at  Harvard  the  rioters  violated  their  en- 
gagement with  the  elders — that  they  would  not  injure  them 
— and  dragging  them  out  into  a  convenient  place  for  their 
purpose,  first  tied  James  Whittaker  to  the  limb  of  a  tree,* 
when  they  scourged  him  with  a  whip  until  he  felt  that  the 
skin  was  almost  flayed  from  his  back.  This  flagellation 
he  received  with  calm  submission,  and  blessed  God  that  he 
was  accounted  worthy  to  suffer  in  the  cause  of  his  Master. 
They  next  brought  out  William  Lee,  who  told  them  he 
would  not  be  tied,  but  kneeling  down  bade  them  lay  on 
their  stripes,  which  he  would  receive  like  a  good  soldier  of 
the  cross.  Just  before  the  lash  fell,  however,  a  sister 
broke  through  the  gang  of  desperadoes,  and  throwing  her- 
self under  the  uplifted  whip  begged  that  she  might  receive 
the  blows  instead  of  her  beloved  elder.  The  persecutor 
turned  his  whip  and,  either  by  accident  or  design,  struck 
this  sister  a  blow  upon  the  temple  which  opened  a  wound 
and  soon  bathed  her  face  in  blood.  At  this  the  rioters 
became  alarmed,  and  having  released  the  elders,  left  their 
disgraceful  work  but  half  finished. 

Wild  says,  in  his  testimony,  that  at  evening  ''the 
elders  returned  and  were  gladly  received  by  Mother  and 
the  brethren  and  sisters,  at  our  house.  'Have  they 
abused  you,  James?'  said  Mother,  speaking  to  Elder 
Whittaker.  'I  will  show  you,  Mother,'  said  he;  and 
kneeling  down  before  her  he  stripped  up  his  shirt  and 
showed  his  wounded  back,  covered  with  blood  which  had 
run  down  to  his  feet.  In  washing  his  back,  it  was  found 
to  be  beaten  black  and  blue  from  his  shoulders  to  his 
waistbands ;    and  in   many   places  bruised    to   a  jelly,    as 


*See  Appendix  X. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  273 

though  he  had  been  beaten  with  a  club.  'I  have  been 
abused',  said  he  ;  'but  not  for  any  wrong  that  I  have  done 
them ;  it  is  for  your  sakes.  I  feel  nothing  against  them 
for  what  they  have  done  to  me,  for  they  were  ignorant  and 
knew  not  what  *they  did,  nor  what  manner  of  spirit  they 
were  of.'  Mother  and  the  elders,  with  all  the  brethren 
and  sisters,  kneeled  down  and  prayed  to  God  to  forgive 
their  blood-thirsty  persecutors.  Elder  James  cried  heart- 
ily, and  said  ^  Father  ^forgive  thcni^for  they  knozu  not  what 
they  do'  After  praying  for  their  enemies,  Mother  and  the 
elders  were  hlled  with  jo}^  and  thankfulness  that  they 
were    counted    worthy    to   suffer    persecution    for    Christ's 

sake." 

From  this  time  the  Shirley  Shakers  have  never  been 
seriously  oppressed  by  outside  enemies.  They  have  been 
permitted  to  till  their  grounds,  train  their  children  and 
worship  God,  according  to  their  own  convictions  of  pro- 
priety and  duty  ;  and  when  any  minor  vexation — such  as 
the  spoliation  of  their  fruits  by  garden  plunderers — has 
occurred,  they  have  been  disposed  to  submit  to  the  wrong 
without  the  indulgence  of  a  retaliatory  spirit ; — although 
they  have  felt  that  such  violations  of  justice  have  been 
greatly  aggravated  by  the  fact  that  they  have  always  fed 
their  visitors  with  the  choicest  gatherings  of  their  trees 
and  vines,  without  money  or  price,  when  they  have  come 
in  day-light  and  in  the  character  of  friends. 

While  they  have  in  these  and  other  Christian  ways 
won  the  respect,  confidence,  and,  in  many  instances  the 
affection  of  the  world  without,  they  have  oftentimes  been 
aggrieved  by  the  misbehavior  of  their  own  brethren. 
.Clandestine  and  runaway  matches  have  frequently  oc- 
curred ;  and  seceders  have  at  times  been  more  inveterate 
in  their  opposition  than  have  been  other  opponents. 

The  greatest  offence  of  this  kind  which  the  Shirley 
Believers  were  ever  called  to  endure  occurred  on  this  wise, 
as  communicated  by  some  of  the  elders  of  the  society  : 

"On  the  night  of  March  3,  1802,  the  meeting-house  of 
the  Shaker  Society  in  Shirley  was  broken  open  by  Peter 
Perham,    Eleazer    Robbins,    William    Blanchard,    Aaron 
35 


274  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Lyon  and  others.  They  had  formerly  been  of  the 
Shaker  faith,  and  contributed  something  towards  the  build- 
ing of  our  house  of  worship.  From  this  circumstance 
they  laid  claim  to  the  building,  and  took  possession  of  it 
as  above  stated,  but  were  not  discovered  until  nine  o'clock 
on  the  following  morning.  Their  conduct  was  outrageous. 
They  had  supplied  themselves  with  intoxicating  drink,  in 
which  they  so  freely  indulged  as  to  put  decency  and  shame 
at  defiance.  They  marred  the  rooms,  broke  and  mutilated 
the  furniture,  and  allowed  themselves  in  many  indecent 
and  extravagant  excesses.  They  continued  masters  of  the 
building  for  the  space  of  four  days,  having  barred  the 
doors  against  the  entrance  of  any  without  their  permission. 

"On  the  fifth  day  of  the  revolution  they  were  arrested 
on  a  complaint  made  by  Nathan  Willard,  the  trustee  of 
the  society.  The  warrant  of  arrest  was  prepared  by 
Joshua  Longley,  Esq.,  and  served  by  William  Going, 
constable,  under  the  direction  of  Samson  Woods  of 
Groton,  deputv  sheriff.  The  transaction  excited  so  much 
interest  that  about  one  hundred  people  were  collected  to 
witness  the  performance.  When  the  rioters  were  com- 
manded by  the  officers  of  law  to  come  forth  they  refused 
with  shouts  of  defiance.  A  ladder  was  then  raised  to  a 
window  of  the  second  loft  on  wdiich  Mr.  Constable  Going 
ascended,  and  having  broken  the  glass  and  prepared  to 
enter,  Robbins  aimed  at  him  a  blow  with  a  deadly 
w^eapon,  which  would  have  taken  effect  had  not  his  mur- 
derous arm  been  withheld  by  his  coadjutor,  Perham,  who 
knew  the  consequence  of  such  resistance  better  than 
Robbins  did. 

"Going  w^as  quickly  assisted,  by  the  rapid  ascension  of 
the  posse  from  without,  to  secure  Robbins  and  Bl  an  chard 
— Lyon  having  absconded.  Poor  Peter,  the  leader  in 
this  nefarious  business,  on  seeing  the  officers  entering, 
escaped  to  the  garret  and  concealed  himself  in  a  closet, 
but  was  soon  found,  and  with  his  companions  was  exam- 
ined before  Justice  Longley,  and  all  were  bound  over  to 
take  their  trial  at  the  next  term  of  the  criminal  court  to  be 
holden  in  Concord. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  275 

"But,  as  is  supposed  through  the  treachery  of  the 
county  attorney,  the  grand  jury  did  not  find  a  bill  against 
them,  and  so  they  were  acquitted.  Not  satisfied,  they 
commenced  an  action  against  Nathan  Willard  and  others 
for  malicious  prosecution,  which  was  tried  before  the 
Supreme  Court  at  Cambridge ;  and  the  whole  matter 
being  carefully  investigated  by  said  court,  the  Shakers 
were  honorably  discharged.  It  was  a  matter  of  surprise 
to  the  court  that  the  grand  jury  did  not  find  a  bill  against 
the  conspirators  in  the  outset,  for  it  was  amply  proved  that 
they  were  vile  aggressors,  and  deserved  punishment. 

"It  was  supposed,  however,  as  Perham  was  a  man  of 
property  (which  was  expended  in  this  case,)  that  he 
bribed  the  prosecuting  attorney  to  use  his  influence  with 
the  grand  jury  to  liberate  his  prisoners.  Some  remarks 
of  the  Judge — Francis  Dana — in  the  final  trial  seemed  to 
intimate  that  there  had  been  foul  play  in  the  matter. 

"The  above  account  was  communicated  by  Nathan 
Willard  and  others,  who  were  witnesses  of  the  whole 
transaction  ;  which  has  been  confirmed  by  other  witnesses 
not  of  our  faith."* 

Though  the  Shaker  Society  was  the  first  organization 
that  ever  seceded  from  the  Congregational  order  of  wor- 
shippers in  Shirley,  the  number  of  schismatics  was  too 
small  to  be  severely  felt  by  the  parent  society.  And  such 
have  been  their  retired  and  careful  habits,  that  they  have 
never  made  themselves  obnoxious  to  the  peace  and  moral 
comfort  of  their  fellow-townsmen. 

The  secular  and  ecclesiastical  rules  and  regulations 
which  the  Shakers  have  imposed  upon  themselves  have 
never  been  repugnant  to  the  laws  of  their  country.  To 
these  rules  they  all  cheerfully  submit,  indulging  as  great 
liberty    as    the    wisdom   of  their  institutions   will    permit. 

From  a  long  and  intimate  acquaintance  with  this 
peculiar  people,  the  compiler  has  been  led  to  regard  them 
as  a  sincere  and  devoted  band  of  Christian  brethren,  who 
are  seeking  a  better  country,  that  is  a  heavenly. 


*See  Appendix  Y. 


276 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


A  copy  of  their  "Rules  for  Visitors"  is  subjoined,  to 
show  the  precision  with  which  the  "United  Believers" 
conduct  their  minutest  affairs  : 

'^'  First.  We  wish  it  to  be  understood  that  we  do  not 
keep  a  public  house,  and  wish  to  have  our  rules  attended 
to  as  any  would  the  rules  of  their  own  private  dwelling. 

^^ Second.  Those  who  call  to  see  their  friends  and  rela- 
tives are  to  visit  them  at  the  office,  and  not  to  go  elsewhere 
except  by  permission  of  those  in  care  at  the  office. 

"  Thi?'d.  Those  who  live  near  and  can  call  at  their 
own  convenience  are  not  expected  to  stay  more  than  a  few 
hours ;  but  such  as  live  at  a  great  distance,  or  cannot 
come  often,  and  have  near  relatives  here,  can  stay  from 
one  to  four  days,  according  to  circumstances.  This  we 
consider  a  sufficient  time  as  a  general  rule. 

^' Fourth.  All  visitors  are  requested  to  arise  and  take 
breakfast  at  half-past  six  in  summer  and  half-past  seven  in 
winter. 

^' Fifth.  At  table  we  wish  all  to  be  as  free  as  at  home  ; 
but  we  dislike  the  wasteful  habit  of  leaving  food  on  the 
plate.  No  vice  with  us  is  less  ridiculous  for  being  in 
fashion. 

'''Sixth.  Married  persons  tarrying  with  us  over  night 
are  respectfully  notified  that  each  sex  occupy  separate 
sleeping  apartments  while  they  remain.  This  rule  will 
not  be  departed  from  under  any  circumstances. 

"Seventh.  Strangers  calling  for  meals  or  lodging  are 
expected  to  pay  if  accommodated." 


View  of  the  North  Family  buildings  in  Shirley. 


CHAPTER   V. 

Univ€7'saUst  Society — Rise  of  Universalism — Fo7-mation 
of  a  Society — Mecting-Hotises — Ministei's  —  Church 
and  Sunday-School — Ladies^  Aid  Society,  etc. 

In  the  3'ear  1812  the  ecclesiastical  unity  of  the  town 
was  again  disturbed.  At  this  period  the  minister's  salary 
was  a  part  of  the  town  tax,  and  by  a  large  portion  of  the 
people  was  as  cheerfully  allowed  as  any  assessment  that 
could  be  made.  Owing,  however,  to  the  inability  of  Mr. 
Whitney  to  supply  the  pulpit,  while  he  yet  had  a  claim 
upon  the  town  for  his  salary  ;  to  the  fact  that,  if  a  col- 
league should  be  settled,  an  increased  amount  of  taxation 
would  be  laid  upon  the  people  ;  to  the  desire  of  several 
families  that  a  meeting-house  might  be  located  in  the 
South  Village — which  had  then  assumed  considerable 
importance  through  the  manufacturing  interests ;  and 
more,  perhaps,  to  the  predilections  of  several  influential 
individuals  in  favor  of  the  doctrine  of  universal  salvation, 
a  society  of  that  faith  was  organized  on  the  2is,t  of  Sep- 
tember of  the  above-named  year.  It  bore  the  title  of  the 
First   Universal  Christian  Society  in  Shirley* 

The  doctrine  of  Universalism  was  first  preached  in 
Shirley  by  Rev.  Isaiah  Parker,  of  Still  River  Village  in 
Harvard.  It  was  a  lecture  delivered  in  a  private  house — 
now  a  factory  boarding-house — on  a  Sunday  evening. 
Mr.  Parker  was  a  doctor  of  medicine  as  well  as  a  minister 
of  the  gospel.  He  commenced  his  ministry  in  the  Baptist 
denomination,  but  was  eventually  converted  to  the  faith  of 
the  Universalist,  which  he  retained  through  life.  Joshua 
Flagg,  an  early  advocate  of  Universalism,  was  the  second 


*See  Appendix  Z. 


278  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

preacher  of  this  faith  in  Shirley.  He  preached  in  the 
west  part  of  the  town,  in  the  house  of  John  Davis,  an 
active  supporter  of  the  new  doctrine.  From  this  begin- 
ning the  faith  gradually  progressed,  until  its  adherents — 
with  the  assistance  of  some  who  joined  them  on  account 
of  local  position — became  a  separate  religious  organiza- 
tion. 

For  a  few  years  the  Universalists  maintained  religious 
.worship  in  private  houses — occasionally  occupying  the 
town  meeting-house  when  not  otherwise  engaged — and 
enjoyed  the  services  of  some  of  the  ablest  preachers 
of  the  time.  But  as  private  houses  are  alwa3^s  incon- 
venient places  for  public  meetings,  and  as  denomina- 
tional partnerships  in  pulpits  are  calculated  to  breed 
disturbance  and  unchristian  alienation,  the  Universalists 
determined  to  set  up  an  independent  altar.  Operations 
were  accordingly  commenced  to  build  a  temple  of 
worship  in  i8i6.  John  Davis,  the  veteran  Universalist 
before  alluded  to,  entered  into  a  contract  with  the  society 
to  furnish  material  for  the  frame  of  the  house  and  to  put 
it  in  order  to  be  enclosed  and  finished.  And  Daniel  Kil- 
burn  contracted  to  find  materials  tor  its  completion,  and  to 
prepare  the  structure  for  occupation.  It  was  made  ready 
for  consecration  by  the  close  of  the  year.  It  was  a 
humble  structure,  neither  neat,  tasteful,  nor  convenient. 
It  was  fashioned,  in  part,  after  the  ancient  New-England 
mode  of  church  architecture,  and  yet  failed  in  all  the 
essential  qualities  of  its  model.  Its  high  box-pews  and 
angular  aisles  were  not  made  to  contrast  with  the  orna- 
mented mouldings  and  fretted  cornices  that  had  dis- 
tinguished even  the  puritan  temples  of  worship  of  that 
period.  It  had  but  one  door  of  entrance,  which  opened 
into  a  narrow  porch  leading  to  the  body  of  the  church. 
A  singers'  gallery  extended  along  the  western  wall,  and 
was  entered  by  flights  of  stairs  located  within  the  audi- 
tory of  the  house.  It  was  covered  by  a  hip-roof,  and 
furnished  with  a  numerous  array  of  windows  not  protected 
by    blinds.     In  fine,  the    cheap  and    unartistic  properties 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  279 

and  proportions  of  this  religious  temple  marked  the  care 
and  frugality  of  the  age  in  which  it  was  erected.  That 
age  projected  no  more  in  the  way  of  church-building  than 
could  be  effected  without  imposing  the  burden  of  debt ; 
a  precaution  that  has  not  generally  prevailed  at  a  later 
period,  much  to  the  detriment  of  religious  as  well  as 
secular  corporations. 

On  the  ninth  of  January,  1817,  this  new  meeting- 
house was  set  apart,  by  solemn  consecration,  to  purposes 
of  social  and  religious  worship. 

Prayers  were  offered  by  Rev.  Edward  Turner  of 
Charlestown,  and  a  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Hosea 
Ballou  of  Boston ;  which  was  printed  at  the  request,  and 
for  the  use,  of  the  society.  Mr.  Ballou  took  for  a  text  the 
passage  from  I  Kings  viii,  20,  "I  have  built  a  house  for  the 
name  of  the  Lord  God  of  Israel."  The  purpose  of  the 
sermon  was  to  set  forth  and  elucidate  the  peculiar  doctrines 
of  Universalism,  which  was  done  with  the  characteristic 
force  and  clearness  of  its  author. 

Subsequently  an  elegant  quarto  bible,  in  two  volumes, 
was  presented  to  the  society  for  the  use  of  the  pulpit,  by 
William  Parker,  Esq.,  of  Boston.  Mr.  Parker  was  a 
native  of  Shirley,  and  took  a  generous  interest  in  the 
success  and  prosperity  of  the  town. 

For  the  space  of  twenty-nine  years  this  house  was 
continued  for  purposes  of  worship  in  its  original,  unattract- 
ive form  ;  and,  without  a  doubt,  as  faithfully  secured  the 
designs  of  its  establishment  as  a  more  costly  and  im- 
posing structure  would  have  done.  It  had  at  least  the 
honor  of  sowing  the  seed  of  what  its  abettors  have  called 
"the  Abrahamic  faith,"  in  this  vicinity  ;  it  being,  for  a  long 
time,  the  only  place  where  the  doctrines  of  Universalism 
were  statedly  preached.  Hence,  it  reckoned  among  its 
early  supporters  many  who  resided  in  the  adjacent  towns. 

In  the  year  1846  the  Fitchburg  Railroad,  leading 
through  the  South  Village  in  Shirley,  had  been  completed, 
giving  promise  of  a  large  increase  of  population  in  that 
locality.  The  leaders  of  the  Universalist  Society,  in  con- 
sequence, considered  themselves  justitied  in  an  attempt  to 


280  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

improve  their  place  of  worship.  They  accordingly  made 
a  thorough  revision  of  their  meeting-house,  both  externally 
and  internally.  It  was  changed  from  its  original  uncouth 
form,  and  made  to  present  the  proportions  of  a  graceful 
structure,  combining  neatness  with  utility.  It  contained 
forty-four  pews,  and  a  gallery  for  the  choir.  It  was  sur- 
mounted by  a  tower,  in  which  was  hung  a  fine-toned  bell. 
It  was  ornamented  with  a  pulpit  of  choice  mahogany,  and 
supplied  with  an  elegant  communion  table  and  chairs.  It 
was  also  furnished  with  a  small  organ,  which  was  after- 
ward removed  to  give  place  to  a  larger  and  better  instru- 
ment— the  gift  of  N.  C.  Munson,  Esq.  It  had  fixtures  for 
illuminating  the  interior,  when  required  for  evening  ser- 
vices. The  aisles  and  floors  of  the  pews  were  uniformly 
carpeted,  and  the  pew  seats  were  furnished  with  comfort- 
able upholstering. 

In  the  attic  a  commodious  hall  for  the  use  of  "Fre- 
donia  Lodge"  of  Odd-Fellows  was  constructed,  and  there 
they  held  their  weekly  meetings.  The  entire  cost  of  the 
new  house,  with  all  its  accompaniments,  was  about  seven- 
teen hundred  dollars. 

It  was  dedicated  August  28th,  1846.  Prayers  were 
offered  on  the  occasion  by  Rev.  M.  E.  Hawes  of  Fitchburg 
and  Rev.  Varnum  Lincoln  of  Westminster ;  a  sermon 
was  preached  by  Rev.  Benjamin  Whittemore  of  Lan- 
caster. 

The  location  of  the  Universalist  church  is  unusually 
pleasant.  It  stands  upon  the  table-land  that  rises  precipi- 
tously from  the  valley  of  the  Catacunemaug,  and  com- 
mands a  view  of  the  railway  station  and  most  of  the  mills 
that  are  situated  along  the  glen.  Indeed,  from  the  porch 
of  that  church  the  eye  can  take  in  a  large  portion  of  the 
entire  village.  The  surrounding  farms  present  a  pictu- 
resque view  of  natural  scenery,  which,  when  clothed  with 
the  robes  of  summer,  rises  before  the  beholder  a  landscape 
of  varied  richness  and  beauty.  Descriptions  of  this  en- 
chanting scenery  have  appeared  in  some  of  the  poems  of 
the  late  Mrs.  Sarah  C.  (Edgarton)  Mayo. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  281 

Until  the  year  1869  the  meeting-house,  as  remodelled, 
remained,  doing  good  service  for  its  sabbath  assemblies ; 
and,  through  all  these  years,  it  had  rarely  been  closed  on 
a  Lord's  day.  It  was  then  decided  to  build  anew,  and  the 
old  church  was  removed  to  a  different  locality  and  became 
a  part  of  the  "Village  Hall,"  which  has  been  described  in 
another  chapter  of  this  history. 

The  new  church  was  immediately  commenced,  and 
was  finished  in  the  autumn  of  the  succeeding  year.  The 
following  description  of  the  new  structure  was  published 
in  a  Boston  newspaper  about  the  time  of  its  completion  : 

"The  architects  were  Messrs.  Snell  &  Gregerson  of 
Boston,  and  the  builders,  Messrs.  Black  &  French,  of 
Marlboro',  Mass.  The  style  of  architecture  is  the  early 
English  Gothic,  adapted  to  wooden  structures.  The 
length  of  the  edifice,  including  chancel  and  vestry,  is  no 
feet.  The  width  is  41  feet.  Including  the  porch  and 
tower,  the  width  is  66  feet.  The  height  of  the  spire  is  100 
feet,  and  is  sufficiently  capacious  at  the  base  to  admit  the 
entrance  of  carriages.  The  color  of  the  exterior  wall  is 
two  tints  of  light  and  darker  yellowish  brown,  and  the 
roof  is  of  reddish  brown.  The  interior  of  the  church 
consists  of  a  nave  with  aisles  and  a  chancel,  the  pews 
extending  no  further  than  the  pillars  of  the  aisle  arches, 
and  hence  there  is  no  obstruction  to  the  view  of  any  in  the 
congregation.  The  nave  and  chancel  are  both  covered 
with  open-timbered  roof  and  ceiling.  There  are  three 
windows  in  the  chancel,  and  the  nave  is  lighted  by  the 
windows  in  the  aisles,  by  a  series  of  clere-story  windows, 
and  a  triplet  window  at  the  end  opposite  the  chancel. 
Under  this  triplet  window  the  organ  is  placed,  and  beyond 
this  is  built  the  vestry  and  committee  room,  with  a  large 
entrance  porch.  The  vestry  and  committee  room  are 
reached  directly  from  the  audience  room,  through  doors 
upon  either  side  of  the  organ.  The  frescoing  was  done 
by  William  Carl  of  Boston,  from  designs  furnished  by  the 
architects.  The  ceiling  is  blue  with  red  border  stripes, 
the  timber  work  of  black-walnut  color,  and  the  walls  are 


282  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

painted  in  rich  and  subdued  coloring,  relieved  by  lines  of 
different  tints  and  bands  of  ornamental  design. 

"The  new  organ  was  built  by  E.  L.  Holbrook  of  East 
Medway,  and  its  case  is  in  keeping  with  the  archi- 
tecture of  the  church.  It  contains  twenty-four  stops  :  nine 
in  the  great  organ,  nine  in  the  swell  organ,  and  six  for 
coupling  and  other  arrangements.  It  cost  about  $3,000, 
and  is  pronounced  a  fine  instrument.  The  building  is 
heated  by  a  large  furnace.  As  there  are  no  public  gas 
works  in  the  village,  a  gas  machine  from  the  Empire  Gas 
Machine  Company  has  been  placed  in  the  cellar,  and  the 
church  is  finely  lighted  by  jets  at  the  caps  of  the  pillars, 
and  also  by  two  chandeliers  suspended  from  the  roof. 
Everything  about  the  structure  is  new,  excepting  the  bell 
which  hangs  in  the  tower,  and  which  was  taken  from  the 
old  church." 

On  the  afternoon  of  Wednesday,  November  23rd, 
1870,  this  new  and  beautiful  temple  was  consecrated  to 
the  service  of  Christian  worship,  the  following  being  the 
order  of  performances  : 

Prayers  were  offered  by  Rev.  Benjamin  Whittemore, 
D.  D.  ;  scripture  reading  by  Rev.  Benton  Smith,  formerly 
pastor  of  the  society,  who  also  offered  the  prayer  of  dedi- 
cation ;  sermon  by  Rev.  E.  C.  Bolles  ;  an  address  to  the 
society  by  Rev.  J.  G.  Adams. 

The  sermon  was  a  very  eloquent  and  acceptable  per- 
formance. It  was  founded  on  the  text  from  Hebrews  viii, 
2  :  "A  minister  of  the  sanctuary  and  of  the  true  taber- 
nacle, which  the  Lord  pitched  and  not  man." 

The  entire  expense  of  the  church  was  $25,000,  a 
considerable  portion  of  which  was  contributed  by  N.  C. 
Munson,  Esq.,  whose  charities  have  been  almost  as 
boundless  as  the  wants  of  his  fellow-citizens.  Long  will 
the  structure  remain,  a  monument  of  his  generosity  and 
of  the  perseverance  and  sacrifices  of  his  fellow-worship- 
pers. 

From  the  year  1846  to  the  present  time  the  services 
of  religion  have  been  regularly  sustained  by  the  Univer- 
salists  of  Shirley,  except  during  a  year  in  1869-70,  when 


atogiypn  irnnt.  W.  P.  Allen.  Gardner,  Mass. 


Universalist  Church. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  283 

their  present  church  was  in  process  of  building.  Before 
the  period  first-named,  the  pecuniary  ability  of  the  society 
was  not  such  as  to  have  unintermitted  Sunday  services, 
even  when  favored  by  the  labors  of  a  resident  minister. 
Indeed,  so  much  were  its  prudential  interests  neglected 
for  several  years,  that,  as  a  society,  it  became  legally 
extinct  more  than  once.  On  the  second  day  of  April, 
1830,  it  was  reorganized,  by  process  of  law,  and  received 
the  name  of  the  Second  Universalist  Society  in  Shirley. 
Again,  in  1845,  having  a  second  time  ceased  from  its  legal 
corporate  existence,  it  was  re-established  by  a  third  act  of 
incorporation  under  the  title  of  First  Universalist  Society 
in  Shirley.  It  is  now  under  such  regulations,  and  sus- 
tained by  such  a  regard  for  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel, 
as  to  justify  the  belief  that  it  will  in  future  maintain  its 
position  and  do  its  appropriate  work.  It  should  be  the 
fervent  prayer  of  all  Christians  that  it  may  gather  within 
its  fold  any  and  all  who  might  otherwise  be  destitute  of 
congenial  religious  instruction. 

In  the  year  1818 — about  twelve  months  after  the  first 
meeting-house  had  been  dedicated  —  Mr.  Jacob  Wood, 
who  had  formerly  preached  in  Oxford,  was  installed  over 
the  Universalist  Society.  The  services  were  conducted 
by  Rev.  Edward  Turner  of  Charlestown,  and  Rev.  Paul 
Dean  of  Boston.  Mr.  Wood  was  an  able  preacher.  He 
distinguished  himself  by  his  strong  adherence  to  the  Res- 
torationists'  scheme  of  Universalism,  as  opposed  to  the 
radical  theory  of  Hosea  Ballou  and  others ;  and  he  wrote 
several  works — in  defence  of  the  doctrines  of  'a  future 
judgment  and  punishment,  to  be  succeeded  by  a  recon- 
ciliation of  all  souls  to  God  !  Mr.  Wood  remained  in 
Shirley  about  five  years,  when  he  received  a  settlement  in 
Shrewsbury.  He  removed  from  there  to  Saco,  Maine, 
and  from  there  to  Troy,  New  York,  where  he  engaged 
in  some  secular  pursuit.  He  died  in  1852,  having  for 
several  years  been  partially  deprived  of  the  use  of  his 
limbs,  and  of  the  full  power  of  speech,  by  paralysis. 

After  the  departure  of  Mr.  Wood  the  society  was  des- 
titute of  a  resident  minister  for  four  or  five  years.     It  had, 


284  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

in  consequence,  but  infrequent  church  services  on  the 
Lord's  day,  and  a  gradual  decline  of  all  religious  interest 
became  apparent.  This  condition  of  things  continued 
until  1829,  when  Rev.  Russell  Streeter  of  Watertown 
purchased  a  farm  in  Shirley,  and  became  a  resident  here. 
He  was  at  once  engaged  to  statedly  supply  the  pulpit  of 
the  Universalist  Society,  and  became  its  minister  without 
the  usual  form  of  induction.  He  continued  his  pulpit 
and  pastoral  duties,  with  varied  success,  until  1834,  when 
he  removed  to  Woodstock,  Vermont.  There  he  resided 
and  preached  until  1847,  when  he  removed  to  Portland, 
Maine,  the  place  where  he  had  previously  labored  in  the 
gospel. 

During  the  eleven  years  that  intervened  between  the 
dismissal  of  Mr.  Streeter  and  the  remodelling  of  the 
meeting-house  in  1846,  the  society  availed  itself  of  the 
partial  services  of  ministers  from  other  towns.  For  a  part 
of  this  time  it  employed,  every  alternate  Sunday,  Mr. 
John  Pierce  of  Lunenburg,  a  young  man  of  much 
promise,  who  early  fell  a  victim  to  consumption.  It  also 
secured  the  labors  of  Rev.  Mr.  Pope  of  Sterling,  half  the 
time,  for  one  or  two  years  ;  and  for  a  similar  time  Mr. 
Harriman  of  Harvard  was  employed — since  governor  of 
New  Hampshire.  But  after  the  completion  of  the  im- 
provements in  the  meeting-house,  Mr.  Josiah  A.  Coolidge, 
— late  of  Petersham, — was  engaged  to  constantly  supply 
the  pulpit.  He  accordingly  removed  to  town,  and  was 
connected  with  the  society  for  two  years,  when  the  con- 
nection was  dissolved,  and  he  removed  to  Lexington, 
where  he  obtained  a  more  permanent  settlement. 

In  1849  Rev.  Benton  Smith,  who  had  been  minister- 
ing in  Hardwick,  received  an  invitation  to  make  Shirley 
his  place  of  residence  and  become  the  pastor  of  the  First 
Universalist  Parish.  He  accepted  the  call,  and  very 
acceptably  performed  the  duties  of  the  sacred  office  for 
the  space  of  live  years.  At  his  own  request  his  connec- 
tion with  the  society  was  then  dissolved  ;  and  he  removed, 
first  to  South  Readino;,  and  then  to  Chatham,  situated  on 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  285. 

Cape  Cod.  He  now  resides  in  Boston,  as  agent  of  the 
Universalist  Publishing  House.  Mr.  Smith  has  always 
retained  a  warm  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  society,  and 
has  kindly  labored  in  its  behalf,  both  by  word  and  deed. 

Soon  after  the  departure  of  Mr.  Smith,  the  society 
engaged  the  Rev.  Orren  Perkins  to  supply  their  pulpit  for 
one  year.  Mr.  Perkins  was  a  man  of  urbane  manners,  of 
pleasing  address,  and  possessed  a  well-cultivated  intellect. 
He  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  the  periodicals  of  his 
denomination,  and  while  he  resided  in  Shirley  published  a 
sermon  occasioned'  by  the  loss  of  the  steamer  Arctic, 
which  was  a  highly  creditable  performance. 

In  1855  Rev.  E.  W.  Coffin,  who  had  previously 
labored  with  a  society  in  Gloucester,  became  minister  of 
the  Universalist  Society  in  Shirley.  His  connection  with 
it,  however,  lasted  but  two  years,  when  he  received  a 
dismission  and  removed  to  Jaffrey,  New  Hampshire. 
During  a  part  of  the  second  year  of  his  engagement  in 
Shirley  he  connected  with  his  ecclesiastical  responsibilities 
the  care  of  a  day-school.  His  iidelit}'  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duties,  in  both  departments  of  labor,  secured  for  him 
the  merited  esteem  of  his  patrons  and  friends.  His 
removal  from  town  was  a  source  of  general  regret. 

Soon  after  the  departure  of  Mr.  Coffin  from  the  pas- 
torship of  the  society  Mr.  George  F.  Jenks  of  Salem  was 
appointed  to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  vacant  office. 
After  a  probation  of  several  months  he  was  invited  to 
accept  a  permanent  settlement.  He  was  accordingly 
ordained  May  5,  1858.  The  following  order  of  exercises 
was  observed  on  the  occasion  : 

Invocation  and  reading  of  the  scriptures  by  Rev.  H. 
A.  Eaton;  sermon  by  Rev.  G.  H.  Emerson — text,  I  Cor., 
i,  21  :  "For  after  that  in  the  wisdom  of  God,  the  world  by 
wisdom  knew  not  God,  it  pleased  God  by  the  foolishness 
of  preaching. to  save  them  that  believe."  The  prayer  of 
ordination  was  offi^red  by  Rev.  Sylvanus  Cobb,  who  also 
gave  the  charge  to  the  people  ;  charge  to  the  pastor  by 
Rev.  S.  Ellis;    right-hand  of  fellowship  by  Rev.  Qjiincy 


28G  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Whitney,  and  benediction  by  the  pastor  installed.  After 
a  quiet  and  successful  ministry  of  over  three  years  Mr. 
Jenks  was  dismissed  from  his  charge,  and  entered  another 
field  of  labor  and  usefulness.  His  retiring  habits,  unob- 
trusive manners  and  truly  Christian  demeanor,  commended 
him  to  the  respect  of  his  parishioners  and  to  the  good-will 
of  the  entire  community. 

In  April  of  the  year  1861  Mr.  Cyrus  B.  Lombard 
came  to  Shirley,  and  was  engaged  as  a  minister  of  the 
Universalist  Society  for  an  indefinite  period.  He  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  his  engagement  without  the  usual  form 
of  induction,  and  for  two  years  labored  in  word  and  deed 
with  a  due  degree  of  acceptance  to  the  people  of  his 
charge.  His  pulpit  talents  were  creditable,  and  his  voice 
and  graceful  delivery  commended  him  as  a  public  teacher 
of  divine  truth.  His  whole  term  of  service  was  five  years  ; 
yet  he  had  periods  of  absence  for  months  in  succession 
during  the  latter  half  of  his  engagement.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  Shirley  he  buried  his  wife,  who  was  a  very  inter- 
esting and  worthy  woman.  He  removed  to  Springfield, 
Illinois,  and  became  a  resident  of  that  city. 

In  the  year  1866  Ezekiel  Fitzgerald  entered  upon 
ministerial  relations  with  the  Universalists  of  Shirley,  and 
sustained  those  relations  a  little  less  than  two  years.  He 
began  his  labors  under  what  was  considered  favorable 
auspices,  but  before  long  found  it  congenial  with  his 
interest  and  happiness  to  dissolve  his  connection,  which 
promised  but  little  of  gospel  fruit  to  either  party.  He 
soon  entered  into  an  engagement  with  the  Congregational 
(Unitarian)  Society  at  Bolton,  and  removed  to  that  town. 

After  the  completion  of  the  new  church,  Mr.  H.  A. 
Philbrook  became  the  resident  minister  of  the  Universalist 
Society.  He  sustained  that  relation  with  honor  to  him- 
self and  success  to  his  parishioners  for  nearly  two  years, 
when  he  removed  to  Nashua,  New  Hampshire,  where  he 
found  a  larger  and  more  congenial  sphere  for  his  minis- 
terial operations. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  287 

From  the  time  that  Mr.  Philbrook  left  town,  which 
was  December  7th,  1872,  until  the  close  of  the  year  1874, 
the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  transient  preachers,  living  in 
and  out  of  town  ;  but,  at  a  meeting  holden  January  ist, 
1875,  ^t  was  voted  "on  account  of  the  embarrassing  times 
and  stagnation  in  business,"  to  suspend  public  services 
in  the  church  for  a  season.  In  May,  1876,  these  services 
were  resumed,  and  during  the  October  following  Mr.  J. 
W.  Keyes  was  engaged  as  preacher.  He  was  a  native  of 
Dunstable,  New  Hampshire,  but  came  to  Shirley  from 
Auburn,  New  York.  He  continued  his  ministrations  until 
April  I,  1879,  when  he  removed  to  Pawtucket,  Rhode 
Island.  From  that  time  to  December,  1880,  the  pulpit 
was  supplied  by  transient  ministers,  chiefly  undergradu- 
ates from  Tufts  College.  At  this  latter  date  -Mr.  James 
Vincent  was  appointed  the  pastor  of  the  society  on  a 
salary  of  $900. 

This  latter  settlement  gives  some  promise  of  perma- 
nency ;  a  result  devoutly  to  be  desired,  in  view  of  the  evil 
of  frequent  changes,  such  as  have  been  recorded  in  this 
chapter.  Certain  advantages  may  be  derived  from  such  a 
course  which  are  not  realized  under  more  lasting  engage- 
ments ;  but  these  advantages  are  offset  by  evils  that  cannot 
be  numbered  for  multitude.  To  make  the  connection 
what  it  was  designed  to  be  —  a  thorough  relationship 
between  pastor  and  people  —  time  must  be  allowed  for 
thorough  acquaintance  which  cannot  be  the  work  of  a  few 
years. 

The  first  church  connected  with  the  Universalist 
parish  was  gathered  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Wood ;  and,  while  his  connection  with  the  society  lasted, 
the  ordinances  were  duly  observed  ;  but,  during  the  long 
interval  which  subsequently  occurred,  when  the  people 
were  without  a  stated  ministry,  the  ordinances  were  dis- 
continued, and  the  church,  as  a  separate  organization, 
became  extinct. 

During  the  pastorship  of  Mr.  Coolidge  a  new  church 
was  organized,  consisting  of  twenty-one  members.     This 


'28S  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

church  was  publicly  recognized  on  the  first  Sunday  in 
January,  1847  ;  and  it  then  received  the  gift  of  a  new 
communion  service,  presented  by  Mr.  Joshua  B.  Fowle  of 
Boston. 

At  its  second  organization  there  were  but  two  persons 
left  of  the  former  communion,  established  by  Mr.  Wood  ; 
all  the  others  having  left  town  or  been  carried  to  their 
long  homes. 

Under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Smith,  live  persons  were 
added  to  the  number  of  communicants,  and  during  the 
pastorship  of  Mr.  Jenks  twelve  more  made  a  public  pro- 
fession of  religion. 

Connected  with  this  parish  is  a  Sunday-school.  It 
was  established  when  the  society  was  without  a  stated  min- 
istry, but  has  been  quickened  and  enlarged  under  the  care 
and  oversight  of  the  several  resident  pastors.  For  the  use 
of  this  school,  and  for  adult  reading,  a  library  has  been 
gathered,  consisting  of  from  seven  to  eight  hundred 
volumes.  These  books  have  been  carefully  covered  and 
kept,  and  as  arranged  upon  shelves  make  an  imposing 
appearance.  A  good  library  is  of  inestimable  worth  to  a 
religious  community. 

A  ladies'  charitable  association  is  also  connected  with 
this  assembly  of  worshippers.  Through  the  labors  of  this 
institution  the  upholstery  of  the  second  meeting-house  was 
furnished,  and  some  other  important  fixtures  for  the 
church  were  also  supplied.  The  wants  of  the  Sunday- 
school  have  been  met  from  the  same  source  ;  so,  likewise, 
have  the  funds  of  the  parish  been  relieved,  from  year  to 
year,  by  this  ever-ready  charity. 

On  the  whole  this  may  be  set  down  as  a  working 
ecclesiastical  community,  through  whose  well-directed 
labors  much  personal  as  well  as  general  good  has  un- 
doubtedly been  realized,  and  from  whose  labors  an  influ- 
ence will  continue  to  go  forth  by  which  the  town  will  be 
variously  and  essendally  benefited. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

First  Congregational  Parish — Formation  of  the  First 
Parish — Engagement  of  Rev.  Mr.  Chandler — His 
Settlement  —  Hymn  Books  —  New  Bell  —  Sunday- 
School — Ladies'  Benevolent  Society — Alteration  of 
the  Meeting-House — Legacy  of  Thomas  Whitney^ 
Esq. — Legacy  of  Hon.  fames  P.  Whitney — Church 
Organ — Removal  of  the  Meeting-House — Other  al- 
terations— Benefactions  to  the  Society — Library.,  etc. 

As  we  have  seen  in  the  foregoing  chapters,  congrega- 
tional church  government  and  worship  prevailed  without 
dissent  in  the  town  of  Shirley  until  the  year  1780,  when 
the  Shaker  secession  occurred.  This  secession  was  op- 
posed without  avail,  both  by  municipal  legislation  and 
mob-law  persecution.  The  number  of  secessionists  was, 
however,  so  small  that  their  loss  could  not  materially 
disturb  the  ecclesiastical  arrangements  of  the  majority. 
But  when,  in  181 2,  the  Universalist  Society  was  organized, 
it  was  judged  expedient,  by  those  who  wished  to  retain  the 
ancient  church  order,  to  rally,  and  by  the  formation  of  a 
parish,  disconnect  their  prudential  affairs  from  the  mu- 
nicipal oversight  and  charge  of  the  town.  Yet  the  diffi- 
culties attending  such  a  change  were  so  great  that  several 
years  passed  away  before  the  cherished  object  could  be 
effected. 

The  time  for  its  accomplishment,  however,  came ; 
and,  at  the  request  of  petitioners,  Caleb  Butler,  Esq.,  of 
Groton,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  issued  a  warrant  deputing 
Thomas  Whitney,  Esq.,  of  Shirley,  to  call  a  meeting  for 
the  purpose  of  organizing  the  First  Congregational 
Society. 

37  ^ 


290  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

This  meeting  was  convened  March  20,  1822.  Na- 
thaniel Holden,  Esq.,  was  elected  moderator,  and  Thomas 
Whitney,  Esq.,  was  chosen  parish  clerk.  Mr.  Stephen 
Barrett,  Capt.  Artemas  Longley  and  Mr.  Willard  Porter, 
were  chosen  parish  committee.  Dr.  Benjamin  Hartwell, 
parish  treasurer,  and  Mr.  Daniel  Dodge,  parish  collector. 

For  the  space  of  twelve  years  there  was  no  stated 
ministry  connected  with  the  First  Parish.  It  called  its 
annual  meetings  and  elected  its  officers,  and  in  this  way 
preserved  its  identity-  During  this  long  period,  however, 
there  were  steady  yet  declining  efforts  made  to  have  the 
pulpit  supplied  a  portion  of  the  time.  For  a  few  of  the 
first  years  there  was  preaching  for  about  nine  months  each 
year  during  the  pleasantest  part  of  the  season  ;  afterwards, 
the  parish  was  able  to  raise  funds  for  only  six  months  of 
the  year,  and  finally  the  time  was  reduced  to  three  months  ; 
and  in  the  year  1832  the  pulpit  was  occupied  only  for  a 
single  sabbath.  But  few  permanent  beneficial  results 
could  be  realized  from  such  a  transient  ministry.  Indeed, 
a  gradual  decay  of  religious  interest  was  manifest  through- 
out the  town.  The  sabbath  lost  its  sacredness  as  the 
sanctuary  declined,  the  young  grew  up  without  the  influ- 
ences of  public  religious  instruction,  and  a  moral  dearth 
seemed  to  pervade  every  class  of  society. 

To  save  the  parish  from  complete  dissolution  different 
plans  were  projected.  At  one  time  it  was  proposed  to 
raise  a  five  years'  subscription,  and  have  regular  ministra- 
tions of  the  word  at  once  established  and  placed  upon  a 
permanent  basis.  But  after  canvassing  the  town  every 
effort  failed  of  securing  an  adequate  sum,  and  the  project 
was  necessarily  abandoned.  At  another  time  a  proposal 
was  made  to  unite  the  Universalist  society  with  the  First 
Parish,  and  have  each  pulpit  supplied  by  the  same  individ- 
ual, in  proportion  to  the  amount  raised  by  each  society. 
But  after  a  few  incipient  efforts  this  plan  was  not  found 
feasible,  and  was  rejected  by  both  parties.  With  the 
failure  of  this  last  project  the  hopes  of  even  the  most  san- 
guine began  to  waver,  and  strong  signs  appeared  that  the 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  291 

ancient  tabernacle  of  the  Most    High  would   be  literally 
forsaken. 

While  the  town  of  Shirley  was  thus  covered  with  re- 
ligious gloom,  sectarian  effort  was  at  work  in  many  parts 
of  the  commonwealth,  to  divide  the  congregational  order 
and  make  a  separate  denomination  of  that  part  adhering 
to  the  trinitarian  theory. 

In  1828  this  new  schism  reached  Shirley,  and  a  few 
families  seceded  from  the  First  Parish,  took  up  their  re- 
lation with  the  First  Church,  and  gathered  around  an  altar 
of  a  more  congenial  faith. 

The  adherents  of  the  First  Society  had  now  become 
so  reduced  that  very  few  hopes  were  entertained  that  it 
could  ever  be  so  far  resuscitated  as  to  resume  the  public 
worship  of  the  sanctuary  with  any  prospect  of  its  continu- 
ance. Yet,  a  few  faithful  souls  remained  who  could  not 
be  deterred  from  further  effort.  Like  the  Israelites,  when 
enduring  their  captivity  in  Babylon,  these  persons  looked 
towards  the  sanctuary  of  their  fathers  as  the  place  where 
they  could  best  worship.  And  their  hopes,  though  often 
disappointed  and  long  deferred,  were  at  length  fully' 
realized. 

In  the  year  1834  '^  vigorous  effort  w'as  made  to  raise, 
by  subscription,  the  sum  of  four  hundred  dollars  w'ith 
which  to  secure  the  exxlusive  services  of  some  minister  for 
one  year.  The  effort  was  successful,  and  the  parish  was 
prepared  to  hear  candidates.  A  Mr.  St.  Clair  came  and 
preached  on  the  two  last  Sundays  in  May,  of  the  above- 
named  year.  On  the  first  two  Sundays  of  the  following 
month,  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by  a  Mr.  Chandler,  who 
resided,  at  the  time,  in  Oxford. 

At  a  parish  meeting,  convened  for  the  purpose,  it  was 
voted  to  hear  no  more  candidates,  but  to  decide  by  ballot 
which  of  the  two  who  had  already  presented  themselves 
should  be  employed  for  one  year.  Mr.  St.  Clair  received 
six  votes,  and  Mr.  Chandler  received  twenty  votes,  and 
was  declared  elected. 

x\t  the  expiration  of  his  first  contract  with  the  parish, 
Mr.    Chandler    was    engaged    for    a    longer   period ;  and, 


292  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

having  remained  the  incumbent  of  the  pulpit  about  two 
and  a  half  years,  it  was  proposed  that  he  receive  a  perma- 
nent   settlement    as    the    minister    of  the    First   Parish. 

At  a  meeting  duly  called,  the  following  votes  were 
passed  unanimously  : 

"i.  Voted,  that  the  parish  invite  the  Rev.  Seth  Chand- 
ler to  settle  with  them  in  the  gospel  ministry,  upon  a  salary 
of  four  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  to  be  raised  by  sub- 
scription ; — it  being  understood  that  either  party  to  the 
settlement  may  at  all  times  be  at  liberty  to  terminate  it,  by 
giving  the  other  party  three  months'  notice  of  such  inten- 
tion. 

"2.  Voted,  that  Thomas  Whitney,  Amos  Day,  and 
Joshua  B.  Fowle,  be  a  committee  to  communicate  to  Mr. 
Chandler  the  foregoing  vote." 

The  committee  concluded  their  letter  to  the  candidate, 
embodying  these  votes  of  the  parish,  with  the  following 
words  :  "The  above  named  committee  have  the  pleasure 
to  communicate  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Chandler  the  foregoing 
votes,  and  at  the  same  time  to  express  a  wish  that  he  may 
comply  therewith." 

To  this  invitation  the  candidate  gave  an  affirmative 
answer,  whereupon  a  committee  was  appointed  to  invite  a 
council  of  ministers  from  the  neighboring  towns  to  assist  in 
the  installation  services. 

On  the  day  of  appointment  the  council  assembled, 
and  were  gratuitously  entertained  by  the  hospitality  of 
Thomas  Whitney,  Esq.  The  minutes  of  the  council  are 
here  inserted  from  the  records  of  the  parish  : 

"Shirley,  Dec.  14,  1836.  By  virtue  of  letters  missive 
from  the  First  Congregational  Church  in  Shirley,  an  eccle- 
siastical council  convened  at  the  house  of  Thomas  Whitney, 
Esq.,  in  said  town  of  Shirley,  and  was  organized  by  the 
choice  of  Rev.  Nathaniel  Thayer,  moderator,  and  Rev. 
Washington  Gilbert,  scribe. 

"The  moderator  led  the  council  in  an  address  to  the 
throne    of    grace.       On    entering   upon   the    deliberations 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  293 

connected  with  the  occasion,  a  call  being  made,  the  follow- 
ing churches  were  found  to  be  represented  : 

"Church  in  Lancaster,  b}^  Rev.  N.  Thayer,  D.  D.,  and 
Bro.  J.  Wilder;  church  in  Bolton,  by  Rev.  Isaac  Allen 
and  Dea.  Pollard ;  church  in  Fitchburg,  by  Rev.  Calvin 
Lincoln  and  Bro.  F.  Perkins  ;  church  in  Pepperell,  by  Rev. 
Charles  Babbidge  and  Bro.  J.  Tucker ;  church  in  Groton, 
by  Rev.  Charles  Robinson  and  Bro.  W.  Livermore ; 
church  in  Littleton,  by  Rev.  Wm.  H.  White  and  Bro.  N. 
Harwood ;  church  in  Harvard,  by  Rev.  W,  Gilbert,  Bro. 
J.  Gardner  and  Dea.  Jno.  Fairbanks ;  church  in  Marl 
boro',  by  Rev.  Wm.  Morse  and  Dea.  E.  Rice. 

"After  having  attended  to  the  reading  of  the  proceed- 
ings of  the  church  and  society  in  reference  to  the 
settlement  of  Mr.  Chandler  with  them  in  the  gospel 
ministry,  and  after  taking  into  consideration  his  qualifica- 
tions for  the  office,  it  was  voted  unanimously  to  approve  of 
the  same  and  proceed  to  his  installation. 

"The  public  services  were  assigned  as  follows  :  intro- 
ductory prayer,  by  Rev.  Mr.  White  ;  reading  the  scrip- 
tures, by  Rev.  Mr.  Gilbert ;  sermon,  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Lincoln  ;  installing  prayer,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Morse  ;  charge, 
by  Rev.  Dr.  Thayer ;  fellowship  of  the  churches,  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Babbidge  ;  address  to  the  society,  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Robinson  ;  concluding  prayer,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Allen. 

"The  council  then  adjourned  to  the  church. 
"(Signed) 

"Nathaniel  Thayer,  Moderator. 
"Attest:     Washington  Gilbert,  Scribe."'' 

This  was  the  establishment  of  a  ministry,  commenced 
under  the  most  disheartening  circumstances,  which  by  the 
blessing  of  God  has  been  continued  more  than  forty  years. 

As  has  been  recorded  in  a  previous  chapter,  the 
Psalms  and  Hymns  of  Dr.  Watts  were  first  used  in  the 
public  worship  of  the  sanctuary  Dec.  2,  1777,  and  for 
almost  half  a  century  the  hearts  and  tongues  of  the  people 
had   been  enlivened   by  the  elegant  strains  of  that  truly 


21)4  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

accomplished  and  classical  poet.  But  as  man}-  of  his 
pieces  contained  passages  that  were  exceptionable,  both  in 
sentiment  and  doctrine,  to  a  more  advanced  and  liberalized 
Christian  age,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  suspend  their 
use  in  public  worship,  and  substitute  what  was  called  the 
"Cambridge  Collection."  This  change  was  made  in  the 
autumn  of  the  year  1821,  and  the  meeting-house  was 
supplied  with  books  at  the  expense  of  Thomas  Whitney, 
Esq.,  David  Livermore,  Charles  Whitney,  and  Rev. 
Robert  F.  Walcott,  who  was  then  the  provisional  minister 
of  the  parish. 

In  1834  the  excellent  and  truly  popular  compilation  of 
Rev.  Dr.  Greenwood  had  been  published,  and  wherever 
recent  chan";es  had  been  made  in  the  churches  of  liberal 
Congregationalism  this  collection  had  been  usually  adopted. 
Mr.  George  A.  Whitney  of  Boston,  a  native  of  Shirley, 
who  always  sustained  a  lively  interest  in  the  well-being  of 
the  town  that  gave  him  birth,  proposed  to  the  First  Parish 
to  adopt  this  collection  of  Psalms  and  Hymns  to  be  used  in 
their  public  worship  ;  and  if  they  should  decide  to  do  this, 
he  would  gratuitously  furnish  as  many  copies  as  would  be 
needed  for  this  purpose.  This  friendly  offer  was  readily 
accepted  by  a  vote  of  the  parish,  and  the  pews,  pulpit  and 
singers'  gallery  were  amply  supplied  by  the  generous 
donor,  who,  on  three  different  occasions,  contributed  one 
hundred  and  sixty  copies. 

From  the  settlement  of  the  town  until  the  year  1834 
no  arrangements  had  ever  been  made  for  warming  the 
meeting-houses  on  the  sabbath.  In  winter  the  worshippers 
had  been  compelled  to  remain  during  the  long  services, 
shivering  under  the  effect  of  cold, — a  custom  which 
generally  prevailed  throughout  New  England  during  the 
tirst  century  of  its  history.  But  when,  at  the  above-named 
period,  the  interests  of  the  parish  had  revived  by  the 
establishment  of  a  stated  ministry,  it  was  deemed  essential 
to  have  the  meeting-house  supplied  with  hres.  Accord- 
ingly, two  large  stoves  were  procured  by  subscription  and 
placed  in  the  body  of  the  church,  and  their  pipes  were  so 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  295 

disposed  as  to  throw  a  gentle  warmth  through  every  part 
of  the  house,  to  the  great  comfort  of  the  worshipping 
assembly. 

The  bell  which  had  been  presented  to  the  town  by 
Wallis  Little,  Esq.,  in  1808,  was  one  which  had  previously 
belonged  to  the  proprietors  of  the  new  North  Church  in 
Boston,  and  had  been  removed  from  that  church  to  give 
place  to  one  larger  and  better.  It  had  occupied  its  po- 
sition in  the  tower  of  the  First  Parish  meeting-house  in 
Shirley  until  the  year  1835.  Always  too  small  to  be 
heard  in  the  remote  parts  of  the  town,  it  had  for  several 
years  been  rendered  almost  useless  on  account  of  a  crack, 
which  had  caused  it  to  send  forth  harsh  and  discordant 
sounds. 

In  the  summer  of  the  year  just  named,  the  following 
communication  was  laid  before  the  town,  at  a  legal  meet- 
ing called  for  the  transaction  of  business  : 

"As  a  token  of  respect  for  our  native  town,  and  a 
sincere  retjard  for  its  character  and  the  well-beinir  of  its 
inhabitants,  we  the  undersigned  propose  to  present  to  the 
town  a  bell. 

"It  is  our  wish  and  intention  that  the  same  should  be 
kept  on  the  meeting-house  of  the  First  Parish ;  that  it 
should  be  used  for  all  the  necessary  and  proper  purposes 
of  the  town  ;  that  the  religious  societies  should  also  have 
the  privilege  of  its  use  ;  and  unless  the  town  shall  provide 
for  ringing  the  same,  at  the  usual  time,  and  in  the  usual 
manner,  for  the  religious  services  in  the  forenoon  and 
afternoon  of  the  Sabbath-day,  the  First  Parish  may  have 
the  privilege  of  causing  it  to  be  so  rung  for  such  services. 
And  in  case  the  First  Parish  shall  fail  to  cause  it  to  be  so 
rung  on  the  Sabbath,  any  other  parish,  then  having  regu- 
lar services,  and  not  being  supplied  with  a  bell,  may  have 
the  same  privilege. 

"Should  the  proposal  be  acceptable  to  the  town,  it 
would  be  agreeable  to  us  that  the  selectmen,  or  a  com- 
mittee, should  be  authorized  to  confer  with  us   as   to   the 


296  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

size  of   the    bell,   and  to   take  other  proper   measures   in 
regard  to  the  subject. 

"We    have    the    honor    to     subscribe     ourselves    your 

respectful  fellow-citizens, 

"Le'onard  M.  Parker, 
"Thomas  Whitney. 
"Shirley,  May  27,  1835." 

The  town  voted  to  accept  the  bell,  and  also  to  repair 
the  tower  for  its  reception.  On  the  Fourth  of  July  the 
people  assembled  in  large  numbers,  and  the  bell  was  ele- 
vated to  its  place  amid  their  joyful  acclamations. 

This  bell  was  broken  while  ringing  a  fire-alarm,  and 
its  place  was  supplied  by  another  from  Holbrook's 
foundry,  which  after  a  year's  trial  was  declared  unsat- 
isfactory, and  was  exchanged  by  the  founder  for  the  one 
now  in  use. 

The  communion  vessels,  which  had  been  in  use  since 
the  settlement  of  the  first  minister,  had  become  old  and 
defaced ;  and  though  not  unfit  for  service,  were  not  so 
convenient  as  those  of  modern  construction.  They  were 
accordingly  laid  aside  in  the  summer  of  1836.  Hon. 
James  P.  Whitney  proposed  to  the  church  to  furnish  a  new 
and  complete  set  for  their  acceptance.  Whereupon  it  was 
unanimously  voted  by  the  church  to  accept  the  donation 
of  Mr.  Whitney,  and  a  cordial  vote  of  thanks  was  passed 
to  the  donor  for  his  generosity. 

A  short  time  previous  to  the  engagement  of  Mr. 
Chandler  as  minister  of  the  parish,  a  Sunday-school  was 
organized,  principally  through  the  influence  of  a  few 
devoted  women.  This  school  has  been  continued,  with 
varied  success,  to  the  present  time.  It  has  maintained  an 
interesting  position  with  the  religious  institutions  of  our 
community,  and  now  numbers  among  its  efficient  teachers 
some  who  were  among  the  smaller  pupils  of  the  school  at 
its  organization. 

Simultaneously  with  the  formation  of  the  Sunday- 
school,  a  charitable  society  was  organized  by  the  ladies  of 
the  parish,  to  give  pecuniary  aid  and  otherwise  assist  in 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  297 

the  efforts  that  were  making  for  the  religious  instruction  of 
the  rising  generation. 

This  society  has  purchased  all  the  books  belonging  to 
the  juvenile  library — which  now  numbers  nearly  a  thou- 
sand volumes, — a  large  portion  of  the  text-books  used  in 
the  Sunday-school,  has  clothed  and  otherwise  assisted 
several  indigent  children,  and  supplied  the  furniture  for 
the  church  vestry  or  Sunday-school  room.  In  1847  this 
society  furnished  the  aisles  and  pulpit  of  the  meeting- 
house with  new  and  elegant  carpets  ;  and  has,  for  several 
years,  met  nearly  all  of  the  incidental  expenses  of  the 
parish.  The  members  of  this  association  have  semi- 
monthly meetings  during  the  summer  months,  for  mutual 
improvement  and  labor,  and  their  plans  of  action  have 
been  concerted  and  executed  in  a  spirit  of  harmony  and 
good  faith  which  comports  with  the  benevolent  objects  of 
the  institution.     Such  workers  cannot  fail  of  a  reward. 

It  should  here  be  recorded  that  this  society  has  not 
confined  its  labors  to  the  daily  passing  wants,  but  has 
kept  an  eye  open  to  the  future.  A  fund  has  been  accu- 
mulated, amounting  to  about  $1,500,  the  income  of  which 
sustains  nearly  all  the  contingent  expenses  of  the   parish. 

As  has  been  recorded  in  a  previous  chapter,  the 
meeting-house  now  owned  by  the  First  Parish  had  been 
erected  at  the  expense  of  the  town  in  1773.  It  had  been 
enlarged,  by  the  addition  of  porches  and  a  tower,  in 
1804.  For  thirty-five  years  it  had  served  the  wants  of  the 
people  without  any  other  change  than  an  occasional  out- 
side dressing  of  paint.  Its  interior  needed  great  improve- 
ments in  order  to  satisfy  the  tastes  of  an  advanced  age. 
The  people  had  become  tired  of  its  deep  and  sombre 
galleries,  its  quadrangular  areas — which  were  divided  into 
quadrangular  pews — and  its  elevated  pulpit ;  and  were 
unanimous  in  the  desire  that  it  be  thoroughly  revised 
according  to  the  rules  of  modern  architecture. 

The  project  was  formally  brought  before  the  parish  at 
its  annual  meeting  in  March,  1839.  After  some  discus- 
sion as  to  the  best  method  of  operation,  it  was   voted  that 

38 


298  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

the  meeting-house  be  altered,  and  that  the  expense  be 
divided  into  shares,  to  be  assumed  by  proprietors,  who 
should  seek  a  remuneration  of  their  subscriptions  by  the 
sale  of  pews,  after  the  work  should  be  completed.  A 
committee  was  accordingly  raised,  consisting  of  Joshua 
B.  Fowle,  Leonard  M.  Parker  and  James  P.  Whitney,  to 
obtain  subscribers  to  the  stock  and  to  arrange  all  necessary 
preliminaries  with  the  town  in  relation  to  the  proposed 
alteration. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  a  committee  of  five  was 
appointed  to  take  the  general  charge  of  the  work  of 
remodelling  and  repairing  the  meeting-house.  This  com- 
mittee were  Hon.  L.  M.  Parker,  Hon.  James  P.  Whitney, 
Joshua  B.  Fowle,  Almond  Morse,  and  Nathaniel  Hol- 
den,  Jr.  It  was  also  voted  that  the  assistance  of  three 
commissioners  from  other  towns  be  solicited  to  appraise 
the  pews  in  the  meeting-house  as  they  then  existed  ; — and 
Zachariah  Sheldon  of  Fitchburg,  Abel  Jewett  of  Pep- 
perell,  and  Henry  Woods  of  Groton  were  appointed  to 
this  service.  They  subsequently  reported  the  present 
worth  of  the  pews  to  be  $189.50. 

The  building  committee  made  contracts  for  the  work 
of  alteration  and  repairs  without  any  unnecessary  delay. 
The  most  of  the  work  was  undertaken  by  Mr.  Wilder 
Dodge,  a  member  of  the  parish  ;  and  it  was  chiefly  exe- 
cuted by  artisans  of  the  town.  According  to  the  journal 
of  proceedings  kept  by  the  building  committee,  the  work 
was  completed  "to  their  entire  satisfaction,  in  a  faithful 
and  substantial  manner."  "It  is,"  as  the  journal  adds,  "a 
goodly  work,  and  has  not  been  undertaken  in  vain. 
Heaven  seems  to  have  smiled  upon  it  and  crowned  our 
labors  with  success.  In  all  this  the  society  has  abundant 
cause  to  be  thankful  and  take  courage." 

Owing  to  the  original  construction  of  the  meeting- 
house, its  alteration  could  not  be  effected,  with  a  proper 
regard  to  proportions,  without  giving  larger  internal  space 
than  was  required  to  comfortably  accommodate  its  wor- 
shippers on  ordinary  occasions.     This,  however,  has  been 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  299 

a    minor    consideration,   and    has  never  been   a    cause  of 
serious  regret. 

The  expense  of  alterations,  repairs  and  furnishings, 
amounted  to  $2,307.61.  Of  this  sum,  sixty  dollars  were 
paid  by  ten  individuals,  for  veneering  the  pulpit  with  ma- 
hogany ;  and  sixty-seven  dollars  were  subscribed  by  the 
ladies  of  the  parish,  to  furnish  the  singers'  gallery  with 
upholstery,  and  the  communion  altar  with  table  and  chairs. 
This  reduced  the  stockholders'  amount  of  liabilit}'  to 
$2,180.61. 

The  last  sermon  that  was  preached  in  the  meeting- 
house, previous  to  its  alteration,  was  in  the  afternoon  of 
July  14th,  1839.  It  was  from  the  text  recorded  in  Haggai 
ii,  3  :  "Who  is  left  among  you  that  saw  this  house  in  her 
first  glory?" 

On  the  27th  day  of  the  succeeding  October  it  was 
re-opened  for  public  worship  with  the  following  religious 
services  :  Introductory  prayer  and  the  reading  of  select 
portions  of  Scripture,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Wilson  of  Westford ; 
dedicatory  prayer  by  Rev.  Mr.  Babbidge  of  Pepperell ; 
sermon  by  the  pastor,  from  Psalms  xx,  1,2:  "The  Lord 
— send  the  help  from  the  sanctuary."  In  the  afternoon  of 
the  same  day  Mr.  Babbidge  prfeached  a  sermon  from  Gen- 
esis xxviii,  17  :  "This  is  none  other  than  the  house  of 
God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven." 

The  pews  in  the  lower  part  of  the  house  were 
appraised  and  sold  for  a  sum  sufficient  to  meet  all  the 
expense  that  had  been  incurred  b}'  the  alteration.  This 
left  the  parish  without  the  burden  of  a  church  debt, — "that 
root  of  bitterness,"  which  is  often  allowed  to  spring  up  and 
retard  the  growth  of  an  otherwise  prosperous  religious 
community.  The  reconstruction  of  its  place  of  worship 
has  ever  been  regarded  as  vitally  important  to  the  perma- 
nent well-being  of  the  parish. 

Within  about  a  year  of  the  re-opening  of  the  meeting- 
house after  its  improvements,  it  was  furnished  with  six 
large  solar  lamps  ;  two  were  placed  in  the  choir,  and  the 
remaining  four  were  suspended  in  the  body  of  the  house. 


300  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

These  were  purchased  by  the  young  men  of  the  parish. 
Two  of  the  same  kind  of  lamps,  with  elegant  stands,  were 
placed  upon  the  pulpit.  These  were  purchased  by  the 
young  ladies  of  the  parish.  Through  the  aid  of  these 
fixtures  the  church  could  be  finely  illuminated  whenever 
needed  for  evening  lectures  or  social  worship  ;  and  they 
surely  rejiccted  credit  on  the  liberality  of  the  individuals 
by  whom  they  were  furnished. 

Thomas  Whitney,  Esq., — who  had  been  an  efficient 
patron  of  the  First  Parish  from  the  period  of  its  organiza- 
tion, and  who  had  maintained  a  firm  attachment  to  the 
order  of  Congregationalism  during  all  the  ecclesiastical 
changes  in  the  town, — departed  this  life  January  14,  1844, 
much  lamented  by  his  family  and  a  large  circle  of  friends. 
The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  codicil  to  his  will,  in  which 
a  legacy  is  bequeathed  to  the  parish  : 

"I  give  and  bequeath  unto  the  First  Parish,  in  said 
town  of  Shirley,  of  which  I  have  been  a  member  from 
ni}^  youth,  the  sum  o{  Jive  hundred  dollars ;  and  it  is  my 
intention  that  the  same  shall  be  safely  and  permanently 
invested,  on  interest,  and  the  income  thereon  be  annually 
appropriated  toward  the  payment  of  the  salary  of  a  good 
and  faithful  Unitarian  minister  of  the  gospel  in  said  parish. 
And  it  is  my  earnest  wish  and  hope  that  the  parish  may  at 
all  times  be  supplied  with  the  services  of  such  a  minister ; 
and,  in  making  the  bequest,  I  take  satisfaction  in  the 
indulgence  of  a  hope  that  it  may  have  a  lasting  influence 
in  securing  to  the  parish  an  object  so  essential  to  the  hap- 
piness and  well-being  of  society.  And  I  indulge  the 
further  hope  that  the  sum  hereby  bequeathed  may  lay  the 
foundation  of  a  fund,  which,  at  no  distant  period,  by  the 
munificence  of  others,  will  become  of  such  magnitude 
that  the  income  thereof  will  annually  pay  the  salary  of  a 
minister,  in  said  parish,  of  the  character  and  denomination 
above  mentioned. 

"And  it  is  my  further  will  and  intention,  that  in  case 
the  said  parish  shall  fail  during  the  period  of  twenty  years 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  301 

after  my  decease,  and  for  the  space  of  six  months  in  suc- 
cession, to  be  supplied  with  a  minister  of  the  character 
and  denomination  aforementioned,  who  shall  be  reoularlv 
settled  as  their  pastor,  or  be  engaged  by  the  year,  then 
the  said  sum  oi  Jive  hundred  dollars^  bequeathed  as  afore- 
said, shall  revert  and  descend  to  my  heirs-at-law. 

"And  I  further  give  and  bequeath  to  the  said  Parish, 
the  sum  of  twenty  dollars^  annually,  for  the  term  of  live 
years,  after  m}-  decease,  to  be  appropriated  towards  the 
payment  of  the  salary  of  a  minister,  in  said  parish,  of  the 
character  and  denomination  atbrementioned  ;  but  one-half 
of  said  annual  sum,  may  be  applied  to  the  support  of  the 
singing  in  said  parish,  if  the  parish  shall  so  decide. 

"But  if  the  said  parish  shall  fail,  during  the  said  term 
of  live  years,  to  be  regularly  supplied  with  a  minister  of 
the  character  and  denomination  aforesaid,  then  the  said 
annual  bequest  of  twenty  dollars  shall  cease." 

The  parish  voted  to  accept  this  legacy  and  bequest  of 
Thomas  Whitne}-,  Esq.,  upon  the  conditions  specified; 
they  also  expressed  their  acknowledgments  and  gratitude, 
by  a  vote  of  thanks,  a  copy  of  which  was  entered  upon 
the  records  of  the  parish,  and  another  forwarded  to  the 
widow  and  family  of  the  deceased. 

On  the  fourteenth  day  of  Januar3%  1847,  just  three 
years  after  the  death  of  Thomas  Whitney,  Esq.,  his  son, 
Hon.  James  P.  Whitney,  was  called  to  follow.  In  his 
death  the  First  Parish  lost  another  active  member  and 
efficient  supporter.  In  all  things,  especially,  that  related 
to  its  prudential  affairs,  the  hand  and  heart  of  Mr.  Whit- 
ney were  engaged,  and  the  sanctuary  found  him  a  constant 
and  attentive  worshipper.  In  his  last  will  he  bequeathed 
to  the  parish  fund,  established  by  his  father,  the  additional 
sum  of  tivo  hundred  and  fftv  dollars. 

But  the  most  generous  gil"t  yet  remains  to  be  noticed. 
Although  the  religious  services  of  the  Sabbath  had  never 
failed  to  be  enlivened  by  good  instrumental  and  vocal 
music,  it  was  generally  thought  that  this  part  of  worship 
might  be  greatly  improved  by  the  aid  of   an  organ  that 


802  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

would  compare  in  volume  with  the  area  to  be  filled. 
Whereupon,  Madam  Henrietta  Whitney,  widow  of  the 
late  Thomas  Whitney,  Esq.,  entered  into  the  plan  with  a 
zeal  worthy  the  greatness  of  the  enterprise.  At  her  indi- 
vidual expense  an  instrument  of  rare  excellence  was 
manufactured  by  Mr.  George  Stevens  of  East  Cambridge, 
and  placed  in  the  orchestra  of  the  church.  Its  use  has 
justified  the  most  sanguine  hopes  of  those  who  realize  the 
value  of  sacred  music  as  a  part  of  divine  worship.  The 
cost  of  the  orcran  was  one  thousand  and  three  hundred 
dollars. 

It  is  but  a  short  time  that  the  aged  donor*  of  this 
valuable  instrument,  or  the  generation  of  worshippers 
whose  ears  were  enlivened  b}'  its  first  sounds,  can  be  bene- 
fitted bv  earthly  music ;  can  be  hailed  by  its  pleasant 
tones  as  they  enter  and  leave  the  place  of  their  solemni- 
ties ;  3'et,  for  many  generations  to  come,  it  may  remain  to 
lead  in  an  essential  part  of  public  devotion.  And  when 
the  curious  amateur  or  antiquarian  shall,  in  distant  years, 
come  to  examine  its  keys  and  prove  their  power,  his  eye 
will  readily  catch  the  name  of  one  whose  generous  devo- 
tion to  the  wants  of  her  time  hath  made  her  a  benefactress 
to  generations  of  worshippers  in  the  temple  of  the  Most 
High. 

Whoever  may  read  these  pages  of  church  history  will 
at  once  perceive  that  the  descendants  of  the  first  minister 
have  been  among  the  most  efficient  supporters  of  those 
Christian  institutions  which  he  labored  to  establish.  And, 
if  he  is  permitted  to  look  from  his  high  abode  upon  the 
present  dwellers  in  the  Lord's  house,  he  must  rejoice  at 
these  tokens  of  his  children's  fidelity  to  the  sacred  altars 
which  had  been  sanctified  by  his  own  prayers  and  bene- 
dictions. And  as  a  record  of  these  acts  of  liberality 
shall  transmit  to  coming  times  the  beneficence  of  some  of 
the  present  generation,  may  it  stimulate  the  devout  to  go 
and  do  likezvise. 


^Mrs.  Whitney  departed  this  life  Nov.  6,  1S64. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  303 

At  the  time  the  meetino--house  of  the  First  Parish 
underwent  its  revision,  some  efforts  were  made  to  have  it 
removed  a  tew  rods  east  of  its  existing  location,  and 
placed  upon  that  part  of  the  public  common  called  the 
"training-field."  But  as  the  project  did  not  accord  with 
the  views  of  a  majority  of  the  society  at  that  time,  it  was 
deferred  for  a  season.  Upon  the  erection  of  the  tow^n- 
house,  however,  the  awkward  position  of  the  meeting- 
house became  fully  apparent ;  it  was  accordingly  resolved 
by  the  parish  to  carry  out  their  original  plan,  and  remove 
the  meetintr-house,  as  above  stated. 

The  following  approval  on  the  part  of  the  town  has 
been  extracted  from  the  records  of  a  meeting  holden  July 
14th,  1851  : 

"Voted,  that  the  town  give  their  consent  that  the  First 
Parish  may  remove  their  meeting-house  to  and  upon  the 
ground  called  the  "training-iield," — the  same  to  be  carried 
and  placed  so  far  east  that  the  west  end  of  the  meeting- 
house shall  be  on  a  line  with  the  east  side  of  the  town- 
house,  and  the  south  side  of  said  meeting-house  to  be  as 
near  the  present  travelled  road  as  conveniently  may  be. 
The  said  parish  to  have  the  right,  if  need  be,  to  rebuild 
upon  the  same  ground.  And  this  consent  is  hereby 
given  on  the  following  conditions,  to  wit : 

"i.  That  the  owner  of  the  land  adjoining  the  north- 
erly and  easterly  lines  of  said  "training-field"  give  his 
consent  thereto,  in  writing,  under  seal  and  acknowledg- 
ment. 2.  That  the  said  parish  shall  agree  to  lay  open  all 
their  grounds,  where  the  meeting-house  now  stands,  and 
around  the  same,  as  a  public  common  ;  and  so  to  continue 
unencumbered,  so  long  as  the  said  meeting-house,  or  any 
new  one  which  may  be  built  in  place  of  the  present,  shall 
remain  upon  the  said  "training-field." 

"And,  for  the  security  of  both  of  the  said  parties,  this 
further  condition  or  stipulation  is  also  hereby  made — that 
either  party,  for  good  cause,  shall  have  the  right  to  cause 
the  said  meeting-house,  or  any  one  built  in  its  place,  to  be 
removed  to  the  spot  where  it  now  stands,  or  to  such  other. 


304  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

near  thereto,  as  the  parish  may  fix  upon.  The  sufficiency 
of  the  cause  and  the  terms  of  the  removal  to  be  mutually 
agreed  upon  by  the  said  parties ;  and  in  case  they  cannot 
agree  the  same  shall  be  submitted  to  the  judgment  of 
three  disinterested  and  judicious  men  to  be  mutually 
agreed  on,  whose  decision  shall  be  final,  both  in  regard  to 
the  sufficiency  of  the  cause,  and  the  terms  of  removal. 
And  the  agreement  of  said  parish,  to  the  foregoing  con- 
ditions and  stipulations,  at  a  meeting  duly  called  for  the 
purpose,  is  hereby  required  : — a  copy  whereof,  duly  cer- 
tified by  the  clerk  of  said  parish,  shall  be  filed  with  the 
town  clerk  before  the  removal  of  said  meeting-house." 

To  these  conditions  the  parish  assented,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  the  meeting-house  was  removed,  without  any 
injury  to  the  building  or  any  of  its  fixtures,  and  without 
accident  to  "any  of  the  workmen. 

By  the  removal  of  the  church,  room  has  been  fur- 
nished for  a  hall  in  the  basement,  which  might,  without 
great  expense,  be  fitted  for  a  vestry,  lecture,  or  Sunday- 
school  room.  The  meeting-house  was  newly  painted, 
externally  and  internally,  and  otherwise  repaired,  at  the 
time  of  its  removal.  These  changes  greatly  improved  the 
prospect  of  the  common,  as  well  as  adding  to  the  conven- 
ience and  appearance  of  the  temple  of  worship.  The 
expense  incurred  on  account  of  the  changes  amounted  to 
nearly  $i,ooo. 

On  the  second  Sabbath  in  October  the  church  was 
reopened  for  divine  service,  and  the  pastor  preached  on 
the  importance  of  public  worship,  from  Psalms  cxxii,  i  : 
"I  was  glad  when  they  said  unto  me.  Let  us  go  into  the 
house  of  the  Lord."' 

From  the  erection  of  this  house  in  1773,  through  all 
of  its  various  changes  and  modifications,  it  retained  its 
original  windows,  without  amendment  or  alteration. 
They  had,  however,  assumed  such  an  antique  appearance 
as  to  be  a  subject  of  special  remark.  Whereupon  a  pro- 
posal was  made  by  John  K.  Going,  Esq.,  a  member  of 
the  parish,    to   completely    re-glaze  the   meeting-house  at 


Autoglyph  Print,  W,  P.  Allen,  Gardner,  Mass. 


First  Congregational  Church, 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  305 

his  private  expense.  This  gratuity  of  Mr.  Going  was 
gratefully  accepted  by  the  parish,  and  the  work  was  com- 
pleted August  i6th,  1857.  Mr.  Going  died  December  21, 
1866.  By  his  last  will  and  testament  he  left,  to  be  added 
to  the  permanent  funds  of  the  parish,  the  sum  of  five 
hundred  dollars,  which  was  accepted  with  the  usual  reso- 
lutions of  thanks. 

At  the  annual  parish  meeting  in  1867,  Mr.  Henry  B. 
Going  proposed  to  make  some  essential  alterations  in  the 
meeting-house,  at  his  personal  cost,  provided  his  proposal 
should  be  agreeable  to  the  members  of  the  parish.  It  was 
received  in  the  same  spirit  in  which  it  was  propounded, 
and  the  work  was  at  once  entered  upon  with  alacrity.  It 
was  completed  by  the  middle  of  October,  and  the  house  as 
renovated  presents  a  most  attractive  appearance.  It  is 
warmed  by  a  furnace  and  has  all  the  conveniences  that 
belong  to  the  more  modern  and  improved  methods  of 
church  architecture.  This  was  the  third  considerable 
change  that  had  been  wrought  in  the  church  of  the  First 
Parish  since  1834,  ^"^  during  the  pastorate  of  the  incum- 
bent inducted  into  office  in  the  June  of  that  year.  This 
last  change  was  noticed  in  a  sermon  delivered  on  the 
re-opening  of  the  house,  from  the  text  in  Hag.  i,  4  :  "Is  it 
time  for  you,  O  ye,  to  dwell  in  your  ceiled  houses,  and 
this  house  lie  waste?" 

The  cost  of  the  repairs  made  by  Mr.  Going  was  six 
thousand  dollars. 

At  a  succeeding  parish-meeting  an  acknowledgment 
of  the  donation  of  Mr.  Going  was  adopted.  It  reads  as 
follows:  "Whereas,  during  the  past  year  our  old  church 
edifice  has  been  materially  altered,  repaired  and  improved, 
chiefly  at  the  expense  and  by  the  liberality  of  Mrs. 
Harriet  B.  Going  and  her  son  Henry  B.  Going, — there- 
fore, we,  the  members  of  the  First  Parish  in  Shirley, 
desirous  of  expressing  our  appreciation  of  their  gene- 
rosity, do  hereby  tender  to  Mrs.  Going  and  her  son  our 
sincere  thanks,  with  the  hope  that  their  lives  may  be  long 
spared  for  usefulness  and  enjoyment.     And  should  it  be 

39 


306  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

their  pleasure  to  again  reside  in  town,  and  weekly  meet 
with  us  around  the  same  old  altar  where  they  were  wont 
to  come  in  early  life,  we  assure  them  they  will  receive  a 
CO rdia I  welcome.'''' 

In  1864  Madam  Henrietta  Whitney  died,  and  left  in 
her  will  a  legacy  for  the  First  Parish  in  Shirley.  The 
following  extract  from  her  will  explains  the  terms  on 
which  it  was  bequeathed  : 

"I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  First  Parish  in  Shirley, 
the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars  ($500),  which  is  to  be 
appropriated  in  the  same  mannei*  and  held  on  the  same 
terms  and  conditions  as  are  specified  by  my  late  husband, 
Thomas  Whitney,  Esq.,  in  bequeathing  a  like  sum  to  said 
parish,  all  of  which  will  fully  appear  by  the  codicil  of  his 
last  will  and  testament ;  and  it  is  my  intention  that  the 
period  of  twenty  years,  mentioned  in  said  codicil,  during 
which  a  forfeiture  may  be  incurred  by  said  parish,  shall 
terminate  at  the  same  time  in  reference  to  my  bequest  that 
it  will  in  reference  to  the  bequest  of  my  late  husband." 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  parish,  holden  April 
29th,  1865,  the  legacy  of  Mrs.  Whitney  was  accepted  and 
the  usual  complimentary  resolutions  were  unanimously 
adopted. 

It  may  also  be  set  down  as  an  item  of  history  that 
Mr.  Martin  Turner,  who  died  July  i6th,  1869,  left  to  the 
parish  funds  a  legacy  of  fifty  dollars.,  on  the  same  con- 
ditions as  those  specified  in  the  legacies  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thomas  Whitney. 

At  a  parish  meeting  holden  April  30th,  1869,  the 
executor  of  the  will  of  Mrs.  Clarissa  Isaacs  presented  a 
communication,  containing  the  following  item  from  her 
last  will  and  testament : 

"I  give  to  the  First  Parish  in  Shirley,  over  which  my 
respected  father  was  settled  for  a  series  of  years,  the  sum 
of  tzvo  hxindrcd  dollars,  for  the  same  purpose,  and  on  the 
same  terms  and  conditions  as  specified  in  the  will  of  my 
late  brother,  Thomas  Whitney,  respecting  a  similar 
bequest  made  by  him."  It  was  voted  ''to  accept  the 
bequest  of  the  late  Mrs.  Isaacs." 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  307 

Miss  Rebecca  Day,  who  died  September  28th,  1869,- 
left  for  the  use  of  the  parish  the  sum  of  three  hundred 
dollars^  which  was  accepted  by  the  usual  legal  formali- 
ties. 

The  names  and  deeds  of  these  benefactors  have  found 
an  honorable  place  in  the  records  of  the  parish ; — but  that 
they  might  be  more  extensively  understood  and  appreci- 
ated they  have  been  transferred  to  the  pages  of  this 
history. 

These  legacies,  amounting  in  all  to  $2,300,  were 
intrusted  with  Thomas*  E.  Whitney,  as  treasurer  of  the 
parish,  by  whose  family  a  large  portion  of  the  funds  had 
been  donated.  For  this  reason — and  from  the  general 
apprehension  that  both  the  disposition  of  Mr.  Whitney 
toward  the  good  of  the  object  and  his  supposed  pecuniary 
ability  to  meet  any  liability  he  might  assume — no  special 
security  was  required  at  his  hands.  But  the  result  proved 
that  this  was  a  mistaken  trust,  as  the  whole  was  sunk  in 
the  abyss  of  misfortune  that  came  over  the  plans  and  pur- 
poses of  the  unfortunate  treasurer.  The  parish  would  have 
lost  the  entire  debt  but  for  the  timely  assistance  of  Mrs. 
Mary  D.  Whitney  of  Boston,  an  aunt  of  the  deceased 
treasurer.  Although  she  was  the  greatest  loser  by  his 
failure,  and  probably  a  heavier  creditor  than  all  the  others 
united,  yet  she  generously  made  over  to  the  parish,  on 
certain  conditions,  an  amount  of  real  estate  of  equal  value 
to  the  fund  owed  by  her  deceased  relative. 

By  a  judicious  care  and  use,  this  fund, — either  as  it  is, 
or  by  any  expedient  transposition  of  it, — will  be  a  salutary 
help  in  the  support  of  public  worship,  in  all  coming  time. 

The  present  is  perhaps  an  appropriate  place  to  note 
the  existence  of  the  Parish  Library,  designed  for  adult 
reading.  This  library  was  commenced,  in  a  small  way,  in 
the  spring  of  1839,  through  the  efforts  of  a  few  ladies. 
It  has  continued  to  make  small  yearly  additions  until  it 
numbers  548  volumes  of  useful  books,  and  is  a  source  of 
valuable  entertainment  to  those  families  who  avail  them- 
selves of  its  privileges.     The  late  William  Parker  and  the 


308  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

late  William  F.  Whitney,  of  Boston,  have  been  liberal 
patrons  of  this  library.  It  is  deposited  in  the  vestibule  of 
the  church,  and  the  books  are  distributed  on  Sundays, 
both  before  and  after  divine  service. 

The  church  connected  with  the  first  parish  was  organ- 
ized in  1762,  as  before  related.  It  has  had  but  three 
settled  pastors  ;  the  second  was  a  colleague,  and  was  dis- 
missed before  the  death  of  his  predecessor.  The  united 
ministries  of  the  first  and  third  cover  a  period  of  one 
hundred  and  one  years,  allowing  the  active  ministry  of 
the  third  to  close  June  i,  1879,  when  he  had  completed 
his  forty-fifth  year.  During  the  interregnum  of  sixteen 
years  between  the  death  of  Mr.  Whitney  and  the  engage- 
ment of  Mr.  Chandler  the  church  was  left  without  the 
word  and  ordinances  for  only  a  single  year. 

Forty-five  years  of  active  ministry  with  one  and  the 
same  people  opens  a  field  of  varied  experience,  which 
cannot  be  reviewed  without  mingled  emotions  of  pleasure 
and  regret.  The  candid  minister  who  should  have  this 
experience  must,  upon  reflection,  behold  his  own  short- 
comings in  a  variety  of  forms,  and  be  led  to  believe  that 
his  labors  would  have  been  far  more  effectual  for  good 
had  they  been  attended  by  a  greater  degree  of  thought- 
fulness,  carefulness  and  prudence.  And,  undoubtedly,  a 
people,  under  the  same  circumstances,  w^ho  as  faithfully 
scan  their  own  motives  and  actions  as  they  do  those  of 
their  minister,  would  find  their  own  conduct  open  to  cen- 
sure as  well  as  approval. 

The  length  of  Mr.  Chandler's  ministry,  in  these  times 
of  sensational  preaching,  fitful  hearing  and  short  engage- 
ments, is  tolerable  evidence  that  there  have  been  mutual 
forbearances  and  mutual  confidences  betw^een  the  parties, 
and  mutual  good  feeling  largely  entertained  during  the 
entire  continuance  of  the  union. 

In  looking  back  upon  his  public  labors  Mr.  Chandler 
cannot  hesitate  to  acknowledge  that  he  has  experienced 
many  especially  gratifying  favors.  The  church  music, 
which  has  always  been  conducted  without  internal  jars  or 


GO 

3 

o 


M 

<; 

GO 

m 

a:: 
o 

5d 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  309 

bitter  corrodings,  has  been  a  very  important  feature  of  the 
Sunday  services  ;  it  has  been  invariably  excellent,  exhila- 
rating, and  constant.  There  never  have  been  long  breaks 
in  the  regular  services  on  the  Sabbath,  through  sickness 
of  the  minister  or  other  cause, — and  there  has  been  but 
one  Sunday  gathering  (and  only  two  meetings  on  extra 
occasions)  when  the  congregation — great  or  small — failed 
of  being  enlivened  by  cheering  music  !  This  constancy 
and  faithfulness  are  largely  due  to  the  fidelity  of  one  man, 
and  he  the  choir  leader  —  Hon.  E.  Dana  Bancroft. 
For  a  period  of  some  thirty-five  years  he  has  been  at  his 
post  of  duty,  in  season  and  out  of  season.  Though  his 
residence  has  been  from  tw^o  to  four  miles  from  church,  his 
seat  has  rarely  been  found  empty.  In  this  thing  he  has 
led  his  household  after  him.  He  has  braved  all  storms, 
overcome  the  obstacles  of  bad  travelling,  and  thus  given 
his  untiring  labors,  for  a  very  meagre  compensation  during 
all  these  years.  He  has  also  manifested  a  becoming 
pecuniary  liberality  in  furnishing  music  books  for  the 
choir  and  Sunday-school.  Indeed,  he  has  engaged  in 
every  good  word  and  work  for  the  parish  benefit  with 
heart  and  hand.  His  works  and  those  of  other  helpers 
assist  to  cheer  the  depression  of  a  retiring  minister. 

At  the  commencement  of  his  ministry  Mr.  Chandler 
found  the  church  to  consist  of  twenty-six  members,  and 
during  his  pastorate  one  hundred  and  nine  were  added. 
He  baptized  one  hundred  and  forty-six  persons,  and  joined 
in  wedlock  five  hundred  and  seventy-four  individuals. 
He  performed  six  hundred  and  sixteen  funeral  services, 
many  of  which  were  in  other  towns.  He  has  served  in 
twenty-nine  ecclesiastical  councils  in  other  churches,  and 
closed  his  regular  duties  with  the  parish  on  the  first 
Sunday  in  June,  1879.  ^^  ^^^^^  holds  a  nominal  connec- 
tion with  the  church,  and  has  performed  pastoral  and 
pulpit  labors  since  the  close  of  what  may  be  called  his 
regular  engagement.  The  society  is  now  (1882)  without 
preaching. 


310  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

During  the  last  ten  or  fifteen  years  the  First  Congre- 
gational parish  in  Shirley  has  been  subject  to  a  change 
common  to  towns  situated  near,  yet  not  directly  upon,  the 
line  of  a  railroad.  The  villages  that  gather  about  the 
stations  have  a  tendency  to  bring  within  their  focus  the 
tradesmen,  and  other  business  workers,  and  gradually 
draw  away  the  young  men  from  the  surrounding  farms. 
This  of  necessity  must  deplete  the  church  support  and 
attendance  that  is  left  behind.  Thirteen  and  more  families 
who  gave  the  first  church  their  presence  and  assistance 
have  emigrated  to  Ayer  during  this  period,  and  have  left 
their  sittings  vacant.  Drains  have  been  opened  other  ways 
with  the  same  sad  eft'ects.  Worse  than  all,  the  farms, 
upon  which  a  rural  parish  depends  for  its  sustinence,  have 
largely  passed  into  the  ownership  of  a  Catholic  communit}^ 
who  have  no  regard  for  religious  institutions  outside  the 
forms  of  their  own  communion,  and  who  give  neither 
their  persons  nor  their  property  in  any  way  to  sustain  a 
Protestant  worship, — the  corner  stone  of  that  libertv  which 
the  Catholic  foreigner  first  in  his  life  realizes  in  this  land 
of  his  immigration  ! 

The  first  society  in  Shirley,  with  many  other  New- 
England  churches,  has  suffered  from  these  causes.  Its 
funds,  however,  with  an  awakened  energy  on  the  part  of 
its  remnant  members,  may  eventually  resuscitate  it  to 
renewed  action,  and  give  it  a  name  and  standing  among 
the  religious  institutions  of  the  land. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

Orthodox  Society  —  Church  Organization  —  Mceting- 
Houses — Ministers — Miss  yenny  Little — Benefac- 
tions— Suudav-School,  etc. 

The  next  reliijious  division  that  occurred  in  Shirlev 
was  made  by  the  organization  of  a  Trinitarian  Congrega- 
tional Church. 

When  the  First  Congregational  Parish  was  incorpo- 
rated a  minority  of  its  members  did  not  fully  sympathize 
with  the  doctrinal  opinions  of  the  maiority.  They  con- 
tinued, however,  to  worship  at  the  same  altar  for  the  space 
of  six  years.  During  this  period  divisions  had  been 
effected  in  the  Congregational  denomination,  throughout 
those  parts  of  the  Commonwealth,  where  what  was  termed 
the  "liberal  sentiment"  had  established  its  claims. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Shirley  this  division  had  extensively 
prevailed.  In  almost  every  town  two  church  spires  arose 
when  but  one  had  previously  existed.  It  was  therefore 
deemed  expedient  that  however  small  a  town  or  precinct, 
it  should  not  be  exempt  from  this  rule  ;  and  hence  the  rule 
was  adopted  in  Shirley,  with  all  its  attendant  good  and 
evil  consequences.  The  trinitarian  minority  regarded 
their  doctrinal  speculations  as  being  at  such  variance  with 
those  of  the  unitarian  majority,  that  they  could  not  con- 
scienciously  worship  at  the  same  altar,  but  must  seek  out 
a  new  locality  as  a  resting  place  for  the  "ark  of  the  Lord." 

That  this  history  may  present  a  true  record  of  this 
new  movement,  an  account  of  it  is  transferred  from  the 
archives  of  the  seceders,  and  given  in  their  own  words  : 

"Shirley,  Feb.  3,  1828.  A  number  of  people  in  this 
place  met  at  the  house  of  Miss  J.  Little,  and  after  prayer, 
the  Rev.  J.  Todd  acting  as  moderator: 

"  Voted,  that  it  be  expedient  to  form  a  church  in  this 
place,  of  evangelical  principles. 


312  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

"  Voted,  that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to 
make  the  necessary  arrangements. 

"  Voted,  that  Samuel  S.  Walker,  Imla  Wright,  and 
Dea.  Joseph  Brown  constitute  this  committee. 

"  Voted,  that  the  churches  in  Groton,  Dunstable,  Har- 
vard, Leominster,  Townsend  and  Fitchburg,  be  invited 
to  constitute  an  ecclesiastical  council  for  the  purpose  of 
organizing  said  church. 

"  Voted,  that  Thursday,  February  14th  instant  be 
observed  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer. 

"Samuel  S.  Walker,  Scribe." 

It  was  settled  that  when  the  proposed  council  should 
assemble,  the  business  meeting  should  be  at  the  house  of 
Samuel  S.  Walker,  in  the  forenoon,  and  that  the  public 
religious  services  should  be  in  the  afternoon,  in  the  south 
[Universalist]  meeting-house;  and  that  the  church  be 
called  "Orthodox  Congregational." 

At  the  appointed  time  the  council  was  convened,  and 
the  following  extract  from  its  proceedings  will  be  a  faith- 
ful and  permanent  record  of  the  origin  of  this  important 
movement : 

''March  12th,  1828.  At  an  ecclesiastical  council, 
convened  by  letters  (missive)  at  the  house  of  Samuel  S. 
Walker,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  new  church,  on 
evangelical  principles,  the  following  churches  were  present 
by  pastor  and  delegate  : 

"Church  of  Christ  in  Dunstable,  Rev.  Samuel  H.  Tol- 
man,  pastor,  Mr.  Joel  Keys,  delegate;  church  of  Christ 
in  Harvard,  Rev.  G.  Fisher,  pastor,  Dea.  Reuben  Whit- 
comb,  delegate  ;  Union  church  of  Christ  in  Groton,  Rev. 
J.  Todd,  pastor,  Wm.  L.  Chaplin,  delegate;  church  of 
Christ  in  Leominster,  Rev.  P.  Payson,  pastor,  Abel  Ken- 
dall, delegate;  church  of  Christ  in  Fitchburg,  Rev.  Rufus 
A.  Putnam,  pastor,  Dea.  F.  Downe,  delegate  ;  church  of 
Christ  in  Townsend,  Dea.  J.  Adams  and  Bro.  Samuel 
Walker,  delegates. 

"The  council  organized  by  choosing  Rev.  S.  H.  Tol- 
man,  moderator,  and  Rev.  Rufus  A.  Putnam,  scribe. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  313 

"The  moderator  led  in  prayer  for  light  and  direction. 

"The  articles  of  faith  and  form  of  covenant,  proposed 
to  be  accepted  by  the  candidates  in  being  constituted  into 
a  church,  were  examined,  and  after  a  few  amendments 
were  approved  by  the  council. 

"The  candidates  (sixteen  in  number)  then  presented 
themselves  for  examination,  viz :  Joseph  Brown,  Esther 
Brown,  Rhoda  Brown,  Harriet  Walker,  Saml.  S.  Walker, 
Esther  R.  Jefts,  Jenny  Little,  Nancy  Holden,  Imla 
Wright,  Sarah  Meriam,  Amelia  Shipley,  Lucy  Porter, 
Jacob  Harrington,  Sarah  B.  Harrington,  Elizabeth  Har- 
low, A.  Livermore. 

"Rev.  J,  Todd  led  in  prayer  at  the  throne  of  grace. 

"The  candidates  were  then  examined  in  regard  to  their 
faith,  religious  experience,  reason  of  their  hope  in  Christ, 
and  their  determination  to  confess  him  before  men  ;  in  all 
of  which  respects  the  council  obtained  satisfaction. 
Whereupon  it  was  voted,  unanimously,  that  this  council 
proceed  to  organize  said  persons  into  a  church  of  Christ, 
to  be  denominated  The  Orthodox  Congregational  Church 
in   Shirley. 

"The  parts  for  the  (public)  services  were  assigned  in 
the  foUow^ing  order,  viz  :  That  the  Rev.  Mr.  Fisher  read 
the  scriptures  and  offer  the  introductory  prayer ;  that  Rev. 
Mr,  Todd  preach  the  sermon ;  that  Rev.  Mr.  Tolman 
read  the  articles  of  faith  and  form  of  covenant,  admin- 
ister baptism  and  offer  the  consecrating  prayer ;  Rev.  Mr. 
Putnam  to  express  the  fellowship  of  the  churches ;  Rev. 
Mr.  Todd  to  preside  in  administering  the  holy  supper ; 
Rev.  Mr.  Payson  to  offer  the  concluding  prayer. 

"The  couijcil  then  adjourned  to  meet  at  the  south 
meeting-house  for  the  performance  of  the  above-named 
services.  The  council  met  according  to  adjournment,  and 
the  church  was  constituted  accordingly. 

(Signed,)  "Samuel  H.  Tolman,  Moderator. 

"RuFus  A.   Putnam,  Scribe. 
"A  true  copy  from  the  original  minutes. 

"Attest:  RuFus  A.  Vmt^k^i^  Scribe.'"' 

40 


314  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

From  this  beginning  Trinitarianism  has  progressed 
until  its  body  has  assumed  a  respectable  position  with  the 
other  religious  societies  of  the  town.  The  church  with 
which  it  has  been  mainly  identified  has  had  its  seasons  of 
prosperity  and  adversity,  passing  through  each  wdth  a 
good  degree  of  equanimity,  and  sustaining  a  zealous 
interest  in  the  privileges  and  ordinances  of  a  stated  gospel 
ministry.  In  its  early  years  it  had  two  "protracted  meet- 
ings," which  were  followed  by  encouraging  revivals  of 
religion.  In  fine,  it  has  enjoyed  all  the  ordinary  and 
extraordinary  means  of  grace  that  circumstances  could 
afford  or  that  the  efibrts  of  its  friends  could  produce. 
Three  or  four  persons  have  been  excommunicated  from 
church  fellowship ;  and  one  ecclesiastical  council  has  been 
called  to  settle  a  difliculty  occasioned  by  the  removal  of 
the  location  of  the  place  of  worship,  which  change  will 
be  more  particularly  noticed  in  a  subsequent  page  of  this 
history. 

There  are  few  corporate  or  associated  bodies,  how- 
ever high  or  holy  their  motives  may  be,  who  do  not 
occasionally  err  from  the  paths  of  rectitude,  and  indulge  in 
short-comings — for  all  men  are  human  ;  but  the  more  than 
fifty  years  of  the  history  of  this  church  prove  the  general 
uprightness,  sincerity  and  devotion  of  its  members  ;  that 
it  has  been  their  design  to  save  themselves  and  the  masses 
from  that  moral  degradation  towards  which  an  unchecked 
community  is  prone  to  hasten  ;  to  fulfil  the  purposes  of  a 
true  earthly  being,  and  secure  a  good  hope  of  future 
blessedness  in  the  eternal  world. 

It  may  be  proper  here  to  record  the  names  of  the 
persons  who  have  filled  the  official  position  of  deacon  in 
this  church,  viz  :  Joseph  Brown,  John  Park,  Asa  Douglass, 
Jacob  Harrington,  William  Boynton,  Daniel  Livermore, 
John  W.  Thacher. 

The  congregation  with  which  this  church  was  con- 
nected had  no  legal  existence  until  1846,  when  it  was 
duly  incorporated  by  the  name  of  the  Orthodox  Congre- 
gational- Society  in  Shirley. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  315 

During  the  summer  that  followed  the  organization  of 
the  church,  a  meeting-house  was  erected  on  an  area  of 
land  given  by  Miss  Jenny  Little,  as  a  permanent  meeting- 
house locality.  It  was  a  delightful  spot,  and  well  adapted 
to  its  sacred  purpose.  It  was  situated  a  few  rods  north  of 
the  church  of  the  First  Parish,  in  the  central  village  of 
the  town.  Leading  from  the  same  area,  a  pastoral  man- 
sion was  subsequently  built,  for  the  use  of  the  minister 
and  his  family.  The  circumstances  of  nature  and  art 
were  happily  combined  to  adapt  this  location  to  its 
appointed  uses. 

The  church' was  dedicated  in  December,  1829.  The 
sermon  on  the  occasion  was  preached  by  Rev.  John  Todd 
of  Groton.  It  was  built  with  funds  derived  in  part  from 
subscriptions  made  by  members  of  the  newly-gathered 
congregation,  and  in  part  from  the  contributions  of  other 
churches.  It  was  constructed  of  brick,  was  of  humble 
pretensions,  and  not  ver}'  well  adapted  to  its  intended  pur- 
poses ;  yet  it  was  the  best  that  the  times  and  circumstances 
would  admit,  and  perhaps  never  were  a  feeble  band  of 
worshippers  more  grateful  than  were  this  people  to  find  a 
place  where  the  ark  of  God  could  rest,  and  where  they 
could  pay  their  devotions  with  a  full  and  free  spirit. 

For  nearly  twenty  years  these  emotions  were  fully 
realized,  when  it  was  deemed  expedient  to  seek  out  a  new 
and  more  central  locality  for  "the  gathering  of  the  people" 
for  worship.  This  plan  was  at  length  effected,  though 
not  without  a  stern  protest  from  a  minority,  who  were 
greatly  incommoded  by  the  change.  And,  indeed,  it  was 
not  without  some  regret  to  them  all  to  be  separated  from  a 
place  of  so  many  and  tender  associations.  The  property 
thus  vacated  was  sold  and  converted  to  secular  purposes. 

The  reasoning  of  the  two  parties  was  on  this  wise,  as 
to  the  expediency  and  justice  of  the  plan.  Those  who 
lived  in  the  South  Village  said  that  the  party  lines  had 
become  so  completely  established  in  all  the  rural  districts 
of  the  town  as  to  preclude  all  reasonable  ground  of  hope 
that  any  accessions  could  be  made  to   the   society   as   at 


316  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

present  situated;  but,  by  removing  its  place  of  worship, 
as  had  been  proposed,  the  meeting-house  would  be 
located  in  a  flourishing  village,  where  the  manufacturing 
interest  was  yearly  increasing,  which  would  ensure  such 
an  influx  of  population  as  to  place  the  society,  and  the 
cause  which  it  sustains,  on  a  safe  and  permanent  basis. 

Those  who  lived  in  the  northerly  sections  of  the  town 
could  not  acquiesce  in  any  plan  that  threatened  to  deprive 
them  of  dearly-bought  and  highly-prized  privileges. 
Most  of  them  had  been  connected  with  the  society  from 
its  commencement,  had  made  great  sacrifices  in  its  sup- 
port, had  watched  with  paternal  regard  over  its  interests, 
and  had  hoped  that  they  and  their  children  would  long 
be  enabled  to  assemble  around  a  tabernacle  that  had  been 
consecrated  by  so  many  labors  and  prayers.  They 
regarded  the  proposed  change  as  an  encroachment  upon 
their  just  rights  ;  and  hence  all  the  advantages  it  could 
promise  would  never  reconcile  them  to  its  adoption. 

As  neither  party  could  be  reasoned  out  of  its  convic- 
tions, or  made  to  yield  its  claims,  the  matter  was  decided 
b}^  vote,  and  carried  in  favor  of  removal.  With  sad 
feelings  the  minority  bade  adieu  to  their  sanctuary ;  many 
of  them  sought  other  places  of  worship,  not  being  content 
to  follow  the  ark  of  God  into  what  they  deemed  a  strange 
land.  The  disaffected  church-members  w^ere — by  the 
advice  of  a  mutual  council  called  to  settle  this  unhappy 
state  of  things — recommended  to  sister  churches  in  the 
vicinity.  Thus  ended  an  unfortunate  schism,  which  could 
not  be  avoided. 

For  a  season  the  Orthodox  society  held  religious 
services  in  a  school-house ;  but  the  people  were  soon 
heartily  engaged  in  the  erection  of  a  new  temple  of 
prayer  and  praise.  By  unwearied  efforts  on  their  part, 
and  by  the  aid  which  they  received  from  other  sources,  a 
meeting-house  was  completed  and  dedicated  in  the  spring 
of  the  year  1851. 

The  sermon  of  dedication  was  preached  by  Rev.  G. 
W.    Adams,    who    was    then    provisional    minister    of  the 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  317 

society,  and  Messrs.  Hodgman  of  Lunenburg  and  Hub- 
bard of  Leominster  were  present  and  took  parts  in  the 
solemnities  of  the  occasion. 

The  church  stands  upon  the  table-land  which  rises 
north  of  the  Catacunemaug  valley, — has  an  agreeable 
locality,  and,  in  its  original  finish,  was  a  neat  and  commo- 
dious structure.  It  contained  forty-eight  pews,  and  its 
basement  was  furnished  with  a  vestry  and  lecture-room. 
It  was  surmounted  by  a  tower  and  steeple,  and  supplied 
with  a  bell,  which  has  since  been  changed  for  another  and 
better.     The  first  cost  of  the  building  was  $3,300. 

For  over  twenty  years  this  temple  had  continued  to 
fulfil  the  purposes  of  its  erection,  with  occasional  slight 
repairs.  Thither  on  each  returning  Sabbath  the  devout 
congregation  assembled  to  hear  and  ponder  divine  truth ; 
there  they  offered  their  children  to  God  in  baptism,  and 
themselves  by  covenant  engagements  ;  and  from  thence 
the  bodies  of  many  late  worshippers  were  borne  to  their 
long  homes.  But  now  the  effacing  fingers  of  time  were 
perceivable,  both  from  within  and  without,  and  improve- 
ments of  form  and  fashion  seemed  to  demand  the  attention 
of  the  faithful  incumbents  of  pews  and  pulpit.  Accord- 
ingly, in  the  year  1872,  a  few  external  repairs  were  made, 
while  internally  there  was  a  thorough  renovation. 

The  pulpit  was  revolutionized,  and  brought  dozen  to 
meet  the  exigencies  of  modern  taste ;  the  pews  were 
newly  upholstered,  and  the  walls  were  ornamented  with 
appropriate  fresco.  Thus,  by  the  energy  and  persever- 
ance of  a  determined  people,  their  church  auditory  was 
changed  from  a  dingy  and  forbidding  apartment  to  a  light, 
convenient  and  inviting  sanctuary  of  worship.  The  cost 
of  these  improvements  exceeded  $2,500. 

The  Orthodox  Congregational  Church  had  been  two 
years  in  existence,  and  nearly  all  of  that  time  their  first 
temple  of  worship  had  been  completed,  before  a  stated 
ministry  had  been  established.  Mr.  Hope  Brown,  of 
Fitchburg,  was  then  invited  to  the  vacant  pastorship.  He 
accepted    the  appointment,  and  June  22nd,  1830,  was  set 


318  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

apart  as  the  day  for-  his  ordination.  The  following 
churches  were  represented  in  the  ordaining  council : 

Church  ii)  Townsend,  Rev.  David  Palmer,  Dea.  Joel 
Adams  ;  church  in  Braintree,  Rev.  R.  S.  Storrs,  D.  D.  ; 
church  in  Westminster,  Rev.  Cyrus  Mann ;  church  in 
Harvard,  Rev.  George  Fisher,  Bro.  A.  Wetherell ;  church 
in  Fitchburg,  Rev.  Rufus  A.  Putnam,  Bro.  W.  Downe  ; 
church  in  Groton,  Rev.  John  Todd,  Bro.  Joseph  Blood  ; 
church  in  Leominster,  Rev.  Phillips  Payson,  Bro.  Eph- 
raim  Lincoln  ;  church  in  Concord,  Rev.  D.  S.  Southmaid, 
Bro.  Moses  Davis;  church  in  Ashby,  Rev.  A.  B.  Kemp, 
Bro.  Asa  Walker ;  church  in  Westford,  Rev.  Leonard 
Luce,  Bro.  Amos  Flagg ;  church  in  Boxford,  Rev.  T.  R. 
Cushing,  Bro.  P.  Hayw^ard  ;  church  in  Bolton,  Rev.  T. 
W.  Chickering,  Bro.  P.  Fairbanks. 

The  public  services  of  the  ordination  were  conducted 
in  the  following  order : 

Mr.  Payson  read  the  Scriptures,  Mr.  Putnam  offered 
the  introductory  prayer,  Mr.  Todd  preached  the  sermon, 
Mr.  Fisher  made  the  ordaining  prayer,  Mr.  Mann  gave 
the  charge,  Mr.  Chickering  the  right-hand  of  fellowship. 
Dr.  Storrs  addressed  the  people,  and  Mr.  Kemp  offered 
the  concluding  prayer. 

Mr.  Brown  was  a  truly  devoted  pastor,  was  much 
beloved  by  his  people,  and  continued  his  connection  with 
them  for  nearly  fourteen  years.  He  was  then  dismissed, 
at  his  own  request,  and  removed  with  his  family  to  Naper- 
ville,  in  Illinois,  where  he  for  a  time  had  charge  of  a 
parish.  He  now  lives  in  Rockford  ;  is  without  a  stated 
ministry,  and  has  been  engaged  in  some  educational 
calling. 

While  Mr.  Brown  held  his  pastorship  in  Shirley  he 
conferred  the  rite  of  baptism  upon  forty-nine  persons,  and 
received  eighty-eight  into  church  communion.  He  was 
very  active  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his  parochial 
duties ;  was  ready  in  season  and  out  of  season  to  offer 
counsel  or  exhortation.  He  had  frequent  calls  from 
other  towns  to  sit  in  ecclesiastical  councils,  and  wherever 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  319 

he  was  known  he  secured  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
his  fellow-citizens.  His  separation  from  his  parish  and 
his  removal  from  the  neighborhood  were  very  generally 
regretted,  and  many  of  his  friends  could  hardly  be  recon- 
ciled to  a  policy  that  dissolved  a  connection  that  had  been 
so  long  and  so  prosperously  sustained.  The  subsequent 
history  of  the  society  has  fully  proved  the  injudiciousness 
of  short  ministries.  Mr.  Brown  was  an  indefatigable 
worker  in  the  causes  of  temperance  and  education.  He 
was  an  active  and  energetic  member  of  the  school  com- 
mittee during  the  whole  period  of  his  residence  in  town. 
He  was  also,  for  several  years,  a  trustee  of  the  Lawrence 
Academy,  in  Groton. 

After  the  dismission  of  Mr.  Brown  the  pulpit  was 
chiefly  supplied  by  Mr.  John  P.  Humphrey,  a  licenciate 
from  Andover,  (who  has  since  been  settled  in  Winchester, 
N.  H.,)  until  July,  1847,  when  Mr.  Joseph  M.  R.  Eaton, 
who  had  previously  filled  the  ministry  for  one  year  in 
Clinton,  received  and  accepted  an  invitation  to  the  vacant 
church. 

The  following  churches  were  represented  at  his  ordi- 
nation : 

Church  in  Groton,  Rev.  Dudley  Phelps,  Bro.  S. 
Rockwood ;  church  in  Fitchburg,  Rev.  Ebenezer  W.  Bul- 
lard,  Bro.  Thomas  Eaton  ;  church  in  Leominster,  Rev.  O. 
G.  Hubbard,  Bro.  Jas.  Wood ;  church  in  Harvard,  Rev. 
George  Fisher,  Bro.  Samuel  Bacon  ;  church  in  Lancas- 
ter, Rev.  Charles  Packard,  Bro.  Oliver  Studley  ;  church 
in  Pepperell,  Rev.  David  Andrews,  Bro.  Jesse  Shattuck ; 
church  in  Townsend,  Rev.  L.  H.  Sheldon,  Dea.  Daniel 
Giles. 

The  public  services  were  after  the  following  order  : 
Invocation  and  reading  the  Scriptures  by  Mr.  Andrews  ; 
sermon  by  Mr.  Packard  ;  installing  prayer  by  Mr.  Hub- 
bard;  charge  by  Mr.  Sheldon;  fellowship  of  the  churches 
by  Mr.  Bullard  ;  address  to  the  people  by  Mr.  Phelps  ; 
closing  prayer  by  Mr.  Fisher. 


320  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Upon  the  settlement  of  Mr.  Eaton,  the  three  religious 
societies  were  simultaneously  supplied  with  a  resident 
ministry,  an  event  which  had  never  before  occurred. 
And,  although  it  was  a  matter  of  regret  that  a  population 
of  less  than  twelve  hundred  souls  should  be  burdened 
with  such  a  large  expenditure  for  the  support  of  public 
worship,  the  harmony  that  subsisted  between  the  different 
parishes  and  their  ministers  was  a  source  of  rejoicing  to 
all  lovers  of  Christian  order.  As  one  aptly  remarked,  at 
the  time, — "If  the  spiritual  good  of  their  flocks  shall 
require  the  watch  of  so  many  shepherds,  for  generations 
to  come,  they  cannot  more  surely  evince  the  purity  of 
their  profession  than  by  letting  'brotherly  love  continue  ;' 
nor  can  they  in  any  way  establish  better  proof  of  their 
titness  for  the  rewards  of  the  just,  which  have  been  prom- 
ised by  the  Chief  Shepherd  when  he  shall  gather  his 
chosen  disciples  into  his  fold  of  rest  and  salvation." 

The  ministry  of  Mr.  Eaton  continued  only  about 
three  years,  owing  to  the  inability  of  his  society  to  give 
him  adequate  support.  He  was  a  person  of  amiable  man- 
ners and  Christian  kindness,  and  he  enjoyed  the  confi- 
dence and  respect  of  all  who  knew  him.  A  general 
regret  was  expressed  that  one  so  well  adapted  to  his 
place  and  position  should  be  called  to  leave  so  soon  to 
seek  another  people  and  to  form  new  relations  ;  but  such 
has  been  too  frequently  the  fate  of  those  who  in  these 
latter  years  have  chosen  the  ministry  as  their  profession. 

Mr.  Eaton  left  Shirley  in  the  early  part  of  the  year 
1850.  Mr.  G.  W.  Adams  was  then  engaged  to  minister 
in  his  place.  He  was  not  settled,  but  continued  to  supply 
the  pulpit  for  two  or  three  years.  He  had  an  interesting 
family,  and  was  himself,  professionally,  a  man  of  much 
zeal,  though  that  zeal  was  not  always  according  to 
knowledge. 

In  May,  1853,  Mr.  B.  B.  Beardsley,  from  some  part 
of  Connecticut,  assumed  the  duties  of  pastor.  He  was 
not  inducted  to  the  pastorship  by  any  ecclesiastical  formal- 
ities,   yet    remained  to    lead   the    public   devotions  of  the 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  321 

altar  until  1858,  when  he  somewhat  reluctantly  dissolved 
his  connection  with  his  church  and  people,  and  left  the 
town.  Mr.  Beardsley  did  not  claim  extensive  acquaint- 
ance with  theological  lore,  nor  did  he  excel  as  a  pulpit 
orator  ;  and  3'et,  in  different  ways  he  proved  one  of  the 
most  profitable  ministers  that  the  society  ever  employed. 
His  whole  thought  and  care  seemed  devoted  to  the  inter- 
ests of  his  people,  and  for  their  prosperity  he  made  large 
sacrifices.  Being  a  man  of  more  than  common  pecuniary 
substance,  he  freely  contributed  to  the  prudential  wants  of 
his  parish,  and  never  held  back  his  hand  from  any 
general  benevolence  that  was  presented  to  his  notice. 
It  was  through  his  efibrts  that  a  grevious  church  debt  was 
cancelled,  that  the  meeting-house  was  painted  and  other- 
wise repaired,  and  that  the  church  bell  first  in  use  was 
procured.  Though  he  would  have  been  rejoiced  to  have 
had  a  longer  ministry  with  a  people  to  whom  he  desired  to 
endear  himself,  he  could  not  but  consider  it  "expedient 
for  than  that  he  should  go  away." 

April  10,  i860.  Rev.  Daniel  H.  Babcock,  late  pastor 
of  the  Second  Church  in  Plymouth,  preached  his  first 
Sunday,  and  was  engaged  to  supply  the  pulpit  for  an  in- 
definite period.  He  continued  his  labors  for  the  space  of 
nearly  three  years.  He  was,  for  a  portion  of  this  time, 
one  of  the  school-committee,  and  endeavored  in  this  and 
in  other  ways  to  render  himself  useful  to  the  community. 
Mr.  Babcock  went  from  Shirley  to  live  in  some  part  of 
Vermont,  where  he  has  since  died. 

November  ist,  1863,  it  was  voted  that  Mr.  A.  J. 
Button  be  invited  to  the  pastoral  office  of  the  Orthodox 
Congregational  Church,  and  to  that  end  that  he  receive 
the  rights  of  ordination  and  installation.  This  vote,  passed 
by  the  church,  was  endorsed  by  a  vote  of  the  parish  at  a 
meeting  holden  on  the  9th  of  the  same  month,  at  which 
the  salary  of  Mr.  Button  was  fixed  at  $600  per  3'ear. 

On  the  day  succeeding  this  call  from  the  parish,  an 
ecclesiastical  council  was  convened  to  set  apart  this  young 

41 


322  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Levite  to  his  new  work  b}-  the  solemnities  of  a  public  con- 
secration. The  following  named  churches  were  repre- 
sented in  the  council : 

From  the  Massachusetts  Home  Missionary  Society, 
Rev.  H.  B.  Hooker,  D.  D.  ;  church  in  Harvard,  Rev. 
John  Dodge,  Bro.  Benjamin  Jewett ;  church  in  Leomin- 
ster, Rev.  H.  Parker,  Bro.  William  H.  Howard  ;  church 
in  Lancaster,  Rev.  A.  E.  Lawrence,  Bro.  David  Osgood  ; 
church  in  Groton,  Rev.  E.  A.  Bulkley,  Dea.  C.  Law- 
rence ;  church  in  Townsend,  Rev.  J.  C.  Hutchinson ; 
church  in  Groveland,  Rev.  Thomas  Daggett ;  church  in 
Nashua,  N.  H.,  Rev.  G.  D.  Pike,  Bro.  Levi  D.  Gay; 
church  in  Lowell,  Rev.  J.  E.  Raikins,  Bro.  J.  G.  But- 
trick;  church  in  Ayer,  Rev.  D.  M.  Bell,  Bro.  N.  W. 
Frye  ;  church  in  Littleton,  Rev.  E.  Loomis,  Bro.  S.  Hart- 
well. 

The  preliminaries  in  relation  to  the  examination  of 
the  candidate  in  regard  to  his  faith,  his  scholarship,  his 
purposes  in  entering  the  ministry,  etc.,  having  been 
attended  to,  the  council  proceeded  to  the  public  services 
of  the  occasion,  which  were  conducted  after  the  following 
order:  Introductory  prayer  by  Rev.  Horace  Parker; 
sermon  by  Rev.  J.  E.  Raikins  ;  ordaining  prayer  by  Rev. 
John  Dodge  ;  charge  to  the  pastor  by  Rev.  Thomas  Dag- 
gett;  right-hand  of  fellowship  by  Rev.  G.  D.  Pike; 
charge  to  the  people  by  Rev.  H.  B.  Hooker,  D.  D.  ;  con- 
cluding prayer  by  Rev.  J.  C.  Hutchinson. 

This  union  of  church  and  pastor,  which  was  formed 
under  apparently  favorable  auspices,  was  destined  to 
continue  until  November  nth,  1869, — six  years, — when  it 
was  dissolved  by  mutual  consent,  and  Mr.  Dutton  found 
another  settlement,  in  Longmeadow. 

Mr.  Dutton  was  young  and  inexperienced  when  he 
entered  upon  his  pastorate  in  Shirley,  yet  he  was  un- 
wearied in  discharging  his  official  duties.  The  church 
flourished  under  his  lead,  and  the  people  to  whom  he 
ministered  regarded  him  as  a  faithful  teacher  of  divine 
truth.  His  departure  from  the  town  was  a  source  of 
regret  to  the  general  public. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  323 

A  few  months  only  were  allowed  to  pass  after  the 
dismissal  of  Mr.  Dutton,  before  the  society  and  church 
were  prepared  to  instate  another  in  their  vacant  pulpit. 

Mr.  A.  H.  Lounsbury  had  come  among  them  as  a 
candidate,  and  after  a  very  short  probation  was  invited  to 
settle  with  them  in  the  gospel  ministry,  on  a  salar}^  of 
$700,  the  use  of  the  parsonage,  and  an  allowance  of 
absence  for  two  Sundays  in  each  year. 

The  20th  of  April,  1870,  was  appointed  for  the 
solemnities  of  installation.  On  that  day  representatives 
of  the  neighboring  churches  assembled  in  council,  and 
after  the  usual  preliminaries,  proceeded  to  the  church  for 
the  performance  of  the  public  services  demanded  by  the 
occasion.  The  following  is  a  programme  of  those 
services  : 

Introductory  prayer  by  Rev.  L.  Bell  ;  sermon  by  Rev. 
W.  J.  Batt;  installing  prayer  by  Rev.  D.  Phillips  ;  fellow- 
ship of  the  churches  by  Rev.  H.  Parker;  charge  to  the 
pastor  by  Rev.  George  F.  Stanton  ;  address  to  the  people 
by  Rev.  A.  J.  Dutton  ;  concluding  prayer  by  Rev.  W.  H. 
Dowden. 

Mr.  Lounsbury  wrote  very  chaste  and  logical  ser- 
mons, yet  they  were  so  spiced  with  Calvinism,  or  the 
Edwards  divinity,  that  the  thoughtful  hearer  was  carried 
back  to  the  days  of  Puritan  ecclesiasticism,  when  doubt 
was  a  part  of  unbelief,  and  inconsistency  a  mystery  that 
it  was  sacrilege  to  reject ;  and  yet,  there  was  a  charm 
about  his  discourses  that  would  well  repay  careful  and 
attentive  listening.  Perhaps  Mr.  Lounsbury  was  more 
dogmatical  than  any  preacher,  either  before  or  after  him, 
in  the  same  pulpit, — unless  it  were  Mr.  Adams,  who  was 
one  of  his  predecessors.  As  he  would  not  himself  denv, 
he  was  very  much  given  to  bigotry.  He  was  never  intru- 
sive of  his  opinions,  however,  and  possessed  in  the  main 
such  a  social  character  as  to  make  him  a  welcome  visitor 
in  other  families  beside  those  of  his  own  parish.  He  was 
born  in  the  township  of  Ovid,  county  of  Scipio,  and  state 
of  New    York,   and    was   the   son   of   a   clergyman.     He 


324  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

remained  with  his  people  nearly  five  years,  when  his  con- 
nection was  dissolved.  He  has  since  travelled  in  Europe, 
and  seen  much  of  the  world,  and  probably  has  as  few 
enemies  as  most  people  of  his  age,  acquirements  and 
standing. 

On  the  first  of  July,  1875,  ^^^'-  Shurtleft'  was  engaged 
to  supply  the  vacant  pulpit,  and  during  the  first  year  of  his 
appointment  he  seemed  to  give  very  general  satisfaction  ; 
but  before  one-half  of  his  second  year  had  expired  he 
found  himself  in  the  midst  of  a  growing  opposition,  which 
made  it  convenient  and  pleasant  for  him  to  withdraw. 

He  was  followed  by  Rev.  E.  J.  Moore,  who  had  the 
appearance  of  a  man  that  might  soon  win  public  confi- 
dence ;  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  school-committee  of 
the  town  as  soon  as  he  could  legally  hold  that  position, 
and  it  was  a  remark  of  wonder  by  outsiders  that  he  should 
be  so  soon  required  to  vacate  his  place  in  the  church.  His 
term  of  ministry  was  one  year  and  four  months,  dating 
from  January  i,  1879,  ^o  May  i,  1880. 

On  the  7th  of  June,  1881,  Mr.  Albert  F.  Norcross, 
then  a  member  of  the  Divinity  School  at  Andover, 
received  an  invitation  to  settle  with  the  Orthodox  Congre- 
gational Society,  which  he  accepted.  He  was  ordained 
August  31st,  1 88 1. 

Mr.  Norcross  was  born  in  Rindge,  N.  H.,  April  nth, 
1853  ;  graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in  June,  1878, 
and  from  Andover  Theological  Seminary,  June  30th, 
1881. 

It  is  now  fifty-one  years  since  this  church  settled  its 
first  minister,  and  during  that  time  the  pulpit  has  had 
twelve  different  incumbents, — men  of  average  ability  and 
of  more  than  average  goodness  ;  and  yet  their  average 
term  of  pastorship  has  been  little  more  than  four  years  ! 
The  thoughtful  man  who  looks  up'on  the  ecclesiastical 
history  of  New  England,  past  and  present,  \\ill  be 
tempted  to  ask,  "Why  are  these  things  so?"  Our  fathers 
believed  that  the  success  of  the  church  and  the  progress 
of  religion  depended  largely  upon  the  permanency  ol  the 
ministerial  relation  as  originally  established  ;  and  it  was  a 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  325 

rare  thing,  until  the  beginning  of  the  present  century, 
to  find  a  minister  who  had  the  temerity  to  take  the  first 
step  in  a  movement  that  looked  toward  a  dissolution  with 
a  people  over  whom  he  had  been  regularly  ordained. 
The  excitement  which  follows  a  change  of  religious 
teachers  is  not  always  of  a  healthy  character ;  and  even  if 
it  were  so,  it  is  far  from  compensating  the  loss  sustained 
by  the  departure  of  a  long-tried  and  faithful  spiritual 
instructor,  adviser  and  sympathiser,  whose  heart  is  bound 
with  those  to  whom  he  ministers  by  ties  of  affection,  and 
by  a  love  that  many  waters  cannot  quench.  It  was  once 
considered  the  strongest  tie  except  that  contained  in  the 
marriage  covenant.  A  short  connection  will  not  produce 
the  desired  result,  and  when  the  union  is  cut  short  by 
other  than  the  absolute  necessities  of  the  case,  both  parties 
become  sufferers  from  the  change. 

A  few  months  after  Mr.  Brown — first  pastor  of  the 
Orthodox  church — had  left  town,  that  church  was  called 
to  sustain  a  severe  loss  in  the  death  of  Miss  Jenny  Little. 
She  was  one  of  its  founders,  and  had  devoted  her  thought 
and  interest  to  its  care  and  support.  She  was  most  sin- 
cerely and  devotedly  attached  to  its  first  minister,  believ- 
ing him  adapted  to  the  place,  and  that  God,  through  his 
labors,  had  wrought  a  good  work  in  the  town.  By  the 
wisdom  of  her  counsel,  her  personal  influence,  and  the 
aid  of  her  friends,  she  succeeded  for  a  time,  to  dispel  the 
murmurs  of  discontent  that  broke  forth,  here  and  there, 
concerning  the  inefficiency  of  the  minister  and  the  neces- 
sity of  his  dismission  in  order  to  facilitate  the  growth,  if 
not  to  preserve  the  life,  of  the  society.  Miss  Little  took  a 
more  comprehensive  view  of  the  subject,  and  from  her 
point  of  observation  was  led  to  entertain  a  different  con- 
clusion. She  was  persuaded  that  nothing  was  so  condu- 
cive of  the  spiritual  interests  of  a  religious  community  as 
permanency  in  the  pastoral  relation.  But  her  efforts 
were  not  always  availing,  and  the  minister  of  her  choice 
deemed  it  expedient  to  take  his  departure  from  the  endear- 
ing scenes  of  his  early  and  more   mature  ministry.      Upon 


326  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

his  removal  to  his  distant  home  she  took  what  proved  her 
final  earthly  leave  of  her  beloved  spiritual  leader,  with 
whom  she  had  so  long  taken  sweet  counsel,  and  whom  she 
hoped  would  remain  near  her  unto  the  end. 

Although  her  hopes  were  disappointed  by  the  de- 
cision of  a  majority  of  her  fellow-worshippers,  she 
continued  her  connection  with  her  church  until  her  death. 
In  her  last  will  and  testament,  she  bequeathed  a  large 
portion  of  her  estate  to  general  purposes  of  religious 
charity,  but  left  the  objects  of  its  appropriation  to  the 
choice  of  the  Ministerial  Association  with  which  her 
church  was  connected.  Whereupon  that  association 
decreed  that  her  real  estate  in  town — valued  at  eighteen 
hundred  dollars — should  remain  a  perpetual  fund  for  the 
support  of  the  Orthodox  society,  so  long  as  that  society 
should  have  a  stated  ministry  ;  and  this  decree  was  subse- 
quently confirmed  by  a  decision  of  the  Supreme  Judicial 
Court  of  Massachusetts. 

The  church  has  had  other  liberal  benefactors  and 
benefactions,  without  which,  as  its  own  members  have  in 
their  gratitude  declared,  it  could  not  have  been  preserved 
in  existence.  The  Home  Missionary  Society  aided  its 
funds  from  year  to  year,  during  a  long  period  of  its  his- 
tory, and  thus  there  has  been  an  annual  encouragement  of 
hearts  and  hands  that  would  have  fainted  and  been  para- 
lyzed under  the  entire  burden  of  the  duties  they  had  con- 
scientiously assumed. 

Among  the  special  contributors  to  their  casual  wants 
the  name  of  Mrs.  N.  C.  Munson  stands  prominent. 
During  the  comparatively  few  years  that  she  has  been  an 
inhabitant  of  Shirley  her  name  has  been  blended  with 
improvements,  of  a  prudential  nature,  that  have  from  time 
to  time  been  required  by  the  pecuniar}^  necessities  that 
have  arisen.  In  1868  the  church  needed  to  be  supplied 
with  a  bell,  to  replace  one  which  had  been  broken,  and 
Mrs.  Munson  contributed  to  that  object  the  sum  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  Previously  she  had  furnished 
an  oriran,  at  a  cost  of  five   hundred  dollars.     In  addition 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  327 

to  man}'  minor  appropriations,  she  contributed  towards 
the  repairs  and  embellishments  of  the  church  in  1872,  one 
thousand  and  thirty  dollars.  Can  her  fellow-worshippers 
and  an  appreciative  community  refrain  to  say,  "Many 
daughters  have  done  virtuously,  but  thou  excellest  them 
all  ?" 

The  following  legacies  have  been  bequeathed,  the 
most  of  which  were  devised  to  constitute  a  standincr  fund, 
the  income  of  which  should  be  annually  appropriated  for 
the  support  of  public  worship,  viz : — Mrs.  Nancy  A. 
Kingsbur}',  $2,000;  Mr.  Noah  Adams  of  Townsend, 
$1,000;  Dea.  Jacob  Harrington,  $400;  Miss  Nancy 
Damon,  $100. 

The  present  amount  of  the  parish  fund  is  $3,100. 
The  reader  will  hereby  perceive  a  fulfilment  of  the 
proverb,  "God  will  help  those  who  first  help  themselves." 

The  Orthodox  people  have  taken  great  interest  in  the 
religious  instruction  of  the  rising  generation.  Their 
Sunday-school  has  received  the  sympathy  and  support  of 
old  and  young.  All  the  children  of  their  several  families 
have  been  members  of  this  institution,  first  as  pupils,  and 
then,  many  of  them,  as  teachers;  and  from  the  ranks  of 
spiritual  learners  which  this  institution  has  successivelv 
produced,  the  church  has  found  its  richest  recruits. 

The  history  of  this  little  religious  community,  which 
has  gone  through  hardships  and  discouragements  sufficient 
to  balk  the  stoutest  natures  in  any  secular  enterprise, 
shows  what  principle  united  with  perseverance  will  effect. 
It  has  proved  the  willingness  of  its  adherents  to  bear  an 
earthly  cross  to  secure  the  hope  of  a  heavenly  inheritance. 
And  though  the  glory  of  all  such  enterprises  is  more  or 
less  sullied  by  sectarian  bigotry,  especially  in  the  outset 
of  their  career,  in  time  they  become  so  consolidated  in 
well-doing  as  to  shed  a  quickening  light  over  their  own 
pathway ;  a  light  which  is  often  made  to  reflect  on  the 
course  of  other  communities,  divergent  from  their  own 
yet  tending  to  the  same  goal  with  themselves. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Baptist  Church  —  Organization  —  Chapel —  Ministers — 
Too  Many  Churches  for  the  Population  —  Conclusion 
of  Ecclesiastical  History — Moral  Refections. 

The  Orthodox  society  had  occupied  its  new  house  of 
worship,  in  the  South  Village,  only  about  two  years  when 
it  was  doomed  to  suffer  a  .severe  loss  by  the  secession  of 
several  of  its  prominent  members,  who  were  attached  to 
the  Baptist  communion  and  who  wished  to  w^orship  accord- 
ing to  the  creed  of  that  denomination.  The  ministers  of 
the  Baptist  faith  in  the  neighboring  towns  had  enjoyed  a 
free  intercourse  with  the  clergymen  of  the  Orthodox 
church  in  Shirley  ;  yet  the  people  of  the  Baptist  persua- 
sion could  not,  with  their  peculiar  views,  commune  with 
any  who  did  not  regard  immersion  as  the  only  scriptural 
mode  of  baptism.  They  could  accept  the  teaching  of  the 
Orthodox  Congregational  pulpit  and  be  editied,  but  they 
could  not  join  in  the  ordinances  without  defilement  of 
conscience.  Whereupon  they  felt  moved  to  set  up,  for 
their  own  use,  a  distinct  altar. 

The  first  sermon  that  was  preached  to  this  newly  con- 
stituted body  was  upon  the  nineteenth  of  April,  1852,  by 
Rev.  Mr.  Seaver  of  Salem.  A  church  was  formed  Feb- 
ruary 28th,  1853-,  and  was  publicly  recognized  on  the  sixth 
day  of  the  following  April, — on  which  occasion  a  sermon 
was  preached  by  Rev.  John  Jennings  of  Fitchburg. 
During  the  thirty  years  since  its  organization  this  church 
has  experienced  several  iriterestmg  occasions  of  special 
interest,  and,  for  such  feeble  beginnings  and    prospects, 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  329 

has  maintained  its  course  with  a  good  degree  of  success, 
and  creditably  sustained  its  part  in  the  ecclesiastical  move- 
ments of  the  town.  The  present  number  of  its  communi- 
cants, though  many  of  them  are  not  resident  members,  is 
about  forty. 

A  Sunday-school,  organized  in  1854,  ^^^  ^^'^^ 
received  the  fostering  care  of  the  church,  and  has  effected 
a  salutary  influence  upon  the  rising  generation  in  each  of 
its  families.  This  school  has  received  the  benefit  of  a 
juvenile  library,  which  was  commenced  with  a  hundred 
volumes. 

In  1853  this  society  erected  a  plain  and  neat  chapel, 
at  a  cost  of  $1,400.  It  has  a  singers'  gallery  between  the 
doors  of  entrance,  opposite  which  is  the  pulpit ;  and  the 
floor  was  originally  supplied  with  movable  seats  or  settees. 
It  was  dedicated  on  the  last  day  of  the  year,  on  which 
occasion  a  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  A.  M.  Swain  of 
Leominster. 

From  the  erection  of  the  chapel  to  the  year  1866  the 
pulpit  was  regularly  supplied  most  of  the  time,  but  a  debt 
had  been  contracted  which  became  somewhat  onerous, 
and  which  compelled  the  suspension  of  all  religious  ser- 
vices for  several  years.  The  chapel  was  opened  for 
various  secular  purposes,  such  as  lectures,  concerts,  ly- 
ceums,  and  shows  of  diflerent  kinds,  by  the  income  of 
which  the  interest  of  the  church  debt  was  from  year  to 
year  cancelled. 

In  1866  a  Mr.  Skinner,  who  was  temporarily  supply- 
ing the  Baptist  pulpit  in  South  Groton  (now  Ayer), 
gratuitously  gave  the  Shirley  Baptists  a  religious  lecture 
on  each  Sunday  evening  for  several  months ;  and  he 
exerted  himself  in  other  places  to  raise  contributions, 
whereby  the  society  was  redeemed  from  debt  and  enabled 
to  resume  active  operations. 

The  chapel  was  then  repaired  and  furnished  with 
pews,  which  were  handsomely  carpeted  and  tastefully 
supplied  with  upholstery.  The  expense  of  this  change 
was  nearly  $300. 

42 


330  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

In  1873  it  underwent  another  still  more  important 
renovation.  Its  somewhat  cumbrous  singers'  gallery  was 
supplied  with  a  front  balustrade,  composed  of  choice 
wood,  with  neatly  ornamented  balusters  and  substantial 
caps  ; — all  of  which  was  wrought  and  put  in  place  by  the 
hand  of  O.  F.  Lawrence,  the  junior  deacon  of  the  church. 
The  pulpit  was  newl}'  constructed,  consisting  of  a  plat- 
form, open  at  the  sides  but  surmounted  in  front  by  a 
curiously  formed  desk  made  of  black  walnut,  of  elegant 
texture.  This  rich  and  highly  ornamental  structure  was 
devised,  made  and  stationed,  solely  by  the  hand  of  Oliver 
Barrett,  the  senior  deacon  of  the  church,  who  numbered 
over  eighty  years  of  age  when  the  ''cunning  work"  was 
set  up  !  Long  will  it  remain  an  evidence  of  the  artistic 
skill  of  its  builder,  when  he  shall  have  ceased  from  his 
worship  in  earthly  temples.  The  interior  of  the  chapel  is 
painted  in  rich  fresco,  and  is  supplied  with  fixture  lamps, 
given  by  the  Baptist  Society  of  Leominster.  The  expense 
attendant  upon  this  change  was  $800.  A  new  organ  was 
supplied,  mainly  at  the  expense  of  N.  C.  Munson,  Esq.  ; 
— and  his  honored  mother,  Madam  Munson,  of  more 
than  four  score  years  of  age,  (who  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  communion,)  contributed  $500  towards  the  cost  of 
this  refitment  of  the  chapel. 

After  the  chapel,  in  its  original  state,  was  made  ready 
for  use,  Rev.  G.  W.  Butler,  late  of  Tyngsboro',  was  hired 
to  supply  the  pulpit  for  one  year.  He  resided  in  town, 
was  a  member  of  the  school-committee  a  portion  of  the 
time,  and  was  a  useful  citizen.  Subsequently  Rev.  Eze- 
kiel  Robbins,  a  resident  of  Shirley,  preached  about  nine 
months,  and  the  fruits  of  this  short  ministry  was  the  addi- 
tion of  sixteen  persons  to  the  communion  of  the  church. 
Mr.  Robbins  still  resides  in  town,  and  is  much  skilled  as 
a  horticulturist.  His  efforts  tor  the  social  and  moral  ad- 
vancement of  his  fellow-citizens  have  entitled  him  to  much 
credit.  Rev.  George  Carlton  preached  for  the  Baptists 
two  years,  yet  resided  in  town  during  no  part  of  the  time. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  331 

In  1859  ^^^^  church  extended  a  call  to  Mr.  John  Ran- 
dolph, a  young  licentiate  from  some  part  of  the  state  of 
Illinois,  to  become  its  pastor  and  religious  teacher.  Mr. 
Randolph  was  ordained,  March  24  of  that  year.  The 
sermon  on  the  occasion  was  preached  by  Rev.  Mr.  Wake- 
field of  Feltonville,  now  Hudson.  The  charge  was  by 
Rev.  Kendall  Brooks  of  Fitchburg.  The  fellowship  of 
the  churches  was  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Grow  of  South  Groton, 
now  Aver.  The  address  to  the  society  was  by  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Smith  of  Groton,  and  the  concluding  prayer  was 
offered  by  Mr.  Beardsley,  of  the  Orthodox  church  in  Shir- 
ley. Owing  to  ill-health,  occasioned  by  living  in  an 
uncongenial  latitude,  Mr.  Randolph,  after  a  brief  ministry 
of  one  year,  was  obliged  to  dissolve  his  connection  with 
his  church,  and  seek  a  clime  better  adapted  to  his  physi- 
cal requirements. 

Then  followed  the  long  vacation  of  six  years,  alluded 
to  on  a  previous  page,  when  the  house  of  God  was  changed 
into  a  house  of  merchandise.  At  the  expiration  of  this 
time  (in  1866)  a  Mr.  Sumner  Latham  was  engaged  to 
preach  for  a  season  to  the  Baptist  congregation.  This 
appointment  was  continued  for  the  greater  part  of  two 
years,  when  the  preacher  left  for  other  spheres  of  labor. 
In  social  intercourse  Mr.  Latham  was  easy  and  acfreeable 
of  manner,  but  in  the  pulpit  he  was  exceedingly  sensa- 
tional, and  sought  to  move  the  feelings  rather  than  affect 
the  heart — to  arouse  the  fears,  rather  than  convince  the 
judgment,  of  his  hearers  ;  and  the  result  was  an  excite- 
ment of  ver}^  questionable  religious  or  moral  utility. 

From  the  departure  of  Mr.  Latham  in  1868,  until 
1870,  the  pulpit  was  variously  supplied  by  transient  minis- 
ters, whose  services  were  secured  at  slight  expense.  On 
the  7th  of  November  of  the  last-named  year  Mr.  Thomas 
Atwood  of  Plymouth,  a  man  of  years  and  experience,  was 
employed  to  occupy  the  pulpit  of  the  Baptists,  and  he  con- 
tinued in  their  service  until  January  i,  1872.  On  the  30th 
of  October  of  this  year  Mr.  E.  H.  Watrous,  from  Fitzwil- 
liam,  N.   H.,  came  to   Shirley,  and  supplied  the  society 


332  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

with  preaching  until  March,  1874.  ^^  "^^^^  ^^^^  ^^  stated 
minister,  and  will  not  re-settle  until  its  prudential  affairs 
shall  have  assumed  a  basis  that  shall  warrant  the  outlay  of 
a  resident  pastorate.  This  is  a  wise  decision  of  a  careful 
and  considerate  people.  Its  pulpit  is,  however,  regularly 
supplied  with  preaching,  chiefly  by  undergraduates  from 
the  Newton  Theological  Seminary,  who  can  attend  to  this 
duty  for  a  nominal  compensation. 

Whoever  shall  read  the  foregoing  history  will  per- 
ceive that  denominational  distinctions  commenced  in  the 
town  as  early  as  the  year  1780,  and  were  continued  until 
four  churches,  of  ditferent  names,  have  found  what  may 
be  considered  a  permanent  footing.  The  sober  matter-of- 
fact  man  will  say  that  this  is  all  wrong  ; — that  the  shades 
of  difference  which  mark  the  various  sects  ought  not  to 
produce  results  that  engender  dissensions  and  strife  in 
neighborhoods  and  sometimes  in  families ;  breaking  up 
social  ties,  and  bringing  upon  the  community  a  severe  pe- 
cuniar}^ tax  ;  that  Christians  are  bound  to  study  peace,  to 
forego  minor  claims  for  the  general  good,  to  secure  the 
practice  of  piety  by  a  zeal  to  do  the  will  of  God,  rather 
than  to  theorize  upon  doubtful  points  of  doctrine,  and  keep 
up  a  life-war  of  sectarianism.  On  the  other  hand,  it  may 
be  argued  that  behind  the  sect  are  living  principles  that 
cannot  be  resigned  for  any  earthly,  social  or  prudential 
considerations  ;  that  these  principles  must  take  precedence 
of  every  other  motive,  and  that  if  an  adherence  to  them 
produces  influences  of  a  deleterious  character,  in  certain 
ways,  they  cannot  be  abjured  except  at  the  hazard  of  the 
soul's  salvation;  "For  we  ought  to  obey  God  rather  than 
man." 

Down  to  the  year  1850  the  population  of  Shirley 
always  numbered  less  than  one  thousand,  which  made  the 
burden  of  supporting  more  than  one  or  two  religious 
organizations  exceedingly  onerous.  Still,  were  all  to 
realize  the  necessity  of  a  stated  ministry  to  the  public 
welfare,  as  a  sustainer  of  intellectual  progress,  a  promoter 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  333 

of  social  life,  a  perfecter  of  individual  character, — as,  in 
reality,  the  chief  ingredient  of  a  consistent  civilization, — 
they  would  overlook  all  minor  inconveniences  for  the  sake 
of  the  indubitable  advantages  that  arise  from  a  constant 
administration  of  the  word  and  ordinances  of  Christianity. 
And,  should  the  institutions  of  religion  receive  that  patron- 
age from  the  general  public  that  they  are  entitled  to,  the 
evils  of  sectarianism  would  fast  fade  away  under  the  im- 
proving influence  which  these  institutions  would  continu- 
ally confer. 

In  consequence  of  the  unwillingness  of  a  large  portion 
of  the  population  of  Shirley  to  take  active  measures  in 
this  relation,  all  of  its  religious  societies  have  been  poorly 
sustained  at  best ;  and  have  been  left  oftentimes,  without 
an}^  adequate  pecuniary  support.  For  many  years  the 
town  was  destitute  of  a  resident  ministry,  and  at  times,  for 
weeks  in  succession,  without  any  Sabbath  services.  This 
defect  had  an  influence  upon  the  rising  generation  which 
required  a  long  period  of  counter  action  to  fully  overcome 
— if  indeed  its  effects  ever  could  be  completely  eradicated  I 
Then,  again,  during  the  latter  half  of  the  first  century  of 
the  existence  of  the  town,  the  privileges  that  might  have 
been  experienced  were  not  properl}^  improved.  Whole 
families  neglected  public  worship  almost  entirely,  and  this 
has  brought  a  reproach  upon  the  town  from  most  of  its 
surrounding  communities.  As  has  been  intimated,  relig- 
ious institutions,  properly  sustained,  give  to  a  free  people 
moral  strength  and  a  dignity  of  character  that  can  be  de- 
rived from  no  other  source.  When,  therefore,  from  any 
cause,  these  institutions  are  left  to  decline  and  die,  a  ruin 
follows  that  cannot  easily  be  estimated. 

The  foregoing  pages  of  this  history  contain  an 
account  of  the  various  facts,  events  and  incidents,  from 
the  settlement  of, the  town,  that  usually  find  a  place  of 
record  in  a  work  of  this  kind.  And,  as  the  present  inhab- 
itants look  back  over  this  more  than  a  century  of  years, 
they  are    tempted    to    exclaim,  "Our    fathers,    where    are 


334  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

they?"  They  have  accomplished,  as  a  hireling,  their 
day,  and  have  joined  the  generations  of  their  ancestors. 
All  that  can  be  known  of  them  is  derived  from  the 
works  they  have  left  behind,  which  are  fast  falling  into 
decay,  and  the  remnants  of  which  will  soon  pass  from  the 
sight  of  the  living.  This  history  is  a  humble  attempt  to 
rescue  from  immediate  forgetfulness  their  names  and  deeds, 
and  to  perpetuate  a  record  of  them  for  the  use  of  future 
generations. 

The  present  generation  is  in  possession  of  the  soil 
which  their  rough  hands  subdued  ;  it  enjoys  the  freedom 
which  their  valor  won,  and  experiences  the  blessings  of 
the  social  and  religious  privileges  which  their  wisdom  and 
goodness  instituted.  Shall  those  to  whom  these  "lines  are 
fallen"  forget  the  benefactors  by  whom  they  were  wrought? 
Let  them  remember  that  they  live  in  the  quiet  enjoyment 
of  this  inheritance,  and  that  it  is  incumbent  on  them  to 
prove,  by  the  use  they  make  of  it,  how  greatly  the}^  value 
it,  and  how  grateful  they  are  to  those  from  whom  the 
blessing  came,  and  to  the  Author  of  all  good  for  its  be- 
stowment. 

A  little  more  than  a  century  since,  this  goodly  land,  of 
highly  cultivated  farms  and  large  and  beautiful  dwellings, 
was  a  dreary  wilderness ;  with  here  and  there  a  spot 
where  a  little  clearing  had  been  made  and  a  log  cabin  set 
up, — concealed  each  from  the  others  by  dense  forest  that 
encircled  them.  A  few  years  since,  and  our  institutions 
for  the  promotion  of  mental  and  moral  improvement — 
which  we  now  see  in  successful  operation  —  were  just 
rising  to  view,  encumbered  with  a  multitude  of  imperfec- 
tions. From  small  beginnings  a  populous  and  wealthy 
agricultural  and  manufacturing  community  has  arisen,  and 
we  should  labor  and  pray  that  the  coming  generations 
may  be  safely  borne  through  such  further  improvements 
as  the  exigencies  of  progress  shall  require,  preserving  all 
the  way  the  internal  comforts  of  a  united  and  happy 
people. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY.  33o 

But,  in  the  midst  of  this  prosperit}',  the  present  resi- 
dents of  the  town,  though  they  feel  that  all  around  them 
grows  brighter  from  age,  should  not  forget  that  they  are 
mortal!  "One  generation  passeth  away,  and  another 
generation  cometh."  When  a  few  more  years  shall  be 
added  to  those  that  are  past,  other  feet  will  tread  the  soil 
now  occupied  by  the  present  generation ;  other  people  will 
stand  in  the  places  of  those  who  now  live,  and  other  voices 
will  echo  and  re-echo  through  the  vales  and  hills  that  once 
echoed  to  the  sound  of  voices  that  cannot  be  heard  from 
the  grave.  Where, — oh  !  where  shall  those  be  who  now 
exist  and  move  in  the  joyousness  of  youth,  in  the  strength 
of  manhood,  or  who  move  under  the  paralyzing  effects  of 
age?  With  the  nations  sleeping  under  ground;  waiting 
the  shout  of  the  archangel  and  the  voice  of  God.  And, 
while  they  sleep  with  their  fathers,  the  monumental  marble 
may  stand  by  their  graves  to  tell  the  future  generations 
that  they  have  lived ;  but  it  is  only  the  monument  that 
their  works  shall  erect  that  shall  assure  posterity  that  they 
have  lived  and  acted  well. 

He  who  would  leave  behind  a  blessed  memory-  must 
live  honestly,  soberl}'  and  godly.  More  than  this,  those 
who  would  leave  behind  them  a  virtuous  and  pious  pos- 
terity, who  shall  honor  their  birth  and  perpetuate  the 
virtues  of  their  parents,  must  be  virtuous  and  pious  them- 
selves. Then,  when  they  and  their  ancestors  and  their 
descendants  shall  stand  together  before  God,  all  will  be 
prepared  to  join  in  full  chorus,  with  saints  and  angels,  in 
praise  of  Him  who  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  who  reigneth 
in  glory  forever  and  ever. 


PART  III, 


GENEALOGICAL  REGISTER. 


43 


GENEALOGICAL  REGISTER. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


The  compiler  of  this  history  became  a  resident  of  Shirley  in  the 
month  of  Jvme,  1834,  while  famihes  of  the  generation  that  immedi- 
ately succeeded  the  early  settlers  were  yet  living,  though  at  an 
advanced  age.  From  conversations  with  them  he  received  many 
facts  relating  to  the  history  of  the  settlements  and  to  the  genealogy 
and  biography  of  the  settlers.  These  facts  were  founded  upon 
statements  by  the  settlers  themselves,  to  their  children,  and  being 
treasured  up  in  memories  not  easily  misled  or  betrayed,  may  be 
received  at  this  late  day  without  much  question  or  doubt. 

Having  collected  these  facts,  and  others,  from  different  sources, 
and  committed  the  whole  to  paper,  they  were  laid  away  for  future 
reference.  The  result  was  the  condensing  of  selections  from  the 
entire  mass,  embodying  them  in  historical  form,  and  inserting  them 
in  the  church  book  of  records. 

As  has  been  stated  in  the  introduction  to  this  volume,  these 
papers  appeared  in  an  appendix  to  the  "History  of  Groton,"  by 
Hon.  Caleb  Butler,  and  formed  a  part  of  that  long  expected  and 
much  desired  work. 

In  November,  18  71,  some  representation  of  what  the  compiler 
of  the  Shirley  history  was  aiming  to  accomplish  was  made  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  town,  assembled  at  a  legal  meeting,  when  it  was 
voted  that  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars  be  appropriated  to 
secure  a  publication  of  the  work. 

The  compiler  then  set  about  preparing  the  historical  parts  of 
this  volume  for  printing,  which  was   effected  within  a  few  months  ; 


340  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

but,  while  thus  employed,  he  was  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the 
addition  of  a  genealogical  and  biographical  department  would 
greatly  enlarge  the  general  value  of  the  undertaking.  He  has  there- 
fore appended  to  his  original  plan  a  record  of  all  the  families  who 
were  located  in  Shirley,  both  before  and  after  its  organization  as  a 
town,  down  to  the  commencement  of  the  present  century,  as  far  as 
the  material  for  such  compilation  could  be  obtained. 

This  Register  lays  no  claim  to  completeness,  as  there  have 
probably  been  settlers  here,  at  least  for  a  season,  concerning  whom 
neither  record  nor  tradition  remain ;  and  there  are  many  others  of 
whom  only  a  few  fragments  could  be  gathered  up ;  but  all  such  have 
found  a  place  in  these  pages.  Where  the  compiler  has  been  able  to 
obtain  information  by  personal  inquiry,  the  examination  of  private 
records,  deeds,  wills,  etc.,  he  has  done  so ;  he  has  next  had  recourse 
to  town  records,  gravestone  inscriptions,  and  public  documents  of 
whatever  kind,  that  have  come  in  his  way.  He  has  also  been  largely 
assisted  by  private  correspondence  with  the  descendants  of  Shirley 
families,  in  all  parts  of  the  Union  and  in  Canada.  By  a  few  his 
applications  have  been  refused, — by  others  neglected, — but  the  larger 
part  have  heartily  responded  to  his  calls  with  a  generous  and  abound- 
ing good  nature.  He  would  therefore  here  tender  to  his  corres- 
pondents and  helpers  his  hearty  thanks  for  their  assistance.  They 
have  been  so  numerous  that  he  must  thank  them  all  together,  which 
he  does  with  as  much  heartiness  as  though  done  singly  and  by  name. 

Strict  accuracy  of  dates  is  not  in  all  instances  to  be  expected, 
as  the  sources  from  which  they  are  derived  are  sometimes  inaccu- 
rate. Town  and  family  records  have  been  found  to  vary  in  the 
entrance  of  the  same  birth  or  death ;  in  such  cases  the  family  record 
has  the  preference,  as  most  likely  to  be  correct.  As  a  general  fact, 
however,  the  compiler  of  this  record  hopes  the  reader  will  find  it 
reliable. 

In  this  genealogy  there  is  no  difference  of  date  on  account  of 
the  change  in  the  style  of  reckoning,  which  was  established 
A.  D.  1752,  by  an  act  of  the  Parliament  of  Great  Britain.  The 
dates  that  precede  this  change  of  style,  that  are  contained  in  these 
pages,  correspond  with  their  originals,  from  whatever  source  they  are 
derived.  In  order,  therefore,  to  make  those  anterior  to  1752  accord 
with  those  of  a  later  period,  it  will  be  necessary  to  add  eleven  days 
to  tne  first,  which  will  give  uniformity  to  the  entire  register.  Thus, 
the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth  was  on  the  1 1  th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1620.  By  making  a  proper  allowance  for  a  change  of  style,  the 
22nd  of  December  has  been  regarded  the  anniversary  of  that  event. 


GENEALOGICAL    REGISTER.  341 

As  has  been  said,  this  record  embodies  the  names  of  famihes 
settled  previous  to  1800,  in  alphabetical  order,  giving  dates  of  mar- 
riages, births  and  deaths,  so  far  as  they  could  be  ascertained.  The 
genealogy  of  the  several  branches  of  each  family  is  set  down  in  the 
order  of  seniority,  and  the  record  brought  down  to  the  present  day 
in  all  available  instances.  When  both  father  and  mother  originated 
in  town  the  register  of  descent  follows  the  father ;  if  the  mother  only 
is  a  native  the  descent  is  in  her  line.  Very  brief  biographical  notices 
are  attached  to  particular  names,  and  in  many  cases  pedigrees  of  first 
settlers  are  indicated  by  giving  in  parentheses  (  )  the  line  of  descent 
from  the  original  emigrant, — the  names  being  marked  with  small  fig- 
ures to  correspond  with  the  number  of  the  generation. 

To  assist  the  reader  in  following  the  record  without  confusion, 
he  will  find  the  original  of  each  family  printed  in  jlJl^Ci^  ILcttCtT. 
The  names  of  descendants,  of  the  first  generation  from  the  original, 
are  printed  in  large  CAPITALS  and  distinguished  by  Roman 
numerals,  I,  II,  III,  IV,  etc.  The  names  of  the  second  generation 
from  the  original  appear  in  Small  Capitals,  and  are  designated  by  a 
prefix  of  Arabic  numerals,  1,  2,  3,  4,  etc.  The  names  of  the  third 
generation  are  printed  in  Italics,  and  designated  by  figures  placed 
within  parentheses,  (i,)  (2,)  (3,)  (4,)  etc.  The  names  of  the  next 
generation,  the  fourth  from  the  original,  are  given  in  common  type, 
placed  within  quotation  marks,  and  distinguished  by  the  numerals, 
1,  2,  3,  4,  etc.  Beyond  this  generation  a  key  to  the  understanding 
will  rarely  be  needed.     To  save  space,  the   following 

ABBREVIATIONS 

have  been  adopted,  viz  :  b.  for  born  ;  m.  for  married  ;  pub.  for 
published  ;  unm.  for  unmarried  ;  d.  for  dead  or  died  ;  r.  for  resi- 
dence or  resided  ;  wid.  for  widow  or  widower.  Where  a  date  is 
enclosed  in  brackets  [  ],  that  date  is  probable,  but  not  certain. 
In  certain  instances,  in  giving  the  residence  of  a  person  as  last 
known,  the  date  is  placed  within  parentheses  (  ). 

When  quotations  are  made  from  other  "Family  Memorials,"  it  is 
the  intention  that  references  shall  be  given,  so  that  the  reader  may 
have  the  opportunity  to  examine  originals  when  it  is  desirable. 


GENEALOGICAL  REGISTER. 


ADAMS. 


.^tfaniS,  !l?^atl)clU,  born  at  Charlestown,  Mass.,  January,  1761  ; 
married  Mary  Pierce  of  Lunenburg,  and  lived  in  Lunenburg  until 
about  the  year  1793,  when  he  became  a  resident  of  Shirley.  He 
owned  and  occupied  the  farm  and  what  was  then  the  well-known 
tavern  stand  of  the  late  "Landlord"  Obadiah  Sawtell,  and  estab- 
lished a  tannery,  as  described  in  another  chapter  of  this  history. 

He  remained  in  this  place  and  business  until  1800,  when  he  sold 
his  estate  to  the  late  Stephen  Barrett,  and  removed  to  Cavendish,  Vt., 
where  he  lived  until  a  short  time  previous  to  the  year  1807,  when  he 
was  established  in  a  home  at  Pomfret,  Conn.,  which  proved  a  life- 
residence.  He  died  Dec.  11,  1844.  His  wife  also  died  in  Pom- 
fret,  Aug.  6,  1832.     They  had  nine  children  : 

L     MARY  B.,  born  at  Lunenburg,  Aug.,  1790,  died  at  Lunenburg, 
Dec,  1847,  unmarried. 

n.     JOHN,  born  at  Lunenburg,  May,   1792,  married  Adeline  Pres- 
cott  of  Ashford,  Conn.,  April,  1824. 

HL     SUSAN,  born  at  Shirley,  Sept.,    1794,   married   Roswell   East- 
man of  Ashford,  Nov.,  184 1. 

IV.  EBENEZER,  born  at  Shirley,  May,  1797,  died  at  Shirley,  July, 
1797. 

V.  BETSEY,  born  at  Shirley,  June,  1798.  • 

VL     NANCY,  born  at  Cavendish,  Oct.,  1801. 

VH.     SALLY,  born  at  Cavendish,  Oct.,    1803,   married  Joseph  A. 
Dresser  of  Pomfret,  April,  1838. 

VHL     GEORGE,  born  at  Pomfret,  Nov.,  1807,  married  Laura  M. 
Prescott  of  Ashford,  May,  1835. 

IX.     WILLIAM  LEWIS,  born  at  Pomfret,  Oct.,  1809,  died  at  Pom- 
fret, April,  1836. 


844  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


.       ATHERTON. 

Htijrrton,    .HmOS,   born   at   Lancaster,    Mass.,  Oct.   5,    1731  ; 

married  Lydia  Gould  of  Shirley,  May  4,  1758.  He  then  became 
a  resident  of  Shirley,  and  lived  on  a  farm  in  a  northerly  section 
of  the  town,  the  same  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Orsamus 
Andrews.  He  was  engaged  in  the  continental  service  for  one  year. 
He  had  nine  children,  and  died  in  Shirley,  Feb.  19,  1801.  His 
children  were  all  born  at  Shirley,  and  were 

I.  LYDIA,  born  Jan.  22,  1759,  married  John  Darling  of  Shirley, 
published  July  20,  1780. 

n.  AMOS,  born  Oct.  31,  1760,  married  Hannah  Emmons,  and 
had  two  children  : 

L  Amos.     2.  Samuel. 

HL  BETSEY,  born  Oct.  27,  1762,  married  Nathaniel  Holden  of 
Shirley,  Mar.  17,  1794,  died  in  Shirley,  Jan.  21,  1829. 

IV.  JONATHx\N,  born  Jan.  17,  1765,  married  Rhoda  Heald  of 
Shirley,  March  17,  1793.  He  had  six  children,  and  died  at  Shir- 
ley, Sept.,  1803. 

1.  LuciNDA  Gould,  born  at  Shirley,  April  28,  1794,  married 
Joseph  Stevens  of  Boston.     She  had  six  children,  and  died  in 

1833- 

(i.)   Emehue,  died  young. 

(2.)   Albert,  born  at   Boston,  March  25,  181 5,   resides  in  Bos- 
ton (1877). 
(3.)  Emily  Jane,  born  at  Boston,  died  young. 
(4.)  Joseph.     (5.)  John.      (6.)   Horace. 

2.  Marshall,  born  at  Shirley,  Oct.  10,  1795,  married  Sophronia 
Shattuck  of  Pepperell,  pubhshed  Nov.  16,  181 7,  resides  at 
Townsend,  Mass.  (1881.)  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  American 
war  of  181 2,  and  for  his  services  in  that  war  his  old  age  has 
been  cheered  by  a  pension.  He  has  had  three  children,  all  of 
whom  were  born  at  Townsend  : 

(i.)    Walter,  born  Nov.  23,  18 18. 

(2.)   Nancy,  born  July  11,  1823.     She  has  been  twice  married  : 

(first)  to  Merriani,  (second)  to  Lusk, 
(3.)   Sophronia,  born  Nov.  8,  1826. 

3.  Nancy,  born  at  Shirley,  Aug.  7,  1797.  At  the  age  of  eleven 
years  she  was  connected  with  the  Shaker  communion,  and  died 
in  that  faith,  in  Shirley,  Aug.  23,  1873. 

4.  Clarissa,  born  at  Shirley,  April  28,  1799,  mar.  Samuel  Smith  of 
Mason,  N.  H.,  Feb.  20,  1821,  died  Dec.  3,  1872.  She  had 
eight  children  : 

(i.)   Maria,  born  Dec.  6,  182 1,  died  1838. 


GENEALOGY. ATHERTON.  345 

(2.)   Alpheiis,   born    Sept.   26,    1823,  mar.    Emily   Twining  of 

Shrewsbury,   Vt.,    Feb.    14,   1856.       Had  two   children:     i. 
.    "Samuel  A.,"  b.  July,   1858;  2.  "Clara  A.,"  b.  Oct.,    i86r. 

Resides  in  Kansas  (1877). 
(3.)   Harriet,   born    Nov.    27,    1825,    mar.    Elnathan    Davis  of 

Townsend,  Dec,  1847.     She  became  a  widow  in  Oct.,  1855. 

She  has  had  three  children  :   i.  "Mary  A.,"  b.  May  23,  1849  ) 

2.  "Charles  F.,"  b.  April  4,   185 1  ;    3.  "  Hattie  E.,"  b.  April 

22,  1855. 
(4.)  Amanda,  born  xApril  16,  1828,  mar.  G.  S.  Lazell  of  Boston, 

Oct.  II,  1855.     Her  husband  died  April  29,  1871. 
(5.)  Hiram  A.,  born  Oct.  18,  1830,  married  Mary  Proctor. 
(6.)  Samuel  E.,  born  May  3,  1833,  died  Oct.  11,  1852. 
(7.)  Aide II  B.,  born  Sept.  20,  1837,  mar.  Mary  A.  Johnson  of 

Berlin,  Mass.,  April,  1865.     He  has  had  one  child,     i.  "Alice 

B.,"  born  April  12,  1866. 
(8.)  Nellie  A.,  born  Nov,  19,  1839,  married  Lewis  D.  Fox  of 

Groton,  N.  H.,  Oct.  31,  1866,  resides  in  Mason,  N.  H. 

5.  Sylvia,  born  March  22,  1801  ;  when  not  more  than  six  or 
seven  years  of  age  she  was  adopted  by  the  Shakers,  and  lived 
and  died  in  their  faith,  in  Harvard,  Mass.,  Jan.  i,  1866. 

(j.  Simon  Tutixe,  born  at  Shirley,  May  19,  1803.  He  was 
reared  under  Shaker  discipline,  and  has  ever  continued  a  warm 
and  consistent  adherent  of  that  faith;  r.  Harvard,  Mass.    (1882.) 

V.  MARY,  born  July  28,  1 768. 

VI.  DAVID,  born  at  Shirley,  Oct.  6,  1769,  mar.  Miriam  Hawks  of 
Lynn,  Mass.,  1802,  and  died  at  Shirley,  March  5,  1849.  He  had 
eleven  children  : 

1.  David,  born  at  Shirley,  Jan.  8,  1803,  mar.  Harriet  Grover,  and 
died  Aug.  22,  1851.     He  had  six  children  : 

(i.)  Harriet  E.,  born  Nov.  7,  1836,  mar.  Joseph  Steele. 

(2.)  Philem    Clarke,  died  March  18,  1839. 

(3.)  Sylvia  L.,  born  April  18,  1841. 

(4.)   Clarissa  H.,  born  Aug.  11,  1843,  mar.  John  H.  Steele. 

(5.)  Simeon  A.,  born  Aug.  2,  1846. 

(6.)  Abbie  A.,  born  Oct.  20,  1850. 

2.  MiCAjAH,  born  at  Shirley,  Aug.  26,  1804,  mar.  Jane  Holton, 
died   1863.     He  had  two  children  : 

(i.)   Charles  H.,  born  Sept.  i,  1835,  mar.  Eliza  Bachelor. 
(2.)  Eliza  A.,  born  May  17,  1837. 

3.  Maria,  born  Nov.  8,  1806,  died  Oct.  24,  1810. 

4.  Eliza,  born  at  Shirley,  Nov,  15,  1808,  mar,  i^mos  Beall.  She 
had  three  children  : 

(i,)  Harriet  S.,  born  1835,  died  Dec.  22,  1864. 

(2.)  E.  Ann,  born  1840,  died  Jan.  25,  1858. 

(3.)   George  Edzuard,  born  1842,  died  Jan.  i,  1850. 

44 


346  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

').  Alpheus,  born  at  Shirley,  April,  1810,  mar.  Emily  Morse,  died 
1 84 1.     He  had  two  children  : 
(i.)  Henrietta,  h.  1834. 
(2.)  Emily,  born  1836,  mar.  Asa  Hull. 

(;.  Maria,  born  at  Shirley,  March  4,   181 2,  mar.  John  Shaw,  and 

had  six  children  : 

(i.)  Frances  M.,  born  Jan-  8.  1824.  She  has  been  twice 
married,  (first)  to  Washington  Downing,  and  (second)  to 
Edward  Green. 

(2.)  Ellen  A.,  born  March  7,  1836.  She  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried, (first)  to  Edwin  North,  and  (second)  to  Isaac  Parker. 

(3.)  John  Herbert,  born  1839,  died  same  year. 

(4.)  Miriam  A.,  born  April  22,  1841. 

(5.)  Harriet  F.,  born  March  3,  1844,  mar.  A.  C.  Shattuck, 
died  Jan.  2,  1871. 

(6.)  John  Herhert. 

7.  LouiZA,    born   at   Shirley,    May     23,     1814,    mar.     Benjamin 
Rhoades.     She  had  two  children  : 

(i.)   Charles  P.,  born  1834. 

(2.)  Benjamin  i^,  born  June,  1836. 

8.  Louisiana,  born  at  Shirley,  March  9,  1816,  died  May  18,  18 16. 
•J.  George,  born  at  Shirley,  March  27,  181 7. 

10.  Artemas    S.,  born  at  Shirley,  July    3,    1820.      He  has  been 

thrice  married,   (first)  to   Sarah   A.   Morse  of   Beverly,   Mass., 

1845,  (second)  to  Georgianna  Cunningham,  July  13,  1861  ;  she 

died  at  Ellsworth,   Me.,  Jan.   19,   1866;    (third)    to    Clara   A. 

Perkins  of  Vassalboro',  Me.,  Dec.  30,  1874.     He  has  had  ten 

children  : 

(i.)  Sa7-ah  Adelia,  born  May  12,  1846,  mar.  Charles  D. 
Brown  of  Lynn,  1866.  She  has  had  three  children:  i. 
"Etta,"  born  May  27,  1867,  died  Jan.  28,  1874;  2.  "Wal- 
ters.," born  June  23,  1873;  3.  "Annie  M.,"  born  July  18, 
1877. 

(2.)  Horace  Hale,  born  Oct.  23,  1847,  mar.  Hannah  P.  Oliver 
of  Lynn,  May  15,  1870;  had  six  children:  i.  "Maude 
Marshall,"  born  March  24,  1871,  died  Feb.  17,  1873;  2. 
"Horace  Hale,  Jr.,"  born  Dec.  24,  1872  ;  3.  "Anna  Syrena," 
born  Oct.  22,  1874,  died  Sept.  4,  1875  \  4-  "Alice  Boston," 
born  July  24,  1876;  5.  "Louis  Morse,"  born  Dec.  15,  1878; 
6.  An  infant,  died  April  20,  1881. 

(3.)    Williani,  born  May  13,  1849. 

(4.)  Frederic  Marshall,  born  May  12,  1851,  mar.  Susan  M. 
Smith,  April  25,  1877;  had  one  child:  i.  "  Winifred  Hull," 
born  Dec.  28,  1881. 

(5.)  Artemas  Sullivan,  born  Feb.  20,  1853  ;  died  Sept.  4,  1854. 

(6.)  Marion  Isabell,  horn  March  25,  1855  ;  died  May  19,  1856. 

(7.)  Mary  Elizabeth,  born  Sept.  24,  1856. 

(8.)   Carrie   G.,  born  at  Ellsworth,  Me.,  March  13,  1863. 


GENEALOGY. ATHERTON-BAKER.  347 

(9.)  David  Frank,  born  at  Ellsworth,  March  4,  1876. 
(10.)  Shirley,  born  at  Ellsworth,  Aug.  9,  1880. 

11.  James,  born  at  Shirley,  May  22,  1822,  mar.   Elizabeth  Noyes, 
and  has  had  two  children  : 
(i.)    George.     (2.)  Helen. 

VII.  EUNICE,  born  Jan.  10,  1771,  and  was  twice  married,  (first) 
to  William  Boynton,  May  12,  1791,  and  (second)  to  Adoniram 
Patch,  Dec.  8,  1822.    She  had  five  children,  and  died  May  29,  1839. 

1.  Lydia,  born  Oct.  22,  1791,  died  Aug.  5,  1857. 

2.  Stephen,  born  March  i,  1796,  died  Sept.  26,  1841. 

3.  Otis,  born  May  18,  1798,  died  Jan.  18,  1882. 

4.  David  Atherton,  born  April  28,  1800,  died  Dec.  18,  1876. 

5.  Eunice,  born  May  30,  1802,  died  Sept.  28,  1837,  unmarried. 

VIII.  SARAH,  born  Feb.  23,  1773,  mar.  David  Bennett,  June  6, 
1809,  died  Sept.  19,  1858. 

IX.  SAMUEL,  born  Oct.  18,  1774,  died  Oct.  27,  1774. 


BAKER. 


JSalvCl%  JfOUtlS,  born  at  Concord,  Mass.,  March  31,  1747, 
became  a  real  estate  owner  and  farmer  of  Shirley  in  early  manhood, 
and  lived  in  an  easterly  part  of  the  town,  in  the  neighborhood  of 
VVoodville.  He  was  thrice  married,  and  died  at  an  advanced  age. 
He  married  (first)  Elizabeth  Adams  of  Westminster,  Mass.,  who  died 
Dec.  II,  1779.  He  married  (second)  Susanna  Symons  of  Groton, 
Sept.  4,  1789.  She  was  born  at  Groton,  Oct.  13,  1764,  and  died  at 
Shirley,  April  21,  1813.  He  married  (third)  Elizabeth  Saunders  of 
Harvard,  Mass.,  Nov.,  181 5.  She  lived  a  widow  many  years,  and 
died  Nov.  12,  1857.     He  had  six  children  : 

I.  JONAS,  born  Dec.  7,  1777,  married  Sally  Johnson  of  West 
Boylston,  Mass.,  Oct.  17,  1819.     He  had  five  children  : 

1.  Sally  Elizabeth,  born  Sept.  9,  1820. 

2.  Eunice,  born  Oct.  23,  1822.' 

3.  Jonas  Sampson,  born  July  8,  1824. 

4.  John  Adams,  born  July  3,  1826. 

5.  George  E.,  born  Aug.  5,  1832. 

II.  JOSEPH   SYMONS,  born  Nov.  19,  1790,  died  June  12,  181 2. 

III.  BETSEY,  born  Oct.  i,  1793,  married  John  Frederick  of  Shir- 
ley, published  July  19,  181 2.  She  had  two  children,  and  died 
March  13,  18 15. 


348  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

1.  Betsey,  born  March  21,  1813,  died  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Sept. 
24,  1870. 

2.  Nancy,  born  Feb.  23,  181 5,  died  June  16,  18 15. 

IV,  NANCY  K.,  born  Aug.  10,  1798,  lived  and  died  at  Shirley, 
April  15,  1876,  unmarried. 

V,  NATHAN  SMITH,  born  April  20,  iSoo,  married  Martha 
Blood  of  Pepperell,  June  8,  1828.  Resides  at  Pepperell,  Mass. 
(1877.)     Had  two  children  : 

1.  Frank,  born  at  Pepperell,  Nov.  8,  1831. 

2.  Mary  F.,  b.  at  Pepperell,  Sept.,  1837,  r.  Pepperell  (1877). 

VI,  EPHRAIM  L.,  born  May  9,  1802,  mar.  Sarah  Maria  Mulliken, 
April,  1827,  died  at  Boston,  Oct,  17,  1872.  He  was  for  several 
years  the  proprietor  of  the  "Sun  Tavern,"     He  had  one  child  : 

1.  Edwin  Lucius,  born  at  Boston,  July  31,   1832, 


BAILEY 


}3Mit^y,  filrijlt«lt)lf,  a  widow,  came  with  her  daughter, 
MEHITABLE,  from  Rowley,  Mass.,  and  became  a  resident  of 
Shirley,  June  19,  1772. 


BARRETT. 

iJcltrCtt,  <^tIinUCl,  married  Rebecca  Dickenson,  and  was 
a  resident  of  Shirley  sometime  previous  to  1747;  no  record  has 
been  found  of  his  death,  yet  it  is  presumed  he  died  at  Shirley.  The 
birth  dates  of  seven  children  have  been  entered  upon  the  town 
records  : 

I.  JEREMIAH,  born  Sept.  7,  1747, 

II.  REBECCA,  born  Sept.  14,  1749. 

III.  SAMUEL,  born  Feb.  28,  1752.  He  joined  the  Shakers  at  an 
early  period  of  their  career,  and  continued  in  their  communion 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  Sept,  i,  1835. 

IV.  LOIS,  born  July  4,  1755. 

V.  JONATHAN,  born  Oct.  13,  1757. 

VI.  SUSANNA,  born  1762,  married  Jonathan  Warner.  Subse- 
(juently  she  united  with  the  Shakers,  and  died  in  the  faith  of  that 
order  of  behevers,  Feb.  11,  1847. 

VII.  SALOME,  born  1770.  She,  also,  became  a  Shaker,  and 
remained  so  from  childhood  to  death.     She  died  Dec.  i,  1832. 


GENEALOGY. BARTLETT.  349 


BARTLETT. 

There  was  a  family  of  this  name  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  as  early  as 
1668,  according  to  Page's  History  of  Cambridge,  and  a  family  of  the 
same  name,  from  Cambridge,  was  settled  in  Shirley  previous  to  1749. 
Probably  the  last  descended  from  the  first,  though  the  fact  is  not 
found  in  the  very  brief  genealogy  of  Mr.  Page.  This  we  know,  how- 
ever, that 

iSartlrtt,  212EiUiam»  came  from  Cambridge,  at  the  time 
above  stated,  and  settled  on  a  farm  contiguous  to  that  owned 
by  Sydney  W.  Benjamin,  and  made  it  his  life  home.  The  same  farm 
is  at  present  owned  by  George  Davis,  Esq.  His  wife  was  Silence 
Twing,  of  Cambridge;  and  he  died  at  Shirley,  Aug.  23,  1785. 
His  widow  died  Oct.  15,  18 10.     They  had  seven  children  : 

I.  MARY,  born  at  Cambridge,  Nov.  28,  1741,  died  at  Shirley,  Dec. 
20,  1800,  unmarried. 

n.  ELEAZER,  born  at  Cambridge,  Nov.  29,  1742,  married  Eliza- 
beth Scott,  and  after  the  birth  of  three  children,  removed  from 
Shirley  to  some  part  of  the  state  of  Maine.  He  was  a  volunteer  to 
Cambridge  after  the  battle  of  Lexington.     His  children  were 

1.  Isaac,  born  at  Shirley,  June  11,  1768. 

2.  Eleazer,  born  at  Shirley,  Oct.  19,  1770. 

3.  John,  born  at  Shirley,  Nov.  28,  1781. 

HI.     SILENCE,  born  at  Cambridge,  Feb.  6,  1744. 

IV.  LUCY,  born  at  Cambridge,  Sept.  22,  1746,  married  Lemuel 
Holden,  Jr.,  of  Shirley,  published  June  2,  1780. 

V.  JOANNA,  born  at  Cambridge,  Feb.  17,  1748.  She  was  twice 
married,  (first)  to  Jonathan  Warren  of  Weston,  Mass.,  published 
Dec.  5,  1773,  and  (second)  to  Abel  Chase  of  Shirley,  published 
Jan.  9,  1779,  and  removed  with  him  to  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  where 
she  probably  died. 

VI.  WILLIAM,  born  at  Shirley,  Feb.  13,  1751.  He  marched  to 
Cambridge  on  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775,  and  afterward  enlisted 
into  the  continental  service  for  three  years.  He  married  Lois 
Cook  in  1785,  and  died  Feb.  13,  1831.  His  widow  died  Dec.  17, 
1845.     He  had  five  children  : 

I.  Nabbv,  born  at  Shirley,  Sept.  16,  1785,  married  Seth  Davis  of 
Townsend,    Feb.    25,    1807.      She   had    six   children,    born  in 
Shirley  ;  died  Sept.  2,  182  i.     Her  children  were 
(i.)    William  Bartlett,\>ox\\  ]\xx\t  12,  1807. 
(2.)  Nabby,  born  Oct.  4,  1808. 
(3.)  Seth,  born  July  29,  1810. 

(4.)  Sullivan,  born  x\pril  28,   1816,  married    Harriet  Page  of 
Shirley,   Dec.    i,   1842,  resides   in  Pepperell,  Mass.    (1882.) 


350  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

He  has  had  one  child  :  i.  "Ellen  Augusta,"  born  at  Pepperell, 
Dec.  15,  1846,  married  George  F.  Winch  of  Pepperell,  Oct. 
15,  1867,  and  died  June  19,  1868. 

(5.)  Luther,  born  April   2,  181  7. 

(6.)  James,  born  April  13,  1819. 

2.  Mary,  born  Oct.  14,  1789,  married  Luther  Longley  of  Shirley, 
published  Nov.  26,  1807;  she  died  July  21,  1813. 

3.  Lucy,  born  April  5,  1793,  married  Joseph  Barrett  of  Lancaster, 
Mass.,  x\pril  20,  1816,  died  in  1850;  she  left  one  child  : 

(i.)  Lydia,  born  at  Lancaster,  June  22,  181 7. 

4.  Lois,  born  Nov.  24,  1794,  married  Joseph  Barrett  of  Lancaster, 
in  1 85 1,  resides  in  Lancaster  (1877). 

5.  Lydia,  born  July  16,  1797,  died  Aug.  9,  1813. 

•   6.  Sally,  married  Abel    Butler  of   Lancaster,  published  April  7, 
1825. 

VIL     PATIENCE,  born  at  Shirley,  Oct.  13,  1766,  married  Thomas 
Peabody  of  Shirley,  published  March  21,  1785. 

JStTVtlCtt,  XlCljOltlS,  probably  a  son  of  Nicholas  Bartlett 
of  Groton,  who,  with  his  wife,  Abigail,  lived  in  Shirley  as  early 
as  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  and  owned  the  farm  since 
known  as  the  Asa  Longley  place,  and  now  the  property  of  Samuel 
Longley,  Esq.,  a  grandson  of  Asa.  The  house  stood  a  few  rods  in 
the  rear  of  the  present  dwelling,  where  the  usual  marks  of  a  New 
England  cottage  having  passed  away  are  yet  to  be  seen.  Mr. 
Bartlett  remained  in  town  until  his  death  ;  the  estate  then  passed 
from  the  family  to  other  owners.     He  had  one  child  : 

L     SARAH,  born  at  Shirley,  Nov.  3,  1753. 

iJartlCtt,  =^amUtl,  a  son  of  Nicholas  Bartlett  of  Groton, 
and  supposed  to  be  a  brother  of  Nicholas  of  Shirley,  was  born 
at  Groton,  July  24,  1 740.  As  he  has  the  birth-dates  of  two 
children  on  the  records  of  Shirley,  he  must  have  lived  here  at  one 
time  ;  and  as  two  persons  bearing  the  same  name  with  him  and  his 
wife  had,  subsequently,  the  births  of  two  children  entered  upon  the 
records  of  Groton,  according  to  Butler,  the  presumption  is  that  it  is 
one  and  the  same  family,  and  that  they  had  ,a  season  of  residence 
in  each  place.     The  records  are  as  follows  : 

L     SAMUEL,  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Anne  Bartlett,  born  at  Shirley, 
May  22,  1762,  and 

n.     ANNE,  born  at  Shirley,  Feb.  5,  1764. 

Then,  at  Groton  the  record  is  : 

HL     LUCY,  born  at  Groton,  March  29,  1776. 

IV.     BENJAMIN,  born  at    Groton,   June   29,   1778.      Children  of 
Samuel  and  Anne  Bartlett. 


GENEALOGY. BARTLETT-BENNETT.         351 

JlSclttlCtt^  ^altlJ,  was  a  resident  of  Shirley  before  its  incor- 
poration as  a  town,  as  his  name  is  among  the  petitioners  to 
secure  that  change  ;  yet  this  is  all  the  record  that  has  been  found  in 
relation  to  him. 


BENNETT. 

iJCUnCtt,  looses,  was  born  at  Groton,  Aug.  15,  1726. 
He  was  a  son  of  Moses  and  Anna  (Blanchard)  Bennett.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  Blood  of  Groton,  Feb.  17,  1746.  He  settled  upon  a  farm 
in  a  northerly  section  of  the  town,  probably  at  the  time  of  his  mar- 
riage, as  it  was  in  the  year  immediately  following  that  his  name 
appears  as  one  of  the  petitioners  for  a  separate  municipality.  He 
had  six  children,  but  no  record  of  his  death  has  been  discovered. 

I.  STEPHEN,  born  at  Groton,  April  22,  1747,  married  Elizabeth 
Wilson  of  Shirley,  published  Oct.  5,  1774.     He  had  two  children  : 

1.  John,  born  at  Groton,  Feb.  25,  1775. 

2.  Stephen,  born  at  Shirley,  Feb.  3,  1777. 
n.     MOSES,  born  at  Groton,  March  13,  174S. 
HI.     JOHN,  born  at  Groton,  July  i,  1751. 

IV.  SARAH,  born  at  Groton,  Nov.  17,  1752. 

V.  SUSANNA,  born  at  Shirley,  March  16,  1754. 

VI.  SYBIL,  born  at  Shirley,  Sept.  17,  1755,  married  Timothy 
Bolton  of  Shirley,  May  14,  1778,  died  at  Shirley,  March  20,  1807. 

3BfnUttt,  Habttr,  a  son  of  Moses  of  Groton,  and  a  brother 
•of  Moses  of  Shirley,  was  born  at  Groton,  May  15,  1729,  married 
Elizabeth  Wait  of  Groton,  Jan.  3,  1754,  died  at  Shirley,  Dec.  8,  1760. 

Tradition  saith  that  he  became  an  inhabitant  of  Shirley  in  early 
married  life,  and  that  he  owned  and  lived  upon  a  farm  in  the  north 
part  of  the  town,  near  the  well-known  Peter  Tarbell  place,  and  had 
the  honor  of  being  an  ensign.  He  had  three  children,  all  of  whom 
were  born  at  Shirley  : 

I.  DAVID,  born  Nov.  17,  1754.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
and  was  twice  married,  (first)  to  Sarah  Harris  of  Shirley,  Aug.  14, 
1779;  she  died  Nov.  24,  1806  ;  married  (second)  Sarah  Atherton, 
June  6,  1809  ;  she  died  at  Lunenburg,  Sept.  19,  1858.  He  had 
sixteen  children,  all  born  at  Shirley.     He  died  Dec.  5,  182 1. 

1.  Sally,   born  July    16,   1780,  according  to  the   family  record; 
born  March  9,   1780,  according  to  the  town  record;    married 
John  Hill  of  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt.,  Feb.  7,  1807,  and  died  July  31, 
1 810.     She  had  three  children  : 
(i.)  Moses,  born  July  16,  1807  ;  he  was  twice  married,  (first)  to 


352  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Olive  Day,  May  i8,  183 1  ;  she  died  May  23,  1S41  ;  married 

(second)  Armorellah  Ide,  Oct.  i,  1841. 
(2.)  Arabella,  born  Jan.   8,    1809,  married  Jubal    Harrington, 

Dec.  21,  1828. 
(3.)  John  C,  born  July  30,  1810,  died  Sept.  2,  1810. 

2.  David,  born   Feb.   4,   1781,   married  Mary  Eaton  of    Boston, 
March  23,  1806,  died  April   28,   1837.     His  widow  was  born 
Aug.  8,  1787,  and  died  Nov.  4,  1854.     He  had  twelve  children  : 
(i.)  Mary,  born  May  31,  1807. 
(2.)  Sophtonia,  born  April  2,  1809,  married  Jonas  Meriam,  Aug. 

22,  1833,  died  Aug.  14,  185 1. 
(3.)  Arthitr  B.,  horn   Nov.  i,    181 1,  married  Elsy  Austin,  Oct. 

31.  1834. 
(4.)  Ithiel,  born  March  7,  1814. 
(5.)   Charlotte  E.,  born  Aug.  15,  1815,  married  Henry  Wilson, 

May  I,  1837. 
(6.)  Harriet    G.,    born   Aug.    13,    181 7,    married    Charles  E. 

Parker,  Aug.  15,  1841. 
(7.)  David  E.,  born  Sept.  7,  1820,  married  Maria  Shed,   Nov. 

30»  1843- 
(8.)  James,  born  Oct.  3,  1823,  died  the  same  year. 
(9.)  Elizabeth,  born  Feb.  28,  1825,  died  the  same  year, 
(10.)  Lorinda,  born  Oct.  31,  1826,  died  Nov  4,  1826. 
(11.)  Allaseba  M.,  born  Jan.  26,  1829,  died  March  6,  1829. 
(12.)  Francis,  born  Nov.  4,  1831. 

8.  Lucy,  born  Oct.  10,  1783,  married  John  Hill  of  St.  Johnsbury, 

Vt.,  Dec.  5,  181 1,  and  had  three  children  : 

(i.)  Lowry,  born  Oct.  5,  18 14,  and  was  twice  married,  (first)  to 
Fanny  Gage,  June  22,  1834,  who  died  March  5,  1845  ;  mar- 
ried (second)  Emily  Lowell,  March  5,  1847.  He  had  three 
children  : 

(2.)  Cephas,  born  Nov.  30,  181 7,  married  Mary  M.  Gregor, 
Oct.  14,  1842. 

(3.)  Lowell,  born  Jan.  23,  18 19,  died  Sept.  18,  1819. 

4.  Allaseba,  born  Aug.  31,  1784,  married  William  Edgerton  of 
Shirley  in  1804,  died  at  Madison,  N,  Y.,  July  5,  i860. 

.").  Betsey,  born  March  4,  i  786,  married  Leonard  C.  Parker,  May 
16,  181 1,  resides  at  Rockville,  N.  Y.  (1858.)  She  has  had  ten 
children  : 

(i.)  James  H.,  born  July  19,  181 2,  died  April  17,  1818. 
(2.)  Matilda  J.,  born  March  21,  18 14,  died  Sept.  3,  1825. 
(3.)  Elizabeth   M.,   born  Aug,   16,    1815,   married    George   A. 

Taylor,  Feb.  22,  1836. 
(4.)  Rotuland  M.,  born  Mar.  21,  181  7. 

(5.)  William  J.,  born  Dec.  13,  181 8,  married  Rachel  A.  Kings- 
bury, Dec.  26,  1854,  resides  Rockville,  N.  Y.  (1858.) 


GENEALOGY. BEXXETT.  353 

(6.)  Soj^/u'a  A.,  bom  Jan.  29,  1821,  married  Marcus  Washburn, 
Nov.  16,  1842,  resides  Rockville,  N.  Y.  (1858). 

(7.)  Caroline  H.,  born  Aug.  29,  1822,  married  Elias  Baker, 
Dec.  19,  1849,  resides  Rockville  (1858). 

(8.)  James  H.,  born  Aug.  10,  1824,  married  Renette  D.  Phelps, 
Nov.  30,  1844,  resides  Rockville  (1858). 

(9.)  Sarah  J.,  born  Oct.  31,  1826,  died  July  2,  1838. 

(10.)  Allaseba  H.,  born  April  12,  1828,  married  Daniel  For- 
ward, April  23,  1850,  resides  Rockville  (1858). 

James,  born  May  4,  1788,  married  Lois  Gates  of  Eaton,  N.  Y., 
in  1809.     He   resided    in    what  was  then  called   Holland  Pur- 
chase, where  he  died  Dec.  8,  1855.     He  had  ten  children  : 
(i.)  James,  born  Oct.  31,  1809,  married  Emily  C.  Baker,  resides 

Fredonia,  N.  Y. 
(2.)   Gates  Abiathar,  born    Dec.    13,   1810,    married  Caroline 
Stare  of  Mayville,  N.  Y.,  May  8,  1834.     He   has   had  seven 
children  :      i.  "Maria,"  born  May  31,  1837  ;     2.  "Mary  Alla- 
seba," born  May  31,  1838;    3.  "Harriet  Lois,"  born  Aug.  2, 
1840;     4.    "James  Abiathar,"    born    Dec.    31,    1842;      5. 
"George  Lewis,"  born  Oct.  8,   1845,  died  Nov.    13,  1850; 
6.  "Persis  Elizabeth,"  born  Oct.  i,  1848;    7.  "Walter  Gates," 
born  Oct.  10,  1851. 
(3.)  Sumptcr  Peora,  born  July  19,  181 2,  died  Feb.  20,  1814. 
(4.)  Porter  Rivola,  born  July  19,  1814,  married  Rodama   Dor- 

otha,  resides  Warren,  Penn.  (1858). 
(5.)  Eton  ^.,  born  July  17,  181 7.      He   has   been   twice   mar- 
ried, (first)  to    Cornelia  Agnes,  of  Erie,  Penn. ;    she   died  ; 
he  married  (second)   Laura  Haynes    of     Forestville,   N.   Y., 
resides  Milwaukie,  Wis.  (1857). 
(6.)  Lucy  Fidelia,  born  Dec.  28,  18 18,  married  Elisha  C.  Far- 

num  of  Forestville,  resides  Forestville  (1857). 
(7.)  Lois  Amelia,  born  Nov.  12,   1820,  married  Frye  Farnum, 

resides  Forestville  (1857). 
(8.)  Helen  Marion,  born  Aug.  28,  1822,  married  John  R.  M. 

Roland  in  1840,  resides  Wilmot,  Wis.  (1857). 
(9.)  Jerome  Perry,  born  May  26,  1824,  married  Catharine  Holt 
of  Warren,  Penn.,  who  lived  one  year.     He  died    Feb.    15, 
1852. 
(10.)  Dorinda   Caroline,  born  Dec.   7,   1832,  resides    Milwau- 
kie, Wis.,  unmarried  (1857). 

Frances  Harris,  born  June  16,  1790,  died  Dec.  4,  1807. 

.  Polly,  born  Sept.  15,  1792,  married  Hon.  William  Jackson  of 
Newton,  Mass.,  Oct.  3,  181 5.  She  had  twelve  children,  all  of 
whom  were  born  at  Newton.  She  died  at  Newton,  Nov.  15, 
1867.  Mr.  Jackson,  a  true  philanthropist  and  devoted  Christian, 
died  at  Newton,  Feb.  27,  1855.  Children  were 
(i.)  Louisa,  hoxvi  July  11,  181 6,  married  Lewis  Hall  of  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.,  Oct.  3,  1840,  died  June   11,   1853.      She  had 


45 


354      '  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

four  children  :  i.  "  Mary  Lizzie,"  born  May  i8,  1841,  mar- 
ried Charles  R.  Fillibrown,  1873  ;  2.  "Lewis  Augustus,"  born 
Jan.  28,  1843,  m.  Emma  Hurd,  1865  ;  3.  "Sarah  Wiswell," 
born  June  11,  1847,  died  July  19,  1849  j  4-  "Caroline  Jack- 
son," born  Jan.  6,  1850,  m.  David  Humphrey,  1873. 

(2.)    William,  born  Oct.  15,  181  7,  died  same  day. 

(3.)    Caroline  Bennett,  born  March  i,  1819,  unm. 

(4.)  Adeline  Baldwin,  born  Sept.  2,  1820,  died  Jan.  30,  1821. 

(5.)    William  Ward,  born  Nov.  10,  1821,  died  May  24,  1822. 

(6.)  Mary  Bennett,  born  May  4,  1823,  m.  Charles  A.  Curtis  of 
Newton,  May  7,  1847.  She  has  had  two  children:  i. 
"Charles  Edward,"  b.  June  28,  1849,  d.  April  22,  1863;  2. 
"  William  Jackson,"  b.  April,  1852,  m.  Clara  Wallis,  Oct.  29, 

1874. 

(7.)  Elleti  Dorinda,  b.  April  26,  1825,  r.  Newton,  unm. 

(8.)  Edward,  b.  June  14,  1827,  m.  Nancy  O'Brian  of  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  Nov.  I,  1857.  He  has  had  iive  children:  i. 
"Fanny,"  b.  May  i,  1858,  died  Aug.  7,  1859.  2.  "Mary 
Bennett,"  born  July  12,  i860,  died  Sept.,  1875  '■>  3-  "Edward 
Russell,"  b.  March  3,  1863,  d.  March  8,  1864  ;  4.  "Annette," 
b.  Sept.  25,  1867  ;  -5.  "William,"  b.  Jan.  10,  1870. 

(9.)  Frances  Elizabeth,  b.  April  20,  1829,  m.  Edwin  A.  Small- 
wood  of  Newton,  1853,  d.  June  4,  1868.  She  had  five 
children  :  i.  "Louisa  Jackson,"  b.  Sept.  19,  1854  ;  2.  "Edwin 
Thomas,"  b.  June  5,  1857,  d.  Sept.  6,  1858;  3.  "Mary 
Lavina,"  b.  June  6,  1861  ;  4.  "Fanny  Lincoln,"  b.  April  6, 
1865  ;  5.  "Edwin  Francis,"  b.  Jan.  25,  1867. 

(10.)  William  Ward,  b.  Aug.  9,  1831,  m.  Adelaide  Garfield  of 
Newton,  May  22,  1861.  He  had  three  children  :  i.  "Walter 
Montgomery,"  b.  Sept.  10,  1863;  2.  "Anna  Adelaide,"  b. 
July  I,  1865  ;  3.  "Isabella  Varrick,"  b.  Nov.  13,  1867. 

(11.)  Stephen  Winchester  Dana,  born  April  7,  1834. 

(12.)   Cornelia  Wiswell,  born  May  21,  1836,  r.  Newton,  unm. 

9.  Richard  S.,  born  Sept.  26,   1794,   married  Polly  Ramsdell  of 

Lunenburg,  Dec.  18,  1819,  died  April  17,  1843.     He  had  seven 

children  : 

(1.)  Caroline  E.,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Dec.  6,  1820;  m.  John 
Smith  of  Lunenburg,  Oct.  20,  1864,  r.  Lunenburg  (1882). 

(2.)  Freedom  R.,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Nov.  26,  1823,  m.  Sarah 
Lane  of  Lunenburg,  May  9,  1854,  r.  Lunenburg  (1882).  He 
has  had  three  children:  i.  "Abbie  Frances,"  b.  at  Lunen- 
burg, April  28,  1856,  m.  Frederic  C.  Wyman  of  Lunenburg, 
May  3,  1874;  2.  "Arthur  F.,"  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Jan.  26, 
1864;  3.  "Harry  C,"  b.  at  Lunenburg,  July  12,  1867. 

(3.)  Mary,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  March  16,  1826,  m.  Asa  Augustine 
Jenkins  of  Shirley,  April  15,  1848  ;  she  is  a  widow,  r.  Clinton, 
Mass. 

(4.)  Orrin  McCliire,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  April  21,  1831.  He  has 
been  twice  married,  (first)  to  Mary  E.  Barrett  of  Lunenburg, 


GENEALOGY. BENNETT.  355 

Nov.  1 8,  1858  ;  she  died  at  Shirley,  Aug.  30,  1S69.  He  mar- 
ried (second)  Charlotte  Houghton  of  Lunenburg,  Feb.  i, 
1871,  r.  Shirley  (1882),  He  has  had  three  children:  i. 
"Minnie  Augusta,"  b.  at  Ashburnham,  June  10,  1861; 
2.  "Alice  Maria,"  b.  at  Ashburnham,  Sept.  27,  1864,  d.  at 
Shirley,  July  24,  1876;  3.  "Charles  Alvin,"  b.  at  Shirley, 
Sept.  17,  1866,  d.  at  Shirley,  April  17,.  18 70. 

(5.)  Abigail  K.,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Oct.  11,  1835,  ^-  ^t  Lunen- 
burg, Feb.  12,  1854. 

(6.)  Liiseba  T.,  born  at  Lunenburg,  Nov.  15,  1838,  m.  Alvin 
Lawton  of  Shirley,  April  28,  1857,  r.  Shirley  (1882). 

(7.)  Lucinda  L.,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Nov.  15,  1838,  m.  Charles 
Brown  of  Shirley,  May  i,  i860,  d.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  4,  1865. 

10.  Caroline,  born  March  i,  1797,  married  Lewis  Frank  Ed- 
wards, died  at  Broomfield,  Indiana,  1845. 

IL  DoRiNDA,  born  March  i,  1797,  married  Orrin  McClure  of 
Fredonia,  N.  Y.,  resides  Fredonia  (1862).  She  has  had  seven 
children. 

12.  Arabella,  born  Oct.  7,  1799,  married  Robert  Shankland  of 
Sullivan,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  11,  1824,  died  in  1855.  She  had  eight 
children  : 

(i.)  Thomas  Erskinc,  born  Jan.  24,    1826,  m.  Delilah  Moore, 

July  4,  1856. 
(2.)   Caroline  Afatihla,  b.  July  13,  1827,  m.  Ira  Root,  Jan.  24, 

1848. 
(3.)    William    Henry,    b.    Dec.   21,    1828,   m.    Martha   Moore, 

Nov.  2,  1854. 
(4.)  Arabella,  b.  O^t.  4,  1830,  m.  David  Botsford,  Jan.  i,  1852. 
(5.)  James  Mowry,  b.  Dec.  16,  1832. 
(6.)  Robert  Andrew  Jackson,  b.  Jan.  25,  1835. 
(7.)    Feeder  LaGrange,  b.  March  24,  1837. 
(8.)  Margaret  Allaseba,  b.  Aug.  22,  1839. 

13.  Ilvv,  born  Dec.  7,  1801,  married  Levi  Love  of  Black  Rock, 
N.  Y.  He  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  died  July 
8,  185 1.  Her  residence  (1862)  Black  Rock.  She  has  had  six 
children  : 

(i.)   George   Clinton.,  b.  Aug.  18,  1829,  r.  California  (1857). 
(2.)  Marjorie    Ella,    b.  June   8,    1831,   m.    in    1848,    r.    Fort 

Des  Moines,  Iowa. 
(3.)  Alary  Elizabeth,  born  Oct.  13,  1835. 
(4.)  Thomas   Cutting,  b.  July  19,  1839. 
(5.)  Lucy   Caroline,  b.  May  23,  1842. 
(6.)  John  Herbert,  b.  Aug.  11,  1846,  d.  Aug.  13,  1850. 

14.  Francis  Lyman,  born  at  Lunenburg,  July  15,  18 10,  resides  at 
Lunenburg  (1882),  unmarried. 

15.  Drusilla,  born  at  Lunenburg,  Jan.  5,  1813,  died  at  Lunen- 
burg, Oct.  17,  1 8 14. 


356  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

16.  Sarah  Jackson,  born  at  Lunenburg,  Oct.  24,  1815,  resides  in 
Shirley,  unmarried  (1882), 

II.  ELIZABETH,  born  Oct.  5,  1756. 

III.  MOLLY,  born  Nov.  23,  1759. 

iJcnnCtt,  JJonatfjan,  a  son  of  Moses  of  Groton,  and  a 
brother  of  Moses  and  David  of  Shirley,  was  born  at  Groton,  May  17, 

1733,  married  Mary ,  and  had  three  children.     He  probably 

lived  in  the  north  part  of  Shirley,  on  lands  contiguous  to  the  estates 
of  his  brothers,  and  made  his  home  there  on  entering  the  married 
state.  No  record  of  his  death  has  been  discovered.  His  children 
were 

I.  OLIVE,  born  at  Shirley,  Sept.  i,  1757. 

II.  JONATHAN,  born  at  Shirley,  April  24,  1760. 

III.  JAMES,  born  at  Shirley,  Sept.  25,  1764. 

iScnUCtt,  SlarOU,  supposed  to  have  been  born  at  Groton,  and 
a  relative  of  those  who  bore  that  name,  both  in  Groton  and  Shirley, 
though  the  records  do  not  declare  it.  The  first  part  of  his  married 
life  was  passed  at  Groton,  but  he  must  have  lived  in  Shirley  as  early 
as  1774.  He  was  a  volunteer  in  the  party  that  went  to  Cambridge 
on  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  and  was  a  corporal  in  the 
company.     He  married  Katharine ,  and  had  four  children  : 

I.  EDMUND,  born  at  Groton,  April  5,  1771. 

II.  HEZEKIAH,  born  at  Groton,  Oct.  28,  1772. 

III.  LUCINDA,  born  at  Shirley,  Oct.  29,  1774. 

IV.  OBADIAH,  born  at  Shirley,  Jan.  14,  1777. 


BICKNELL. 

iSltfeUfU,  UnnUCl  and  liBalJltr,  lived  in  Shirley  a  few  years. 
They  were  brothers,  and  came  from  Weymouth.  Lemuel,  and  his 
wife,  Ruth,  had  two  children  born  at  Shirley  : 

I.  JAMES,  born  June  24,  1782. 

II.  PHANEY,  born  May  11,  1785. 


BIGELOW. 

]ji0C(oU),  jJOUtltijaU,  was  a  citizen  of  Shirley  at  the  time  of 
its  organization,  and  was  moderator  of  the  first  town  meeting ;  noth- 
ing: further  is  known  of  him. 


GENEALOGY. BLOOD-BOLTON.  357 

BLOOD. 

]$l00tl,  .SclDaH,  bom  [at  Pepperell,  Mass.,]  May  24,  1765, 
married  Molly  Kendall  of  Shirley,  published  April  9,  17S6.  Lived 
in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Thomas 
Gerry.     He  had  three  children  : 

I.  SEWALL,  born  at  Mason,  N.  H.,  Nov.  16,  1786. 

II.  NATHANIEL,  born  at  Shirley,  Aug.  17,  1788. 

III.  LUCAS,  born  at  Shirley,  June  27,  1790. 


BOLTON. 

iSolton,  2I21lllIftim,  became  an  inhabitant  of  Shirley,  May  28, 
1773.  His  former  residence  was  Reading.  He  owned  the  farm 
usually  styled  the  "  Peter  Tarbell  place,"  which  remained  his  home 
for  life.  His  family  consisted  of  two  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  of 
whom  were  born  previous 4;o  the  settlement  of  the  family  at  Shirley. 
His  children  were 

I.  WILLIAM.  He  was  one  of  the  volunteers  to  Cambridge  at  the 
alarm   of   the   19th  of  April,   1775,  and  was  the  drummer  of  the 

band.     He  married  Abigail ,  and  died  May  7,  i  7S0.     He 

had  four  children  : 

1.  William,  Jr.,  born  Oct.  14,  1771,  married  Sally  Farnsworth  of 
Groton,  Oct.  14,  [1791,]  died  April  30,  1804.  He  lived  in 
Reading  for  several  years,  but  eventually  came  to  Shirley,  where 
he  remained  for  the  residue  of  his  life.  He  had  three  children  : 
(i.)  David,  born  at  Reading,  March  2,  1791. 

(2.)    William,  born  at  Reading,  March  13,  1792. 
(3.)  Aaron,  born  at  Shirley,  June  16,  1795. 

2.  John,  born  at  Shirley,  Oct.  24,  1773. 

3.  Thomas,  born  at  Shirley,  Aug.  22,  1775. 

4.  Nelly,  born  at  Shirley,  Aug.  12,  1777,  died  Feb.  i,  [1780.] 

II.  SARAH. 

III.  LOIS,  born  1757. 

IV.  TIMOTHY,  born  1759,  married  Sybil  Bennett  of  Shirley, 
May  14,  1778.  He  inherited  and  wasted  his  father's  estate,  and 
removed  from  town  some  years  previous  to  his  death.  He  was 
one  of  the  Cambridge  volunteers  on  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of  April, 
and  was  one  of  the  eight  months  men  enlisted  in  1775.  The 
births  of  nine  children  were  entered  upon  the  records  of  Shirley, 
and  probably  comprise  his  entire  family. 

1.  Mary,  born  Feb.  i,  1778,  died  unmarried. 


358  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

2.  Edward,  born  Feb.  5,  1780,  married  April  17,  1800,  Elizabeth 
Sanderson  of  Harvard,  who  was  born  July  21,  1778.  He  died 
1834.     Had  six  children  : 

(i.)  Leonard,  born  Nov.  28,  1800. 

(2.)  Edward  Bennett,  born  Nov.  28,  1802.  He  was  adopted 
iDy  the  Shakers  when  a  child  of  four  years,  and  remained  with 
them  until  his  death,  March  10,  1882. 

(3.)  Mary,  born  March  15,  1805. 

(4.)    William,  born  March  17,  1807. 

(5.)  Elye,  born  April  17,  1809. 

(6.)  Elizabeth,  born  Nov.  19,  18 19,  was  twice  married,  (first)  to 
Wentworth  Sanderson  of  Harvard,  March,  1838;  he  died  at 
Goffstown,  N.  H.,  Feb.,  1856.  She  married  (second)  Eli 
Stone  of  Groton,  Nov.,  1866,  resides  in  Ayer  (1882). 

3.  Olive,  born  Oct.  19,  1781,  married  John  Derby  of  Fitchburg, 
June  7,  1 80 1. 

4.  Oliver,  born  Oct.  9,  1783. 

0.  Eunice,  born  May  13,  1786,  married  Isaac  Sanderson  of  Har- 
vard, published  Dec.  16,  1805  ;    she  had  sixteen  children,  and 
died  at  Boylston,  Dec.  8,  i860.     Her»children  were 
(i.)  Liieinda,  born  May    5,   1806,  twice  married,  (first)  Hiram 

Twell   of    Groton,    Aug.    12,   1828;    married   (second)  John 

Woodburn  of  Nashua,  N.   H.,  March  20,   1846;    resides  at 

Londonderry,  N.  H.  (1882.) 
(2.)  Isaac,    born   May  22,    1807,  died  at  Harvard,   March    i, 

1834. 
(3.)    IVilliam,  born  Sept.  27,  1808,  died  Oct.  19,  1809. 
(4.)  Henry,  born    Feb.    19,    1810,   married    Mary   Hubbard   of 

Amherst,  N.  H.,  resides  at  Mt.  Vernon,  N.  H.  (1882.) 
(5.)    Wentworth,  born  Jan.  20,  181 2,  married  Elizabeth  Bolton 

of  Sterling,  March,  1838,  died  at  Goffstown,  N.  H.,  Feb.  1866. 
(6.)    Washington,  born  Aug.  21,   181 3,  twice  married,  (first)  to 

Mary  Ann  Gardner  of  Lancaster,  Sept.   13,  1840;   she  died 

Feb.    12,    1846  ;     married    (second)     Rhoda    Robinson    of 

Lancaster. 
(7.)   Oliver,  born   March  6,   1815,  married    Lucinda  Miller  of 

Peterboro',  N.  H.,  June  6,  1839,  resides  in  Lowell  (1882). 
(8.)  Joseph,    born   Jan.    26,    181 6,     married     Eunice    Cozzins, 

resides  in  Nashua  (1882). 
(9.)    William,  b.  Nov.  12,  1818,  r.  Northboro'  (1882),  unm. 
(10.)  Irinda,  b.  March  6,  1820,  m.  John  W.  Seaver  of  Boyls- 
ton, d.  1869. 
(11.)  Julia  Ann,  b.  Jan.  26,  1822,  m.  Amos  Fletcher  of  Hollis, 

N.  H.,  d.  at  Boylston,  Dec,  1848. 
(12.)  Mary  Ann,  b.   April   4,    1823,   m.    Benjamin    Melvin  of 

Bolton,  Nov.  25,  1845.  !■•  Lyndeboro',  N.  H.  (1882.) 
(13.)  James,    born  May   19,     1824,    m.    Betsy   McQuestion   of 

Litchfield,  N.  H.,  Nov.  10,  1849,  i".  Milford,  N.  H.  (1882.) 
(14.)   Orison,  born  April  9,  1827,  m.  Hannah  Barnes  of  Merri- 

mac,  N.  H.,  r.  Merrimac  (1882). 


GENEALOGY. BOLTON-BROWN.  359 

(15.)  Rosilla,  b.  Sept.  7,  1829,  m.  John  W.  Twombly,  and  died 

at  Mamaroneck,  N.  Y.  (1864.) 
(16.)  Lorenzo,  b.  April   i,  1831,  twice  married,  (first)   to  Dolly 

Hastings  of  Boylston,  1851,  (second)  Mary  Adelaide  Josselyn 

of  Cambridge,  r,  Northboro'  (1882). 

G.  Moses  Bennett,  born  Aug.  26,  1788. 

7.  LuciNDA,  born  July  1791. 

8.  Eliab,  born  Feb.  23,  1794,  d.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  11,  1796. 

9.  Eliab  Going,  born  Dec.  19,  1797. 

V.  SUSANNA. 

VI.  EUNICE. 


BOYDEN. 

There  was  a  man  of  this  name  who  had  a  residence  in  Shirley 
previous  to  the  present  century,  according  to  the  following  entry 
upon  the  records  of  the  town  : 

"There  is  a  marriage  intended  between  Reuben  Boyden  and  Life 
Phillips,  both  of  Shirley,  Feb.  3,  1 793." 


BROWN. 


]$VOlJDn,  JJOSrpl),  was  a  son  of  Benjamin  Brown  and  Anna  his 
wife,  and  was  born  at  Charlestown,  Mass.,  April  28,  1747.  He  came 
to  Shirley  near  the  commencement  of  the  year  1765,  and  was  appren- 
ticed a  cooper  to  Dea.  John  Ivory,  who  lived  in  what  is  now  Shirley 
Village,  and  wrought  at  his  chosen  trade  for  several  years.  Eventu- 
ally he  purchased  a  farm  in  the  center  of  the  town,  which  consti- 
tuted his  home  during  his  long  and  useful  life.  He  died  July  15, 
1843.  His  farming  estate  passed  into  the  possession  of  his  youngest 
son,  who  made  a  sale  of  the  farm  in  1865,  and  became  a  resident  of 
Ayer. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  elected  a  deacon  of  the  church 
July  5,  1784,  and  sustained  the  official  duties  of  the  office  until  his 
death.  If  uprightness  of  character,  purity  of  motive,  and  righteous- 
ness of  deed  constitute  a  fitness  for  those  who  are  appointed  to  bear 
"the  vessels  of  the  sanctuary,"  few  could  present  a  clearer  claim  to 
the  position  than  Deacon  Brown.  In  his  domestic  relations  he  was 
all  that  could  be  expected  from  a  model  man.  Towards  his  parents, 
who  passed  their  years  of  age  and  helplessness  under  his  care,  he 
preserved  a  true  filial  affection,  which  smoothed  the  rough  passages 
of  decrepitude  and  decay,  and  opened  for  them  an  easy  transit  to 
their  final  earthly  resting  place. 

To  his  own  family  he  was  kind,  judicious,  and  exemplary.  He 
maintained   order,    decorum,  and  piety  throughout    his    household. 


360  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

securing  from  each  member  that  respect  and  love  which  are  the 
result  of  a  mild  yet  firm  parental  government. 

He  was  also  "given  to  hospitality."  He  extended  to  the  stranger 
and  wayfarer  a  welcome  to  those  comforts  they  might  need  and  which 
he  could  impart.  As  a  neighbor  and  townsman  none  could  receive  a 
higher  regard  or  more  implicit  confidence.  To  be  as  good  as 
Deacon  Broton  was  a  point  of  merit  beyond  which  few  thought  of 
aspiring.  He  never  was  an  office-seeker,  nor  in  any  way  allowed 
himself  to  parade  his  pretentions  to  official  ability  before  his  fellow- 
townsmen  ;  and  yet,  he  did  not  decline  official  service  when  to 
assume  it  was  clearly  his  pathway  of  duty.  He  was  the  treasurer  of 
the  town  for  fifteen  successive  years,  and  to  no  hands  could  funds  be 
more  safely  confided. 

Deacon  Brown  enjoyed  a  green  old  age.  Only  eleven  days  before 
his  death,  he  engaged,  with  all  the  ardor  of  youth,  in  a  Sunday-school 
celebration,  held  in  a  beautiful  grove  on  the  banks  of  the  Nashua. 
On  the  Sunday  previous  to  the  brief  illness  that  terminated  his 
earthly  career,  he  attended  church,  and  as  it  was  the  day  of  com- 
munion, he  bore  the  memorials  of  his  Savior's  sufferings  to  his  fellow- 
communicants.  From  there  he  passed  to  the  home  that  his  presence 
had  so  long  dignified,  to  lay  down  his  earthly  covering  and  enter  the 
higher  communion  "with  the  church  of  the  first-born  in  heaven." 

Deacon  Brown  was  twice  married.  He  married  (first)  Mary 
Longley  of  Shirley,  Nov.  24,  1773.  She  died  April  27,  1790;  he 
married  (second)  Esther  Longley,  Nov.  17,  1791  ;  she  died  Feb.  22, 
1S38.     He  had  ten  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  at  Shirley. 

I.  MARY,  born  March  19,  1775.  She  was  twice  married.  She 
married  (first)  John  Phelps  of  Shirley,  March  13,  1794;  married 
(second)  Richard  Firmin  of  South  Wilbraham,  Mass.,  March  5, 
1829,  died  April  4,  1851. 

n.  JOSEPH,  born  May  16,  1777,  married  Sally  Dwight  of  Shirley, 
Nov.  3,  1802.  He  removed  to  Westmoreland,  N.  H.,  where  he 
died  May  10,  1843.  ^^  had  four  children,  all  of  whom  were 
born  at  Westmoreland. 

1.  John  Dwight,  born  Feb,   12,   1S04,  died  Sept.  2,   1871.     He 

had  six  children  : 

(i.)  Frances  Ellen,  born  Aug.  4,  1834,  died  Aug.  3,  1835. 

(2.)  Daniel  Webster,  born  March  23,  1836.  He  was  for  a  time 
a  sentinel  at  the  state  prison  of  California  ;  died  1867. 

(3.)  Henry  Clay,  born  Dec.  12,  1837,  married  Lizzie  A.  Boyn- 
ton  of  Cambridge,  Mass.  He  is  a  musician  at  Boston,  and 
has  had  one  child  :  i.  "Cary  Langdon,"  born  at  East  Cam- 
bridge, Oct.  28,  1864. 

(4.)  Lizzie  Victoria,  born  Oct.  29,  1842,  was  a  teacher  of  music, 
and  died  at  Westmoreland,  July  29,  1873. 

(5.)  John  Madison,  born  Dec.  5,  1844,  m.  Mary  Emeline 
Shelly  of  Westmoreland,  Dec.  5,  1872,  r.  Chicago,  has  one 
child:    I.  "Ferdinand   Kirk,"  b.  Nov.  9,  1873. 


GENEALOGY. BROWN.  361 

(6.)    William,  b.  March  8,  1847,  r.  Westmoreland  (1877). 

"2.  Joseph,  b.  Jan.  11,  1806,  m.  Almina  Smith  of  Boston,.  May  13, 
1829.     He  was  a  physician,  and  d.  Jan.,  1874. 

3.  Mary  Longley,  b.  Feb.  16,  i8o8,  m.  Levi  Woodbury  Hodge 
of  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  Oct.  14,  1833.  He  d.  June  28,  1850. 
She  r.  at  Nashua,  N.  H.,  and  has  had  seven  children. 

(i.)  Marietta,  b.  Sept.  14,  1834,  m.  Caleb  B.  White  of  Chelsea, 
Mass.,  Nov.  6,  i860.  She  has  two  children:  i.  "Mary 
Josephine,"  b.  Nov.  23,  1861  ;  2.  "Nathaniel  Ruggles,"  b. 
May  6,  1868. 

(2.)  Frederic  Williaiti,  b.  April  15,  1836,  d.  Sept.  26,  1838. 

(3.)  Frances  Ellen,  b.  May  15,  1839,  r.  Nashua,  unm. 

(4.)  Maria  Josephine,  b.  Feb.  24,  1842,  m.  Nathaniel  Ruggles, 
M.  D.,  of  Marion,  Mass.  She  has  one  child:  i.  "Maria 
Violetta,"  b.  Mar.  24,  1870. 

(5.)  Luretta  Sophia,  b.  July  23,  1844. 

(6.)    William  Henry,  b.  May  19,  1847,  d.  June  28,  1850. 

(7.)  Ella  Brown,  b.  May  7,  1849,  d.  Sept.  21,  185 1. 

\.  William  Arnold,  b.  March  20,  181 1,  d.  March  22,  1829. 
HI,     BENJAMIN,  b.  June  lo,  1779,  d.  Nov.  12,  1779. 

IV.  BENJAMIN,  b.  July  31,  1781,  m.  Sally  Orn  of  Edgecomb, 
Me.,  April  16,  181 2,  d.  at  Boothbay,  very  suddenly,  June  22,  1S22. 
He  had  six  children  : 

1.  Mary  L.,  b.  Aug.  8,  1S13. 

2.  Lydia,  b.  Oct.  25,  1815. 
:3.  Rebecca,  b.  July  17,  181 7. 

4.  Sarah,  b.  Feb.  22,  1820. 

5.  Benjamin,  b.  June  24,  1822. 
G.  Caroline,  b.  June  24,  1822. 

V.  CYNTHIA,  b.  Oct.  9,  according  to  the  town  record,  and  Oct.  10, 
'   1783,  according  to  the  family  record,  m.  Stephen  Hildreth,  April 

I,    1800,    d.    at    Marietta,    Ohio,  Aug.   29,   1823.     She   had   four 
children  : 

1.  Calvin,  b.  at  Shirley,  A]5ril  i,  1803,  m.  S.  Ehza  Maxon,  Dec. 
20,  1830,  r.  Marietta,  Ohio  (1877).  He  has  had  two  children  : 
(i.)  Stephen  B.,  b.  Oct.  19,    1831,   m.   OUie  S.   Hill  of  Salem, 

Ohio,  Oct.  21,  1857. 
(2.)    Cynthia  M.,  b.  Nov.  i,  1835,  d.  Nov.  21,  1835. 

2.  Mary  B.,  b.  at  Bath,  Me.,  Feb.  10,  1805,  m.  E.  D.  Buel  of 
Athalia,  Ohio,  May  16,  1834,  d.  at  Marietta,  Aug.  3,  1839.'  She 
had  two  children  : 

(i.)  Julius  B.,  b.  July  16,  1835,  '^-  November,  1862. 

(2.)  Timothy,  b.  June  12,  1837,  m.  Laura  Thomielly  of  Mari- 
etta. He  was  a  soldier  for  three  years,  in  the  Union  army,  in 
the  war  of  the  Rebellion. 

4(j 


362  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

3.  Rebecca,  b.  at  Charlestown,  Mass.,  Aug.  29,  1808,  m.  Isaac 
Maxon  of  Marietta,  Dec.  19,  1830,  r.  Marietta  (1876).  She 
has  had  two  children  : 

(i.)  Frances  A.,  b.  at  Athens,  Ohio,  July  15,  1836,  m.  Charles 
Campbell  Smith,  March  23,  1859.  He  was  a  captain  in  the 
Union  army  during  the  Rebellion. 

(2.)  Mary  L.,  b.  Oct.  11,  1839,  d.  April  21,  1840. 

4.  Louisa,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  4,  181 1,  m.  Lewis  Andrews  of 
Marietta,  April  16,  1832,  d.  at  Athalia,  Feb.  18,  185 1.  She  had 
four  children  : 

(i.)  Mary  A.,  b.  July  22,  1836. 

(2.)  Einilx,  b.  Feb.  10,  1839,  m.  Daniel  F.  Sayre,  March  2, 
1859.    ' 

(3.)  J II lilts,  b.  Jan.  10,  1842. 

(4.)  Edwin  S.,  b.  Jan.  15,  1844,  m.  Lizzie  Smith  of  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  March  21,  1866.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union 
army,  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion. 

VL     JOHN,  b.  May  16,  17S6,  d.  March  13,  1795. 

Vn.  REBECCA,  b.  May  13,  1789,  d.  at  Ayer,  Mass.,  March  14, 
1870,  unm. 

VHL  ESTHER,  b.  Sept.  30,  1792,  m.  James  Tolman  of  New 
Ipswich,  N.  H.,  Sept.  30,  1819,  d,  at  Toledo,  Ohio,  Nov.  8, 
1852.     She  had  three  children  : 

(i.)  Joseph,  b.  1824,  m.  Jane  Hitchcock  of  Palmer,  Mass. 
(2.)    Charles,  b.  1828,  d.  1834. 
(3.)  Mary  Esther,  b.  Aug.,  1834. 

IX.  ZENAS,  b.  May  9,  1794,  m.  Lydia  King  of  Shirley,  Sept.  22, 
1825,  d;  at  Ayer,  Oct.  10,  1875.  His  wife,  Lydia,  d.  at  Shirley, 
April  8,  1S63.  The  private  character  and  public  citizenship  of 
Zenas  Brown  demand  for  him  a  respectful  recognition  on  the  pages 
of  this  record.  He  was  born  in  Shirley,  and  continued  an  inhab- 
itant of  his  native  town  until  a  few  years  preceding  his  death. 
He  was  possessed  of  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  vicinity,  and 
pursued  the  genial  employment  of  an  agriculturist  with  a  true  love 
for  his  calling.  He  was  satisfied  with  small  gains,  grateful  that  his 
labors  were  rewarded  by  a  gradual* thrift,  which  ena^bled  him, 
under  all  the  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  to  properly  minister  to  the 
mental  and  physical  wants  of  his  dependents.  He  was  a  man  of 
action  and  a  man  of  trust.  He  cultivated  his  grounds  with  care, 
sowing  his  seed  in  hope,  and  patiently  waiting  for  that  rain  and 
sunshine  which  give  an  increase  to  labor.  His  household  was 
ordered  in  wisdom  and  his  mandates  were  kindly  receixed  and 
submissively  regarded. 

Though  he  was  much  attached  to  the  duties  of  his  rural  engage- 
ments, he  did  not  shut  himself  out  from  the  fellowship  and  mutual 
requirements  of  society.  He  represented  the  town  in  the  state 
legislature  of  1S35   and    1S36.     C)n    three   different  occasions  he 


■rtot,    W.    p.  ALLEN.  Ga-'f 


capt,  zenas  brown, 


GENEALOGY. BROWN.  368 

served  his  fellow  townsmen  as  a  selectman,  and  for  twenty  suc- 
cessive years  he  was  clerk  of  the  town.  In  every  official  calling 
he  proved  himself  an  honest  and  faithful  incumbent, — one  who 
sought  not  his  own  good  exclusively,  but  also  the  good  of  those  he 
served.  He  was  faithful  in  life  and  submissive  at  death,  and  all 
who  knew  him  were  ready  to  say,  "  Reqiticscai  in  pace.''  He  had 
five  children  : 

1.  Lydia  E.,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  i,  1826,  d.  in  the  lunatic  hos- 
pital at  Worcester,  Mass.,  July  3,  1875,  unm, 

2.  Esther,  b.  June  21,  1827,  r.  Ayer,  Mass.,  unm.  (1882.) 

3.  Caroline  L.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  22,  1829,  m.  Moses  Woods  of 
Shirley,  March  i,  1849.  She  adopted  a  daughter  whom  she 
called  Clara  Frances,  who  was  b.  Dec.  5,  1859.  She  has  had 
three  children  : 

(i.)    George  Warren,  b.   at   Ayer,   Aug.    23,    1862,   d.   at   Ayer, 

Aug.  30,  1864. 
(2.)  Helen  Aut^usta,  b.  at  Ayer,  June  14,  1865. 
(3.)    Charles  Warren,  b.  at  Ayer,   Oct.    20,    1870,   d.   at   Ayer, 

March  8,  1872. 

4.  Charles,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  7,  1835.  He  was  twice  married. 
He  m.  (first)  Lucinda  L.  Bennett  of  Lunenburg,  May  i,  i860  ;  she 
d.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  4,  1865  ;  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Sarah  Frances 
King  of  Ayer,  Oct.  27,  1869. 

Few  young  men  have  been  started  in  the  career  of  business 
life  under  more  favorable  auspices  than  the  subject  of  this 
notice.  He  had  physical  health,  kind  friends  abroad,  and  a 
home  circle  entirely  devoted  to  his  interests  and  comfort.  But 
in  his  business  transactions  he  did-  not  succeed  according  to  his 
own  expectations,  nor  were  the  hopes  of  his  friends  realized. 
Still,  under  all  his  changes  he  sustained  an  unbending  integrity, 
and  was  largely  trusted  as  a  public  functionary  and  as  a  private 
citizen.  In  his  native  town,  he  was  early  called  to  the  honor- 
able position  of  one  of  the  school-committee,  and  was  for  two 
years  the  town-clerk.  His  services  were  sought  for  similar 
duties  in  Ayer.  He  carried  to  the  grave  the  characteristics  of 
a  true  man  and  Christian,  and  left  behind  interested  friends  to 
mourn  his  early  departure. 

Mr.  Brown  d.  at  Ayer,  Jan.  6,  1881.      He  had  two  children  : 
(i.)  Lilla  May,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  6,  1861,  d.  in  early  infancy. 
(2.)  Lillian  Esther,  b.  at  Ayer,  Feb.  4,  1872. 

X.  RHODA,  b.  Sept.  19,  1796,  d.  at  Ayer,  Jan.  8,  1873,  ^inm. 
She  was  born  and  lived  in  that  seclusion  that  would  have  caused 
her  name  to  be  soon  forgotten,  and  her  passage  to  the  grave  to 
pass  without  special  notice,  were  it  not  for  the  celestial  fact  that 
she  was  a  practical  Christian,  proving  it  in  all  her  movements, 
in  her  domestic  relations,  and  in  her  social  intercourse.  The 
poor  and  the  rejected,  the  sick  and  afflicted  ever  found  in  her  a 
helper  and  comforter.     She  lived  respected  and  died  regretted. 


3G4  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


BURT. 

UUtrt,  Pijinfi)«lS,  became  a  settler  of  that  section  of  Groton 
now  known  as  Shirley,  as  early  as  1 734,  and  was  one  of  the  petitioners 
for  an  act  of  incorporation  in  1747.  He  m.  Sarah  Bush,  Jan.  2,  1735, 
and  had  seven  children  : 

I.     SARAH,  b.  at  Groton,  Aug.  i,  1737,  m.  John  Coolidge,  Aug.  10, 
1800. 

,n.     PKINEHAS,  b.  at  Groton,  Jan.  30,  1738. 

HI.     JOHN,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  20,  1740. 

IV.  ELIZABETH,  b.  at  Groton,  Jan.  20,  1 743. 

V.  MARY,  b.  at  Groton,  June  20,  1746. 

VI.  SIMEON,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  5,  1748. 

VII.  LEVI,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  23,  1757. 

William  Burt,  an  illegitimate  son  of  Abigail  Biglow,  b.  Oct.  23, 
1770. 


BUTTERFIELD. 

iJuttrrft'rltr,  JJOijn,  with  Martha,  his  wife,  became  residents 
of  Shirley  pre\ious  to  the  year  1764,  and  left  upon  its  records  the 
following  names  and  birth-dates  of  their  children  : 

I.  BENJAMIN,  b.  at  Westford,  Mass.,  March  29,  1751. 

II.  JOHN,  b.  at  Westford,  July  28,  1753. 

III.  ABEL,  b.  at  Naraganset  No.  6,  Feb.   5,   1756.     He  had  his 
right  arm  torn  from  his  body  by  a  cider  mill,  in  1771. 

IV.  HENRY,  b.  at  Groton,  March  14,  1759. 

V.  KEZIAH,  b.  at  Harvard,  Aug.  28,  1761. 

VI.  MARTHA,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  14,  1764. 


CAMPBELL. 

Cam4Jt3CU,  Janus,  lived  in  the  south  part  of  Shirley,  on  the 
farm  now  owned  Ijy  the  heirs  of  the  late  David  Parker.  He  was  of 
foreign  birth,  and  had  three  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  before 
he  became  an  inhabitant  of  Shirley. 

I.     JAMES,  m.  Sophia  Fletcher  of  Lancaster,  Mass.,  pub.  June   16, 
1793- 


GENEALOGY. CAMPBELL-CHAPLIN.  305 

II.  JOHN,  m.  Martha  Ivory  of  Shirley,  Nov.  27,  17S8. 

III.  WILLIAM. 

The  Campbells  left  the  town  in  a  body,  and  located  in  some  new 
settlement  outside  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts. 


CHANDLER. 

C!ti)antllCl%  Jt}tnv^,  was  born  at  Westford,  Mass.,  March  4, 
1768.  He  was  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Betty  (Proctor)  Chandler.  He 
married  Polly  Proctor  of  Westford,  April  13,  1796.  In  a  few  years 
he  removed  to  Shirley,  and  became  proprietor  of  the  estate  vacated 
by  Campbell,  and  continued  in  its  ownership  until  early  in  the  present 
century,  when  it  passed  into  the  possession  of  Capt.  James  Parker, 
and  from  him  to  his  brother,  Dayid  Parker,  its  late  owner.  Mr. 
Chandler  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  as  well  as  a  farmer,  and  left  town  in 
1 8 10,  (though  his  real  estate  had  previously  passed  into  other  hands,) 
and  went  to  Reading,  Vt.,  where,  according  to  the  records  of  that 
town,  he  was  forbidden  citizenship  by  the  selectmen.  He  was  also 
put  under  guardianship,  his  estate  appraised  and  an  inventory  made, 
which  amounted  to  $172.43.  In  a  few  years  he  removed  to  Bran- 
don, Vt.,  and,  as  is  supposed,  shook  off  his  legal  disabilities,  as  it  is 
recorded  that  he  mortgaged  his  property  to  secure  each  of  his 
children  $50.  He  lived  in  a  village  of  Brandon  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Otter  creek,  near  where  the  "frozen  well"  has  since  been  dug. 
This  well  has  been  described,  by  one  who  has  seen  it  and  tested  its 
qualities,  on  this  wise  :  "It  was  dug  in  loose  gravel,  about  forty  feet 
deep.  The  last  few  feet  of  it,  when  dug,  was  through  frozen  earth  ; 
and  soon  after  it  was  stoned  up  a  rim  of  ice  formed  on  the  stones 
just  above  the  water,  which  is  said  to  have  remained  ever  since. 
When  this  well  was  visited  in  September,  1861,  it  had  been  dug  some 
ten  years.  As  a  lighted  candle  was  let  down  by  a  boy — who  came 
out  from  the  nearest  house — through  this  rim  of  ice,  about  thirty  feet 
from  the  top  of  the  well  the  ice  was  plainly  seen.  It  was  about 
fifteen  inches  thick,  leaving  an  opening  for  the  bucket  of  about 
fifteen  inches,  to  the  water,  which,  on  being  drawn  up,  tasted  as  cold 
as  iced  water,  yet  far  more  sparkling.  The  water  in  the  well  has 
stood  about  five  feet  deep." 

Mr.  Chandler  had  three  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  at  Shirley, 
and  he  died  at  Brandon,  Dec.  16,  1835. 

I.  SOPHIA,  b.  Sept.  30,  1802. 

II.  ORSON,  b.  March  19,  1805. 

III.  MARY,  born  April,  1808. 


CHAPLIN. 

^ijaplin,  JfVrmtai),  was  born  at  Rowley,  Mass.,  and  married 
Sarah    Hazen   of    that   town.      He  was   a    brother  of    Rev.   Daniel 


366  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Chaplin,  D.  D.,  of  Groton,  and  they  were  sons  of  Jonathan  and 
Mary  (Boynton)  Chaplin.  They  were  grandsons  of  Hugh  Chaplin, 
who  came  over  from  England  eight  years  after  the  landing  of  the 
Pilgrims  at  Plymouth,  a  young  man,  and  settled  in  Rowley. 

Jeremiah  Chaplin  removed  to  Ipswich,  Mass.,  at  the  time  of  or 
soon  after  his  marriage,  where  all  of  his  children — nine  in  number — 
were  born.  In  1781  he  came  to  Shirley  and  purchased  a  tract  of 
land  in  a  westerly  section  of  the  town,  upon  which  he  erected 
buildings,  and  which  remained  his  home  for  life.  This  estate 
descended  to  his  heirs,  and  has  ever  borne  the  name  of  the  "  Chaplin 
farm."  He  maintained,  in  his  social  relations,  the  character  of  an 
honest  man  and  a  thriving  farmer.  His  wife  died  Oct.  12,  1810, 
while  he  remained  until  Oct.  6,  18 19.  His  children  and  descendants 
were 

I.  ASA,  b.  at  Ipswich,  d.  young. 

II.  POLLY,  b.  at  Ipswich,  d.  in  infancy. 

III.  JEREMIAH,  b.  1765,  m.  Lydia  Ames  of  Groton,  Mass.  Had 
four  children  : 

L  Lydia,  b.  Oct.  26,  1797,  d.  Feb.  4,  1848,  unm. 

2.  Lucy,  b.  June   14,   1798,  m.  S.  B.  Richards    of   Charlestown, 
Mass.,  1819.     She  had  four  children  : 

(i.)  Henry  Augustus,  b.  June,  1820,  d.  Oct.  3,  1840. 

(2.)  Moses  Ames,  b.  June  29,  1822,  drowned  July  31,  1829. 

(3.)  Lucy   Chaplin,  b.  1824,  d.  1825. 

(4.)  Sylvanus  Bcdlow,  b.  Dec,  1826,  d.  1835. 

3.  Elizabeth,  b.  March   23,   1800,  m.  William  Beck  of   Boston. 
Aug.  23,  1 82 1.     She  had  eight  children  : 

(i.)  George  William,  b.  June  2,  1822,  d.  Sept.  15,  1839. 

(2.)  Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  July  25,  1824. 

(3.)  Lucy  Maria,  b.  Feb.  8,  1826. 

(4.)  Lydia  Amelia,  b.  Oct.  26,  1835,  d.  March  6,  1838. 

(5.)  Samuel  John,  b.  Oct.  20,  1836,  d.  March  15,  1838. 

(6.)  Lydia  Amelia,  b.  July  6,  1839. 

(7.)  Susan  C,  b.  Oct.  3,   1841.  m.  J.   E.  S.  Coney,  Sept.   16, 

1868. 

(8.)  Harriet  Chaplin,  b.  Sept.  12,  1843. 

4.  Mary,  b.  Feb.  19,  1802,  m.  Nathaniel  Lamson  of  Charlestown, 
Dec.  8,  1825,  d.  Sept.  14,  1849.     She  had  three  children  : 

(i.)  Mary  S.,  b.  July  2,  1830,  d.  June  2,  1843. 
(2.)  Nathaniel,  b.  Nov.  12,  1833. 

{2^.)  Josephine,  b.  March  3,  1838,  m.   Horace  Dudley,  Sept.  12, 
1862. 

IV.  MOSES,  b.  April  21,  1769,  m.  Lucy  Page  of  Shirley,  April  7, 
1 801,  d.  Dec.  13,  1847.  He  commenced  his  married  life  with  a 
very  feeble  pecuniary  inheritance,  and  was  solely  dependent,  for 
present  sustenance  for  himself  and  numerous  family,  on  the  fruits 
of  agricultural  labor ;  and  all  future  progress  must  be  a  result  of 
the  same  means.     And  yet,  he  was  enabled  comfortably  to  secure 


GENEALOGY. CHAPLIN.  367 

the  great  ends  of  living,  in  fair  abundance,  and  to  leave  a  well 
cultivated  farm  for  the  benefit  of  his  posterity.  Unwearied  in- 
dustry and  a  consistent  frugality  were  the  qualities  that  effected 
this  successful  and  brilliant  life-work.     He  had  eleven  children  : 

1.  Moses,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  30,  1801,  m.  Betsy  Smith  of  Lunen- 
burg, Nov.  21,  1827,  d.  July  15,  1854.  His  wife  d.  May  7, 
1 85  3.     He  had  four  children  : 

(i.)  Adolphus,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  18,  1828,  m.  Adaliza  Jewett 
of  Pepperell,  Mass.,  July  29,  185 1,  d.  at  Leominster,  May  23, 

1853- 
(2.)  Miranda,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  10,  1830,  m.  John  Bently, 
(3.)   Cliarles  Albert,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  24,  1832,  has  been  twice 

m.,  (first)  to  Lydia  Hutchinson   of  Shirley,  May  31,   1862  ; 

she  d.  April  6,  1866  ;  m.  (second)  Sarah  A.  Anderson,   June 

22,  1867,  r.  Shirley  (1882). 
(4.)  Lucy  Ami,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  10,  1834,  d.  Dec.  26,  1837. 

2.  Asa,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  18,  1803,  r.  Lunenburg,  unm.  (1882.) 

3.  Lucy,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  13,  1804,  d.  in  infancy. 

4.  James,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  8,  1805,  d.  at  Shirley,  July  28,  1834, 
unm. 

0.  Maria,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  1 1,  1807,  r.  Shirley,  unm.  (1882.) 

C).  Hannah,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  ir,  1808,  m.  Charles  Farwell  of 
Fitchburg,  Sept.  22,  1S35,  d.  May  .3,  1S60.  She  had  four 
children  : 

(i.)    Charles,  b.  at  Fitchburg,  April  6,  1837,  d.  July  9,  1837. 
(2.)  Jane,  b.  at  Fitchburg,  April  13,  1839. 
(3.)  Ann  Eliza,  b.  at  Fitchburg,  Oct.  11,  1840. 
(4.)  Hannah  Elvira,  b.  at  Fitchburg,  Jan.  7,  1844. 

7.  William,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  27,.  181 1,  m.  Sophia  Lawrence  of 
Boxborough,  Mass.,  Dec,  1836.  He  was  killed  by  a  railroad 
accident,  Feb.  15,  1867.     He  had  nine  children: 

(i.)  James,  b.  July  23,  1837. 

(2.)  Norman,  b.  Aug,  8,  1838,  m.  Linnie  L.  Bride,  March,  1864. 

(3.)    William,  b.  April   18,   1840,  m.    Sarah  Frances   Simpson, 

Aug.  28,  1862. 
(4.)  Mary,  b.  March  2,  1S42,  m.  Hiram  Haynes,  June  11,  1863. 
(5.)  Sophia  L.,  b.  Jan.  i,  1844,  m.  Warren  Ball,  Nov.  20,  1S64. 
(6.)    Waldo,  b.  Aug.  28,   1846,  m.  Hattie  Ward  of  Winchester, 
•   March,  1870. 

(7.)  Herman,  b.  April  16,  1848. 
(8.)  Lucy,  b.  Aug.  9,  1850. 
(9.)  Rodney,  b.  June  9,  1854. 

8.  Jeremiah,  b.  March  17,  1813,  d.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  6,  1814. 

9.  Lucy,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  31,  181 5,  m.  James  P.  Longley, 
Dec.  15,  1835,  d.  May  15,  1882. 

10.  Mary  Ann,  b.   at  Shirley,   Dec.   27,    181 7,   m.   Marshall  Ney 


368  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Bruce  of  Littleton,  Jan.  25,  1844,  r.  Littleton  (18S2).     She  has 

three  children  : 

(i.)  Harriet  A.,  h.  at  Littleton,  Nov.   26,   1845,  m.   Ferdinand 

A.  Wyman  of  Boston,  Sept.  8,  1875,  r.  Boston  (1882). 
(2.)  Marx  Jane,  b.  at  Littleton,  Dec.  26,  1851. 
(3.)  Henrietta,   b.   at   Litdeton,   Oct.    9,    1853,   m.   William   L. 
Kimball,  Sept.  12,  1877. 
n.  Thomas,    b.  at  Shirley,  July  28,   1820,  d.  at   Shirley,  June  6, 
1852. 

V.     MARY,  b.  Sept.  22,  1767,  d.  at  Lunenburg,  March  2,  1845,  unm. 

VL  LOIS,  b.  Sept.  20,  1772,  m.  Jacob  Hartvvell,  of  Lunenburg, 
March  17,  1793.  She  had  seven  children,  and  died  at  Lunen- 
burg, Aug.  5,  1863. 

L  Jane  L.,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Aug.  8,  1794,  d.  at  Lunenburg, 
Dec.  10,  1880,  unm. 

■2.  Sarah  H.,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Sept.  11,  1796,  d.  at  Lunenburg, 
May  20,  1877,  unm. 

3.  JosiAH,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Jan.  23,  1799,  m.  Susan  Hapgood  of 
Harvard,  April  9,  1829,  d.  at  Harvard,  Sept.  27,  185 1.  He 
had  three  children  : 

(i.)  George,  b.  at  Harvard,  Nov.  24,  1830,  m.  Ann  Stockell, 
Sept.  II,  1856. 

(2.)  Sarah,  b.  at  Harvard,  Nov.  23,  1834,  m.  William  Henry 
Getchell,  Feb.  12,  1857.  She  has  had  one  child  :  i.  "Fred- 
eric," b.  Jan.  18,  1858. 

(3.)  Ellen  Cleora,  b.  Dec.  15,  1848. 

4.  Abr.'^ham,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Aug.  27,  1801,  m.  Eunice  Fair- 
banks, Aug.  30,  1846.  He  had  one  child,  and  d.  at  Lunenburg, 
Aug.  I,  1852. 

(i.)  Lizzie,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  March  14,  1848. 

5.  James,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  March  23,  1804,  m.  Betsy  Phillips, 
Oct.  14,  1825.  He  had  one  child,  and  d.  at  Fitchburg,  Dec. 
25,  1863. 

(i.)  James  Albert,  b.  Feb.  22,  1836,  m.  Louisa  A.  Thomson  of 
Hubbardston,  Mass.,  April  5,  1866.  He  has  had  four  chil- 
dren :  I.  "James  Porter,"  b.  Oct.,  1866;  2.  "George  Wil- 
liams," b.  Feb.  14,  1870;  3.  "Charles  Herbert,"  b.  Oct.  4, 
1872  ;  4.  "Albert  Mason,"  b.  April  7,  1874. 

6.  Jeremiah  Chaplin,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Aug.  31,  1807.  He 
passed  the  most  of  his  active  life  in  Shirley,  and  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Pamelia  Parker  of  Shirley,  Dec.  11,  1832;  shed. 
April  26,  1875  ;  '^^^  (second)  Lydia  H.  Hapgood  of  Harvard, 
Nov.  29,  1877,  d.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  14,  1878.  He  had  two 
children  : 

(i.)  Harriet  P.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  i,  1837,  m.  Charles  Morgan 
of  Shirley,  March  5,  1868,  d.  April  22,  1877. 


GENEALOGY. CHAPLIN-CHASE.  369 

(2.)  Frederic,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  19,   1844,  d.  at  Shirley,  Sept. 
27,  1847. 

7.  William,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  June  6,  181 2,  d.  Aug.  i,  1849,  unm. 

VII.  DANIEL,  b.  Jan.  26,  1775,  d.  Aug.  31,  1831,  unm. 

VIII.  JESSE,  b.  July  8,  1777,   d.   at  Lunenburg,  April   17,   1856, 
unm. 

IX.  SARAH,  b.  1780,  d.  June  18,  1849,  unm. 


CHAPMAN. 

©ijapman,  BaniCl,  and  his  wife,  Jerusha,  lived  in  Shirley  at 
the  time  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  .  had  one  child  born 
here  : 

1.     LUCY,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  9,  1775. 


CHASE. 


C^^ijtlSt,  ^COUflC,  born  Feb.  17,  1701,  became  a  resident  of 
Shirley  about  the  year  1 760,  owned  and  lived  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  the  heirs  of  the  late  Stephen  M.  Longley,  near  the  center 
of  the  town.     He  had  previously  lived  in  Littleton,  Mass.,  and  was 

twice  married,  (first)  to  Elizabeth ,  (second)  to  Lucy  Wood, 

and  had  ten  children  : 

I.  FRANCIS,  b.  at  Littleton,  Oct.  14,  1734. 

II.  LUCY,  b.  at  Littleton,  July  25,  1739. 

III.  ABIGAIL,  b.  at  Littleton,  Sept.  9,  1741. 

IV.  JOSHUA,  b,  at  Littleton,  Aug.  31,  1743,  m.  Susanna  Fitch  of 
Lunenburg,  pub.  June  2,  1770,  d.  March  11,  1810.  His  widow  d. 
July  10,  1827.     He  had  three  children  : 

\.  Jacob,  b.  June  30,  1771,  was  twice  m.  (first)  to  Olive  Wilson, 
1 791,  m.  (second)  to  Jenney  Nelson.     He  had  one  child  while 
he  resided  in  Shirley  : 
(i.)  Allien,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  12,   1792,  m,  Phebe  W.  Stearns, 

March  i,  1820,  and  had  four  children  :    i.   "Orpha,"  b.  June 

16,  1821,  m.  James  E.  Underwood;  2.  "Laura  M.,"b.  Nov. 

6,  1826,  m.  Charles  N.  Briant,  April,  1848;   3.  "  Seth   P."   b. 

March  17,  1829,  m.  Jane  Parker;   4,  "Marian,"  b.  July   20, 

1838. 

2.  AzuBAH.     3.  Alexander. 

V.  ELIZABETH,  b.  at  Littleton,  March  30,  1745,  d.  Nov.  9,  1S20. 
47 


370  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

VI.  CHARLES,  b.  at  Littleton,  Aug.  8,  1747.  He  was  employed 
as  clerk  in  a  trading  house  at  Lunenburg,  and  while  drawing  alco- 
hol from  a  cask  in  the  evening,  his  lamp  came  in  contact  with  the 
fluid,  causing  an  explosion  which  produced  death. 

VH.     SARAH,  b.  July  14,  1749,  probably  at  Litdeton. 

VHL     HANNAH,  b.  Aug.  5,  1751,  probably  at  Littleton. 

IX.  ABEL,  b.  June  13,  1754,  m.  Mrs.  Joanna  (Bartlett)  Warren  of 
Shirley,  pub.  Jan.  9,  1779.  He  remained  in  Shirley  unto  1783; 
was  a  volunteer  to  Cambridge  on  the  alarm  of  the  1 9th  of  April, 
1775;  afterward  he  removed  to  some  unknown  home,  (unknown 
to  the  friends  he  left  behind.)  The  birth  registry  of  three  children 
appears  upon  the  records  of  the  town  : 

1.  Caleb,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  6,  1779. 

2.  Molly,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  18,  1781. 

3.  Lydia,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  26,  1783. 

X.  ABRAHAM,  b.  at  Litdeton,  Jan.  24,  1756,  d.  at  Shiriey,  April 
10,  1764. 

Tradition  saith  that  there  was  also  a  Phebe  Chase,  daughter  of 
George  and  Lucy  Chase,  and  that  she  occupied  the  paternal  resi- 
dence, after  the  death  of  her  father,  for  some  years,  and  then  married 
and  found  a  new  home  at  Chesterfield,  N.  H.  No  record,  however, 
has  been  found  to  sustain  this  tradition, 

Qtf^SUty  ifttOOtrg,  was  born  at  Sutton,  Mass.,  Sept.  23,  1723, 
and  was  a  son  of  Daniel  Chase,  and  a  grandson  of  Aquilla  Chase  of 
Newbury,  Mass.,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  New  England. 
Moody  Chase  married  Elizabeth  Hale  of  Sutton,  Jan.  17,  1748.  He 
was  a  resident  of  Sutton  until  after  the  births  of  all  his  children — 
twelve  in  number — when  he  came  to  Shirley,  where  he  remained 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  April  27,  1815.  His  widow  died 
Nov.  4,  1820.  He  owned  and  occupied  a  farm  on  the  eastern  bank 
of  Nashua  river,  near  the  late  Mitchell  mills,  which  farm  is  now 
within  the  limits  of  Ayer. 

He  was  a  man  of  commanding  appearance,  tall,  erect,  and  of  well 
proportioned  stature,  which  physical  characteristics  he  retained  unto 
the  close  of  life,  notwithstanding  the  usual  bending  and  decreping 
effects  of  "threescore  years  and  ten." 

His  moral  goodness,  his  large  heart  and  purposes,  particularly  dis- 
tinguished him,  and  made  him  an  object  of  respect  and  favorable 
notoriety.  He  had  but  litde  inclination  for  office-holding,  and  yet 
would  not  ignore  public  responsibility  that  lay  in  the  way  of  duty. 
He  never  made  a  profession  of  religion,  and  yet  maintained  a  deep 
reverence  for  God  and  his  law.  A  portion  of  each  day  was  devoted 
to  sacred  reading,  meditation  and  prayer.  In  early  life  he  took  a 
lively  interest  in  the  education  of  Indian  youth,  and  was  the  leader 
of  a  company  of  woodmen  who  cleared  the  grounds  in  Hanover, 
N.  H.,  where  the  venerable   Dr.    Wheelock    established   an   Indian 


GENEALOGY. CHASE.  371 

school,  from  which  Dartmouth  College  took  its  rise.  Of  Mr.  Chase 
it  may  be  truly  said,  "  He  went  down  to  his  grave  in  peace,  and  was 
buried  in  a  good  old  age."     His  children  were 

I.  SUSANNA,  b.  at  Sutton,  m.  John  Gould  of  Lyndeborough, 
N.  H.,  Oct.  31,  1769.     She  had  eight  children  : 

1.  John,  was  drowned  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine  years. 

2.  David. 

3.  William,  b.  Oct.  3,  1772,  m.  Abigail  Phelps,  1797,  d.  April  22, 
1863.     Hs  had  ten  children  : 

(i.)  Lydia.  (2.)  Jacob  Chase.  (3.)  Nancy  N.  (4.)  Ahnira. 
(5.)  William.  (6.)  Lyman.  (7.)  Sawyer.  (8.)  Abigail. 
(9.)  Dorcas.      (10.)  Susan  Chase. 

4.  Daniel.     5.  Betsey.     G.  Susan,  d.  young. 

7.  Polly,  m.  David  Osgood. 

8.  Susan,  m.  Levi  Longley. 

II.  WILLIAM,  b.  at  Sutton. 

III.  JACOB,  b.  Sept.  12,  1761,  was  thrice  m.,  (first)  to  Abigail 
Hubbard  of  Groton,  (second)  to  Sally  Park  of  Groton,  1 796,  she 
d.  at  Pepperell,  1811  ;  m.  (third)  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Fairbanks,  1815  ; 
she  was  the  widow  of  John  Fairbanks  of  Harvard,  Mass.,  and  d. 
at  Pepperell,  Jan.  i,  1851.  He  also  d.  at  Pepperell,  Dec.  5,  1848. 
He  had  ten  children.  His  married  residence  was  begun  in  Shirley, 
but  was  mostly  passed  at  Pepperell. 

1.  Moody,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  27,  1786. 

2,  William,  b.  at  Groton,  .-Xug.  14,  1789,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Hannah  Parker,  of  Pepperell,  April  23,  1815  ;  she  d.  at  JBer- 
nardstown.  Ill,  March  7,  1847;  ™^-  (second)  Susan  Miller  of 
Bernardstown,  Dec.  24,  1857.  He  died  at  Bernardstown,  Nov. 
7,  1869.     He  had  five  children  : 

(i.)    William  Augustus,  b.  at  Boston,  Feb.  i,  1816,  m.  Mary  L. 

Cook  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  Oct.  12,  1846.     He  had  six  children  : 

I,  "Maria  Antoinette,"  b.  at  Rushville,  III,  July  29,  1847  >   2. 

"Mary  R.,"  b.  at  Rushville,  Sept.  17,  1849  ;    3.   "Emma,"   b. 

at  Quincy,  111.,  Nov.  19,  1851  ;  4.  "Cora,"  b.  at  Quincy,  Sept. 

12,   1854;  5.    "Anna,"  b.    at  Rosamond,  April  5,    1862,  d. 

March   21,   1864;    6.  "Carrie   Freeman,"   b,  at    Rosamond, 

March  20,  1865. 
(2.)  Maria  Antoinette,  b.  at  Boston,  Oct.  12,  181 7,  m.  Charles 

Rich  of  Boston,  Nov.  20,  1840.     He  died  in  the  war  of  the 

Rebellion,  1863.     She  has  had  three   children;    i.  "Charles 

Heath,"  b.    at  Washington,    D,   C,   Oct.,   1842;    2,  "Anna 

Chase,"  b.  at  Nantucket,  Mass.,  July  30,  1845;  3.  "Flora," 

d.  young. 
(3.)  Edmund  Parker,  b.  at  Boston,  May  30,  182 1,  m,  Eliza  A. 

D.  Scrippe  of  Rushville,  111.,  Oct.  12,  1846.     He  has  had  ten 


372  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

children,  r.  Des  Moines,  Iowa  (1875).  i.  "John,"  b.  at 
Rushville,  Jan.  21,  1848;  2.  "Anna  A.,"  b.  at  Rushville,  Oct. 
14,  1849,  d.  Nov.,  1865;  3.  "Charles  R.,"  b.  at  Bernards- 
town,  111.,  Sept.  24,  185 1  ;  4.  "Mary  E.,"  b.  at  Rushville, 
Sept.  13,  1853  ;  5.  "Jenny  M.,"  b.  at  Rushville,  April  6, 
1856  ;  6.  "Edmund  C.,"  b.  at  Rushville,  April  13,  1858  ;  7. 
"W.  Henry  S.,"  b.  at  Rushville,  Jan.  8,  i860;  8.  "  Heber 
F.,"  b.  at  Rushville,  Jan.  18,  1863,  d.  Aug.  22,  1865;  9. 
"Howard  L.,"  b.  at  Rushville,  April  5,  1865,  d,  Sept.  19, 
1865  ;   10.  "William  P.,"  b.  at  Rushville,  Aug.  6,  1870. 

(4.)  Mary,  b.  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  15,  1831,  d.  Dec.  24, 
1832. 

(5.)  William  Prescott,  b.  at  Bernardstown,  Feb.  13,  1859,  d.  at 
Bernardstown,  Jan.  11,  1861. 

3.  A  Child,  b.  at  Groton,  July  20,  1 790,  d.  in  infancy. 

4.  Abigail,  b.  at  Groton,  Nov.  8,  1797,  m.  Zimri  Priest  of  Harvard. 
She  d.  at  Pepperell,  Oct.  2,  1868,  leaving  one  child  : 

(i.)  Sarah  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Harvard,  March,  1831,  d.  at  Pep- 
perell, Nov.  15,  1 851. 

5.  Harvey,  b.  at  Pepperell,  Jan.  18,  1800,  m.  Charlotte  Verry  of 
Norton,  Mass.,  d.  at  Mount  Hope,  111.,  May,  1844.  He  had 
three  children  : 

(i.)  William  Harvey,  b.  at  Richmond,  N.  Y.,  April  7,  1831,  d. 
at  Jacksonville,  III,  July  3,  1849. 

(2.)  Sarah  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Richmond,  Nov.  26,  1838,  m.  Sol- 
omon Hasbrook  Bwihans  of  CarHsle,  N.  Y.,  March  11,  1862. 

(3.)  Samuel  Whipple,  b.  at  Mount  Hope,  Feb.  13,  1840,  d.  at 
Jacksonville,  111.,  July  4,  1856. 

G.  Jacob,  b.  at  Pepperell,  Jan.  21,  1802,  m.  Lucy  Richardson  of 
Chelmsford,  had  one  child  : 
(i.)    Charles  Harvey,  b.  Oct.,  1835. 

7.  Sallie,  b.  at  Pepperell,  Feb.  29,  1804,  d.  March  26,  1812. 

8.  Amos,  b.  at  Pepperell,  March  9,  1806.     He  was  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Sarah  Whitney  Stearns  of  Lancaster,  Mass.,  Sept.  19,  183^ 
m.  (second)  Mary  Bates  of   Springfield,  Mass.,  Dec.   23,   1843 
He  had  four  children  : 

(i.)  Sarah  Augusta,  b.  at  Groton,  June  30,  1834. 
(2.)  Mary  Catharine,  b.  at  Groton,  July  i,  1835. 
(3.)  Elizabeth  Antoinette,  b.  at  Springfield. 
(4.)  Mary  Stearns,  b.  at  Springfield. 

9.  Mary  Ann,  b.  at  Pepperell,  April  30,  1808,  d.  Sept.  8,  1813. 

10.  John,  b.  at  Pepperell,  May  21,  1810,  d.  Dec.  9,  1839. 

IV.  MARY  or  MOLLY,  b.  at  Sutton,  1767,  d.  at  Pepperell,  July 
24,  1843,  iinm. 

V.  SAMUEL,  b.  at  Sutton,  April  20,  1768,  m.  Anna  Longley  of 
Shirley,  April  3,  1795.  He  lived  successively  in  the  towns  of 
Shirley,  Groton,   and    Pepperell,  was   a  tradesman,  a  farmer  and 


O  J 


GENEALOGY. CHASE.  373 

trader,  at  different  times,  but  in  each  occupation  he  maintained  a 
reputable  standing,  was  industrious,  upright,  kind-hearted.  He  d. 
at  Pepperell,  much  lamented,  Nov.  6,  1 808.  His  wife,  Anna,  d.  at 
Hollis,  N.  H.,  June  6,  1S66.     He  had  five  children  : 

1.  Lydia  Longlev,  b.  at  Groton,  Jan.  16,  1796,  r.  Pepperell 
(1882),  unm. 

2.  Betsey,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  23,  1798,  m.  Joseph  Tucker  of  Pep- 
perell, Oct.  19,  18 1 9.  Mr.  Tucker  was  a  clothier  by  trade,  and 
was  a  man  of  courteous  manners,  correct  habits,  and  useful  life. 
He  filled  the  office  of  deacon  in  the  First  Congregationalist 
Church,  and  died,  much  lamented,  June  4,  1845.  He  had  ten 
children  : 

(i.)  Betsey  Brooks,  b.  at  Dunstable,  Mass.,  Sept.  15,  1820,  m. 
Joseph  Bradley  Varnum  of  Pepperell,  June  16,  1842.  She 
has  had  three  children,  all  born  at  Pepperell:  i.  "William 
Francis,"  b.  Dec.  21,  1847;  2.  "Charlie,"  b.  Dec.  21,  1847, 
d.  July  21,  1848;  3.  "Harriet  Ann,"  b.  April  19,  1852. 

{2.)  Joseph  Augustus,  b.  at  Dunstable,  April  2,  182 1,  m.  Ellen 
Augusta  Lewis  of  Groton,  Sept.  16,  1845. 

(3.)  Clara  Butterick,  b.  at  Dunstable,  Jan.  26,  1823,  m. 
Andrews  Howe  of  Townsend,  Sept.  16,  1845.  She  has  had 
three  children  :  i.  "Charlie  Tucker,"  b.  at  Townsend,  Dec. 
25,  1846,  d.  at  sea,  March  13,  1864;  2.  "Frank  May'nard," 
b.  at  West  Cambridge,  July  20,  1849;  3-  "Edward  Henry," 
b.  at  West  Cambridge,  Jan.,  1858. 

(4.)  Samuel  Chase,  b.  at  Dunstable,  March  31,  1825,  d.  at 
Pepperell,  Aug.  30,  1826. 

(5.)  Lydia  Chase,  b.  at  Pepperell,  Aug.  9,  1826,  m.  Addison 
Hill  of  West  Cambridge,  Aug.  10,  1857.  She  had  one  child  : 
I.  "George  Varnum,"  b.  at  Pepperell,  Oct.  9,  1858. 

(6.)  Samuel  Prescott,  b.  at  Pepperell,  Dec.  27,  1828,  m.  Sarah 
Elizabeth  Parker  of  Pepperell,  April  12,  1865.  He  has  had 
one  child  :  i.  "Charlie  Parker,"  b.  at  Hudson,  Mass.,  July  18, 
1866.  'J    ^       » 

(7.)  Harriet  Maria,  b.  at  Pepperell,  March  22,  183 1,  d.  March 

14,  1852. 
(8.)  Henry  Francis,  b.  at  Pepperell,   Dec.    13,    1835,   ""i.   Mary 

Helen  Campbell,  of  Greenfield,  N.  H.,  Oct.  7,  1863. 
(9.)  Elizabeth  Hale,  b.  at  Pepperell,  Oct.  31,    1837,   d.  Jan    9 


I«4I. 


(10.)  Elizabeth  Helen,  b.  at  Pepperell,  Jan.  23,  1842. 

3.  Samuel,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  22,  1801,  d.  at  Pepperell,  Aucr  7 
1876,  unm.  * 

4.  Moody,  b.  March  7,  1803,  d.  at  Winchester,  N.  H.,  Jan.  8 
1828,  unm.  ' 

5.  William  Prescott,  b.  at  Pepperell,  Feb.  22,  1808,  m.  Emeline 
White  of  Easton,  Mass.,  March  24,  1831,  d.  at  Pepperell,  Jan. 
25,  1867.     He  had  two  children  : 

(i.)      William  Longley,  b.  at  Brookline,  N.  H.,  March  16,  i8-,2. 
(2.)  Samuel. 


374  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

VI.  BETSEY,  b.  at  Sutton,  m.  Timothy  Sargent  of  Orford,  N.  H. 

VII.  JUDITH,  b.  at  Sutton,  1772,  d.  at  Pepperell,  Dec.  30,  1843. 
She  was  never  married,  but  passed  her  Hfe,  of  over  seventy  years, 
in  happy  companionship  with  her  elder  sister,  Mary  or  Molly,  also 
unmarried,  both  of  whom  were  devout  Christians,  and  like  their 
honored  father  were  "buried  in  a  good  old  age." 

VIII.  MARCH,  b.  at  Sutton,  1776,  m.  Hepsibath  Gleason,  of 
Princeton,  Mass.,  1805,  d.  at  Bolton,  Mass.,  Jan.  17,  1827.  His 
wife  d.  July  12,  1823.     He  had  five  children  : 

1.  Elizabeth  Hale,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.,  1806,  d.  at  Bolton,  June 
8,  1824. 

2.  Mary,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  19,  1809.  She  was  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Josiah  Brown,  m.  (second)  to  Charles  Wait.  She  had  four 
children  : 

(i.)    William.     (2.)  Josiah.     (3.)    Charles.     (4 )  Edward. 

0.  Susan  Mildred,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  4,  181 1,  d.  Oct.  4,  1815. 

■4.  Selina,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  17,  1813,  d.  March  28,  1815. 

5.  William  Moody,  b.  at  Bolton,  Dec.  i,  181 7,  m.  Susan  Parker 
of  Boston. 

IX.  WILLIAM,  b.  at  Sutton,  d.  young. 

Moody  Chase  had  three  other  children,  all  of  whom  died  in  in- 
fancy. 

CHILDS. 

^i)lltIS,  il^tinttSi),  came  from  Cambridge  to  reside  at  Shirley, 
Nov.  18,  1 771,  but  was  denied  legal  citizenship  by  the  town  author- 
ities. 

COLE. 

^OlC,  DtlttlCl,  and  his  wife,  came  from  Concord,  Mass.,  to 
reside  in  Shirley  in  1775.  How  long  they  remained,  or  where  they 
were  especially  located,  cannot  here  be  stated. 


CONANT. 

Sonant,  212Hini«Tm,  lived  in  Shirley  at  an  early  period  of  its 
organization,  on  land  now  owned  by  Lyman   Eaton,   situated  in  the 

easterly  part  of  the  town.     He  married   Farewell  of  Shirley, 

and  had  one  child  : 

I.     WILLIAM,  b.  Aug.  17,  1765,  m.  Sarah  Phelps  of  Shirley,  Nov. 
1 7,    1 796.       He    was    a   carpenter  by  trade,    and    a  very   skilful 


GENEALOGY. CONANT-DAVIS.  375 

workman.     He  committed  suicide  by  hanging,  Aug.  5,  1846.     He 
had  six  children  : 

1.  William,  b.  May  2,  1797. 

2.  Sally,  b.  Dec.  3,   1798,  m.  Luke  Woodbury  of  Bolton,  Mass., 
d.  Dec.  30,  1832.     She  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  May  B.,  b.  at  Bolton,  June  3,  1827,  m.  Charles  F.  Sartell 
of  Fitchburg,  March  17,  1853,  r.  Leominster  (1877).  She 
had  two  children:  i.  "Charles  W.,"  b.  Jan.  4,  1854;  2. 
"Henry  F.,"  b.  Nov.  30,  1863. 

3.  LuciNDA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  23,  1800,  d.  July  23,  1847. 

4.  Eunice,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  20,  1802.  She  was  twice  mar- 
ried, (first)  to  John  Farnsworth  of  Shirley,  December,  1823, 
m.  (second)  to  Luke  Woodbury  of  Bolton,  May  21,  1840,  d. 
at  Bolton,  Nov.  27,  1.843. 

5.  Lavina,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  3,  1803.  She  was  thrice  m.,  (first) 
to  George  Spaulding  of  Shirley,  Oct.  3,  1830,  he  d.  at  Har- 
vard, June  13,  1847;  I''"'-  (second)  John  Clement  of  Town- 
send,  Dec.  25,  1856;  she  m.  (third)  Jonas  Parker  of  Town- 
send,  May  5,  1868. 

G.  Jefferson,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  26,  1809. 


DAVIS. 


The  tradition  has  been  very  prevalent  that  the  original  of  the  New 
England  families  consisted  of  "three  brothers,"  who  were  shipped 
together  for  the  new  land,  and  from  whom  all  of  the  name  have 
descended.  But,  though  this  tradition  has  been  very  rarely  sus- 
tained by  fact,  there  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Shirley,  three 
brothers  of  the  name  of  Davis,  who  came  from  Acton,  Mass.,  from 
whom  a  numerous  posterity  may  be  traced.  They  became  residents 
of  the  town  soon  after  its  incorporation,  but  in  the  passage  of  a 
century  most  of  the  race  have  been  scattered  abroad. 

IBflbtf^,  JiO|)U.  His  home  was  the  farm  now  owned  by  the 
Wilsons — father  and  son — and  previously  by  the  late  Thomas  Clark, 
where  the  most  of  his  family  was  born.  He  served  his  country  as  a 
soldier  in  the  French  war,  and  afterward  for  a  time  in  the  war  of 
American  Independence.  In  1 788  he  removed,  with  that  part  of  his 
family  that  had  not  passed  their  years  of  minority,  to  Reading,  Vt. 
He  erected  the  first  saw-mill  in  that  vicinity,  and  turned  a  piece  of 
wild  forest  into  a  thrifty  farm.  He  fulfilled  the  mission  t)f  life  with 
admirable  precision,  and  went  down  to  his  grave,  leaving  behind  an 
honorable  and  useful  memory.  He  d.  May,  1808.  His  wife  was 
Hulda  (Thayer)  Davis,  and  he  had  ten  children  : 

I.  JOHN,  b.  at  Shirley,  m.  Anna  Holden  of  Shirley.  He  removed 
to  Westminster,  Vt.,  where  he  passed  the  first  ten  years  of  his 
married  life  ;  he  then  returned  to  the  maiden  home  of  his  wife,  in 


376  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Shirley,  which  proved  his  home  for  Hfe.  He  owned  and  Hved 
upon  the  farm,  in  the  western  part  of  the  town,  now  the  residence 
of  Andrew  Nelson  Holden,  and  late  the  property  of  Sylvanus  Hol- 
den,  deceased.  It  is  a  country  retreat  of  much  natural  beauty,  and 
this  was  enlarged  by  the  taste  of  Mr.  Uavis,  who  planted  a  row  of 
maple  trees  on  the  border  of  the  road  in  the  vicinage  of  his  resi- 
dence, which  now  stand,  as  he  said  he  hoped  they  would,  a 
memento  of  his  existence,  when  all  other  traces  of  him  should  be 
obliterated  and  forgotten.  He  was  in  the  continental  service 
three  years.     He  had  thirteen  children,  and  died  Feb.  8,  1827. 

1.  Emma,  b.  Aug.  6,  1781,  m.  Roger  Wheeler  of  Lunenburg, 
May  15,  1803.  She  was  removed  to  some  town  in  Ohio,  which 
became  her  home,  and  where  she  d.  April  18,  1853. 

2.  John,  b.  at  Westminster,  Vt.,  May  i  7,  1 783,  m,  Sylvia  Edger- 
tbn  of  Shirley,  May  4,  1820.  He  lived  in  Charlton,  and  was  a 
lawyer  by  profession,  had  three  children,  and  died  Aug.  4,  1840. 

3.  Sally,  b.  at  Westminster,  March  31,  1785,  m.  Aaron  Lyon  of 
Shirley,  Aug.  i,  1802.  Her  family  were  of  the  colony  that 
emigrated  to  Marietta,  Ohio. 

4.  Frederick  Montgomery,  b.  at  Westminster,  March  31,  1787, 
m.  Martha  — of  Deerfield,  N.  Y.,  d.  1848. 

5.  Rosalinda,  b.  at  Westminster,  March  17,  1790,  m.  Henry 
Archer  of  Salem,  Aug.  17,  1818,  d.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  7,  1839. 

6.  Zenas,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  3,  1792,  m.  Martha  Roby  of  Duns- 
table, Mass.,  pub.  June  21,1818.     He  had  seven  children  : 

(I.)  Lucy  P.,  b.  at  x\urelius,  Ohio,  July  3,  1819. 

(2.)  Zenas,  b.  at  Aurelius,  March  3,  182 1. 

(3.)  Abbot  R.,  b.  at  Reading,  Vt.,  March  7,  1823. 

(4.)  Hannah  J.,  b.  at  Dunstable,  N.  H.,  July  20,  1825. 

(5.)  Martha  M.,  b.  at  Hollis,  N.  H.,  Oct.  4,  1828. 

(6.)  Fairfield  R.,  b.  at  Dunstable,  N.  H.,  June  24,  1830. 

(7.)  Francis  J.,  b.  at  Dunstable,  Jan.  19,  1833. 

7.  Samuel,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  20,  1794,  m.  Nancy  Hartwell  of 
Lunenburg,  and  removed  to  Ware,  Mass.,  and  there  d.  1832. 

8.  Berintha,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  29,  1796,  m.  Chipman  Hinckley 
Welden  of  Barnstable,  Mass.,  d.  Feb.  23,  1858. 

'J.  Ch.^stina,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  29,  1798,  m.  Abijah  Sanderson  of 
Lunenburg,  Feb.  4,  1819,  d.  Sept.  27,  1863.  She  had  four 
children  : 

(I.)  L^)itisa  Ann,  b.  Sept.  7,  1819. 
(2.)   Chastina,  b.  Feb.  21,  1S22. 
(3.)  Henry,  b.  Feb.  22,  1824. 
(4.)   George  Eihuin,  b.  May  16,  1826.   . 

10.  Anna,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  26,  iSoo,  d.  Dec.  3,  181  7. 

n.  Lucy,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  23,  1801,  d.  Oct.  3,  1S02. 


GENEALOGY. DAVIS.  377 

12.  Hiram,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  3,  1804,  m.  Nancy  Sawyer  of  Ster- 
ling, Mass.,  March  27,  1828,  d.  at  Fitchburg,  May  5,  1874.  He 
had  six  children  : 

(i.)    William  Sawyer,  b.  June  6,  1829,  d.  i\pril  3,  1837. 

(2.)  Helen  Maria,  b.  Dec.  17,  1831,  m.  Jonathan  R.  Haskell, 
April  8,  1858. 

(3.)  Frederick  Hiram,  b.  Nov.  18,  1833,  m.  Seriza  F.  Young- 
love,  May  16,  1855. 

(4.)    William  Sawyer,  b.  Jan.  27,  1838,  d.  Sept.  22,  1838. 

(5.)  Isabella  Augusta,  b.  Sept.  22,  1839,  i^-  Emerson  W.  Harris, 
May  II,  1859. 

(6.)  Harriet  Elizabeth,  b.  March  17,  1843,  d.  Oct.  21,  1843. 

13.  Calvin,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  12,  1806,  m.  Susan  Kellogg. 

H.  CORNELIUS,  b.  at  Shirley,  1761.  He  was  in  the  Continental 
service  for  thre^e  years,  and  was  afterwards  an  ensign  in  Shay's 
rebel  army.  In  his  early  married  life  he  removed  from  Shirley 
to  Cavendish,  Vt.,  which  became  his  home  for  life.  He  d.  181 6. 
He  had  a  family  of  several  children,  among  whom  were  Hiram, 
Luther  and  Lucy,  all  of  whom  removed  at  the  death  of  their  father 
to  some  home  in  Upper  Canada,  where  they  were  lost  from  the 
sight  and  knowledge  of  their  friends  and  relatives. 

III.  HULDAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  3,  1763,  m.  Philemon  Holden, 
of  Shirley,  pub.  Oct.  19,  1782. 

IV.  SAMUEL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Mar.  13,  1765,  has  been  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Phebe  Spaulding  of  Westford,  Mass.,  Nov.  8,  1798,  m.  (second) 
Mary  Cogswell,  Nov.  15,  1830.  He  had  two  children  and  died  at 
Chelmsford,  Mass.,  Aug.  14,  1845.     His  children  were 

1.  Lucy,  b.  July  4,  1800,  r.  Chelmsford  (1876),  unm. 

2.  Samuel  Spaulding,  b.  at  Chelmsford,  Sept.  22,  1831.  He  has 
been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Maria  Frances  Fletcher,  Nov.  23,  1S54, 
she  died  Oct.  18,  1873  ;  m,  (second)  Hattie  F.  Gullord,  Sept.  28, 
1874,  r.  New  York  (1876),  N.  Y. 

V.  LUCY.  m.  Nehemiah  Estabrook  of  Medford,  pub.  Sept.  10, 
1785- 

VI.  EZEKIEL,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  2,  1770.  He  was  eighteen  years 
of  age  when  the  family  of  his  father  removed  from  Shirley  to  Read- 
ing, Vt.  He  made  himself  highly  useful  in  assisting  to  clear  away 
the  forest,  and  reducing  the  sterile  soil  to  fruitful  cultivation.  When 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  m.  Bethia  Grandy,  June  17,  1791.  He 
passed  his  life  in  Reading,  and  there  all  his  children — twelve  in 
number — were  b.     He  d.  Sept.  11,  1849. 

1.  Harry,  b.  Aug.  7,  1792  ;  d.  Aug.  10,  1793. 

2.  Edmund,  b.  Oct.  10,  1793,  m,  Rebecca  Philbrick,  Nov,  2,  1816, 
r.  Reading,  where  all  his  children — nine  in  number — were  b. 
(i.)  Sabra  G.,  b.  Nov.  20,1817,  ^^^-  '"^sa  Burnham,  Feb.  10,  1840. 

She  had  two  children,   and  became  a  widow  May,  1872  :    i. 
"David  E.,"  b.  May  4,  1845,  '^''-  Hattie  L,  Mahony,  Jan.,  1867, 
and  has  had  two  children  :   i.  George  D.,  b.  Aug.  3,  1869  ;   2. 
48 


B^i#A3(£^ 


378  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Harry  Abner,  b.  Jan.  12,  1874;  2.  "Anna  A.,"  b.  April  12, 
1848,  twice  m.,  (first)  to  William  H.  Adams,  Jan.  4,  1870,  di- 
vorced April,  1875,  ^-y  (second)  Vincent  R.  Griswold. 

(2,)  Carlos  L.,  b.  Mar.  24,  1819,  m.  Ruth  Hapgood,  Nov.  9, 
1843.  He  had  four  children  :  i.  "Myron;"  2.  "Nelly;"  3, 
"Frank;"  4.  "Frederick." 

(3.)  Amelia  E.,  b.  Feb.  8,  182  i,  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Hiram  Marsh, 
bee.  6,  1838  ;  m.  (second)  Jonathan  Hapgood.  She  has  had 
one  child  :   i.  "James,"  m.  Isadore  Arnold. 

(4.)  Salome  F.,  b.  Aug.  13,  1823,  m.  Silas  A.  Robinson,  Dec.  8, 
1842.  She  has  had  three  children  :  i.  "Laura  A  ;"  2.  "Nelly," 
died  ;  3.  "Melvin." 

(5.)  Eliza  A.,  b.  July  3,  1825,  m.  Silas  W,  Pike,  April  13,  1849. 
She  has  had  four  children,  all  of  whom  have  died  :  i.  "Ed- 
mond  D.  ;"  2.  "Lizzie;"  3.  "Edmund  D. ;';  4.  "Bertha." 

(6.)  Charles  A.,  b.  Aug.  15,  1827,  m.  Mrs. ' Henrietta  Dowty, 
Feb.  26,  1852.  He  has  had  six  children  :  i.  "Charles  H.  ;" 
2.  "Lizzie  ;"  3.  "Bert;"  4.  "Minnie  ;"  5.  "Abbie  ;"  6.  "Cora." 

(7.)  Frances  R.,  b.  Feb.  20,  1830,  m.  Benjamin  Barnard,  Feb. 
,  20,  1855.  She  has  had  five  children  :  i.  "Nettie;"  2.  "Sto- 
well  E. ;"  3.  "Benjamin  ;"  4.  "Stowell  E. ;"  5.  "Lizzie." 

(8.)  Justin  S.,  b.  Mar.  11,  1832,  m.  Ann  Tarbell,  Apr.  30,  1857. 
He  has  had  two  children  :   i.  "Ira;"  2.  "Edmund." 

(9.)    Cornelia  A.,  b.  May  8,  1834,  d.  Oct.  16,  1835. 

3.  Betsey,  b.  Oct.    11,   1795,  ^^'^-  Sewall  Shattuck,  Apr.  2,  181 7. 
She  has  had  seven  children  : 

(i.)  Frederick  Sylvester,  b.  Feb.  5,  181 8,  m.  Emily  H.  Lambers- 
ton,  Nov.  16,  1843.  He  has  had  five  children  :  i.  "Emery 
E."  b.  Aug.  8,  1846,  m.  C.  S.  Raymond,  July  30,  1874,  he 
has  had  one  child  :  i.  Berty  C,  b.  Sept.  26,  1875  '■>  2-  "George 
W."  b.  Feb.  7,  1849  ;  3.  "Ella  J."  b.  Oct.  7,  1855  ;  4.  "Myr- 
tle" b.  Dec.  4,  i860;  5.  "James  .F.,"  b.  Oct.  8,  1863. 

(2,)    Warren  Fisk,  b.  Aug.  9,  1820,  d.  1874. 

(3.)  Sewall  Augustus,  b.  Oct.  29,  1821,  m.  Rosaline  Morgan, 
Dec.  14,  1844.  He  has  had  two  children  :  i.  "Merrit"  ;  2. 
"Mary." 

(4.)  Cornelius  Davis,  b.  Apr.  9,  1823,  m.  Clarinda  Miller,  Nov. 
12,  1844.  He  has  had  three  children  :  i.  "Elroy  J."  b.  Mar. 
17,  1846,  m.  Lucy  Tuell,  Mar.  23,  1866,  had  one  child  :  Claud 
b.  May  9,  1871  ;  2.  "Frederick  W.,"  b.  May  i,  1853  ;  3.  "Ada 
L.,"  b.  Jan.  i,  1856. 

(5.)  Charles  Edwin,  b.  Aug.  9,  1826,  m.  Mary  Batchelder,  He 
has  had  two  children  :  i.  "Charley,"  b.  July,  1853;  2.  "Lot- 
tie," b.  Jan.  17,  1856. 

(6.)  James  Albert,  b.  Dec.  4,  1832.  He  has  been  twice  m.  (first) 
to  Clara  Lockvvood,  m.  (second)  to  Lottie  Edwards. 

(7.)  Almond  Wentniorth,  b.  Aug.  20,  1834. 

4.  Solomon,  b.  Apr.  3,  1797,  m.  Fanny  Grandy,  May,  1824.     He 
has  had  five  children  : 

(i.)    George.  (2.)  Alpha,  died.   (3.)  Fanny. 


GENEALOGY. DAVIS.  379 

(4.)  Alpha  E.,  b.  Sept.  2,  1829.  He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Jane  E.  Withey,  1852,  she  died  1852  ;  m.  (second)  Frances 
Withey.  He  has  had  one  child,  i.  "Clarence  J.,"  b.  Feb.  19, 
1854,  m.  Sarah  D.  Cowan,  Sept.  28,  1875. 

(5.)  Benjamin  W.,  b.  June  5,  1831,  m.  Abbie  Withey,  1854.  He 
has  had  five  children  :  i.  "Jenny  J.,"  b.  Aug.  3,  1857;  2. 
"George  A.,"  b.  July  13,  1862  ;  3.  "Frank  B.,"  b.  Oct.  28, 
1863  ;  4.  "Fanny  L.,"  b.  Jan.  20,  1866  ;  5.  "George  H.,"  b. 
Nov.  8,  1868. 

5.  Almond,  b.  Mar.  24,  1799.  He  has  been  thrice  m.,  (first)  to 
Semira  Pratt,  Mar.  18,  1823,  she  died;  m.  (second)  Susan  Pratt, 
Feb.  18,  1832,  she  died;  m.  (third)  Grace  Stearns.  He  d.  Sept. 
30,  1855  ;  had  seven  children  : 

(i.)  Semira  Pratt,  b.  Aug.  3,  1824,  d.  Aug.  3,  1844. 
(2.)  Almond,  b.  June  17,  1826,  d.  June  21,  1826. 
(3.)    Wentworth  A.,  b.  Aug.  15,  1829,  d.  July  5,  1830. 
(4.)  Susan  Maria, 

(5.)  David  P.,  b.  Nov.  26,  1835,  m.  Lucinda  Fletcher,  Nov.  28, 
1858.     He  had  one  child  :   i.  "Gracie  L.,"  b.  Oct.  14,  1865. 
(6.)   Victoria,  b.  Feb.  28,  1843,  d.  Sept,  16,  1843. 
(7.)  Aurora,  b.  Feb.  28,  1843,  "^-  May  15,  1844. 

6.  Clarissa,  b.  July  7,  1801,  m.  America  Amsden,  Feb.  15,  1823. 
She  had  one  child,  and  d.  March  6,  1826. 

(i.)   Rosalie  M.,  b.  Oct.  17,  1823,  d.  June  17,  1S25. 

7.  Sophia,  b.  Nov.  5,  1803,  m.  Henry  Megrath,  Feb.  15,  1822. 
She  had  eleven  children  : 

(i.)  Lovintha,  b.  Oct.  8,  1823,  m.  Winslow  B.  Parmenter,  Oct. 
2,  1849.  She  had  four  children:  i.  "Atlanta  L.,"  b.  June 
27,  1850;  2.  "  Henry  W.,"  b.  March  22,  1852,  d.  May  11, 
1^53  ;  3.  "Elizabeth  L.,"  b.  Jan.  6,  1854,  d.  Aug.  12,   1854  ; 

4.  "Henry  W.,"  b.  Nov.  4,  1861,  d.  March  13,  1863. 

(2.)  John  Q.  Adams,  b.  March  4,  1825,  m.  Elizabeth  E. 
Guernsley,  May  31,  1848.  He  has  had  three  children:  i. 
"Henry  N.,"b.  April  n,  1857;  2.  "Mary  E.,"  b.  Jan.  16, 
1859;  3.  "Edward  J.,"  b.  Sept.  18,  1866. 

(3.)  Alfred,  b.  Dec.  29,  1826,  m.  Mary  Bartlett,  May  8,  1859. 

(4.)  Clarissa  A.,  b.  Nov.  8,  1828,  m.  Henry  Muzzey,  Aug.  i, 
1847.  She  has  had  two  children:  i.  "  Wayland  L.,"  b. 
Sept.  19,  1849,  m.  M.  D.  Hall,  Sept.  26,  1876;  2.  "E.  A.," 
b.  Feb.  I,  1853,  m.  G.  H.  Blake,  Feb.  15,  1874. 

(5.)  Lewis,  b.  March  10,  1830,  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  Sarah 
Luce,  Nov.  ir,  1850,  she  d.  Feb.  11,  1871,  m.  (second)  Mrs. 
Augusta  Perkins,  Dec.  31,  1874.  He  had  one  child  :  i.  "Ju- 
liette," b.  Nov.  II,  1851,  d.  Aug.  14,  1854. 

(6.)  Edward,  b.  June  6,  1832,  m.  Elizabeth  Adams. 

(7.)  Rosalia,  b.  March,  1834,  died. 

(8.)  Francis,  b.  Aug.  22,  1836,  m.  Laura  C.  Brown,  May  16, 
1857.  He  has  had  seven  children  :  i.  "Willie,"  b.  Feb.  18, 
1858  ;  2.  "Marrette,"  b.  June,  1862  ;  3.  "Joseph,"  b.  March 

5,  1864;  4.  "Lilhan,"  b.  Nov.,  1865;    5.  "Arthur,"  b.  May 


■PiTW-r- 


380  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

lo,  1867;  6.  "Ellen,"  b.  May  8,  1869;    7.  "George  E.,"  b. 

Sept.  4,  1 87 1. 
(9.)  Lucy,  b.  March  8,  1838,  m.   Henry  M.   Darling,   Dec.   30, 

1856.     She  has  had  two  children:    i.  "Robert  F.,"  b.  Feb. 

20,  1868;   2.  "Atlanta  L.,"  b.  Aug.  25,  1871. 
(10.)  Francelia,  b.  April  8,   1846,  m.   George  Reynolds.      She 

d.  June  13,  1875. 
(11.)  Jatie  G.,  b.  June  22,  1848,  m.  George  W.  Shed,   May   i, 

1872.     She  has  had  two  children  :    i.  "Winnie,"  b.  Sept.   27, 

1874;  2.  "Lottie  L.,"  b.  March  23,  1876. 

8.  Cynthia,  b.  Jan.  28,  1806,  m.  George  Clyde,  May,  1824.  She 
had  seven  children  : 

(i.)    Geo7'ge.      (2.)   Solomon.      (3.)   Almond.     (4.)    William. 
(5.)  Edward  P.     (6.)  Lucy  D.     (7.)  James. 

9.  John,  b.  April  15,  1808,  m.  Lydia  Pratt,  Jan.  24,  1834,  r.  Cav- 
endish, Vt.     He  has  had  four  children  : 

(i.)  Nathan  Forest,  b.  Jan.  26,  1837. 

(2.)  Julia  A.,  b.  June  25,  1842, 

(3.)  Semira  L.,  b.  Oct.  i,  1844,  d.  March  13,  1847. 

(4.)   Celia  A.,  b.  Sept.  16,  1849. 

10.  Christopher  C,  b.  July  15,  1810.  He  was  thrice  m.,  (first) 
to  Elvira  Wheeler,  she  d.  1857,  m.  (second)  Fannie  H.  White, 
Sept.,  1858,  she  d.  Feb.,  1872,  m.  (third)  Polly  Morey,  1874. 
He  d.  Feb.  23,  1875.     Had  five  children  : 

(i.)  Marietta  E.,  b.  April  21,  1833,  m.  Martin  J.  Housel,  and 
d.  i860. 

(2.)    Wallace   C,  b.  July  2\,  1834,  m.  Maria  Brelie. 

(3.)  Frederick  W.,  b.  Aug.  20,  1835,  ^'^^-  Louisa  Richards.  He 
has  had  six  children:  i.  "Clarence  E. ;"  2.  "Ida  J.;"  3. 
"  Hattie  L.  ;"  4.  "Alice;"  5.  "Sherman;"   6.  "Sheridan." 

(4.)  Caroline  S.,  b.  i\pril  13,  1837.  She  has  been  twice  m., 
(first)  Dr.  L.  B.  Garber,  who  d.,  m.  (second)  Hinsdale  Rich- 
ards, and  has  had  six  children;  i.  "  Frank  W. ;"  2.  "Min- 
nie E.  ;"  3.  "Ralph  C.  ;"  4,  "Carrie  B.  ;"  5.  "Maud  J.  ;"  6. 
"Mary  L." 

(5.)  Solomon  P.,  b.  Sept,  24,  1843,  died. 

11.  LoRiNTHA,  b.  Sept.  29,  1812,  m.  Francis  Curtis,  Jan.  19,  1836. 
She  has  had  ten  children  : 

(i.)  Francis,  b.  July  11,  1836.     Has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  Lilla 

Bryant,  May  27,  1858,  she  d.  Jan.  25,  1873,  '^-  (second)  Mrs. 

Julia  Bickford.     He  has  had  five  children:    i.  "Nelly;"    2. 

"George;"  3.  "Alice;"  4.  "Maud;"  5.  "Oscar." 
(2.)   George  W.,  b.   Sept.   28,    1837,   m.   Mary  Drew,   June    10, 

1866.    He  has  had  three  children  :   i.  "Albert ;"  2.  "George  ;" 

3.  "Oscar." 
(3.)   Oscar  F.,  b.  Jan.  2,  1839,  d.  June  8,   1864,  ft-om  wounds 

received  in  the  battle  of  Spottsylvania. 
(4.)  Lorintha,  b.  Feb.  4,  1840.     She  has  been  twice  m.,  (first) 

William  Russell,  Sept.  28,  1856.  He  d.  a  soldier  in  the  service 


GENEALOGY. DAVIS.  381 

of  the  United  States,  during  the  war  of  the  RebelHon,  m. 
(second)  Rev.  BilHngs  Clapp,  who  d.  Feb.  4,  1873.  She  d. 
Nov.  21,  1875.     Had  seven  children  :   i."Ida;"  2.  "Albert ;" 

3.  "Lena;"  4.  "Lena;"  5.  "Joseph;"  6.  "Lula;"  7. 
"Sammie." 

(5.)  Lucy  D.,  b.  Aug.  9,   1841.      She  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 

George    Hobson,   March,   i860,   who   d.   Oct.    24,    1862  ;    m. 

(second)  Albert  B.  Holmes,  July  15,  1873.     She  has  had  one 

child:   I.  "Albert." 
(6.)  Marietta,  b.  July  8,  1843,  "''•  Frank  Wheeler,  June  8,  1875. 
(7.)  Francelia  M.,  b.  April  16,  1845,  '''^-  Daniel  Fuller,  Oct.  9. 

1864.     She  has  had  one  child  :   i.  "Genie,"  b.  Aug.  30,  1869. 
(8.)  Irene   G.,  b.  March  24,   1847,   m.    Edward  Lowe,   June   9, 

1872. 
(9.)   Christopher  L.,  b.  Dec.  22,  1851. 
(10.)  Justin,  b.  June  23,  1855. 

12.  Lucy,  b.  Oct.  26,  1814,  m.  William  G.  Grandy,  Feb.  6,  1847. 
She  had  six  children,  and  d.  Feb.  6,  1876. 
(i.)  Benjamin  E.,  b.  June  25,  1850, 
(2.)  Ella  B.,  b.  Sept.  29,   1851.  m.  R.   D.   Briggs,   March   24, 

1873.     Had  one  child:   i.  "William  R.,"  b.  May  23,  1875. 
(3.)   Orwald,  b.  Aug.  12,  1853,  d.  Jan.  4,  1854. 
(4.)  Alma  E.,  b.  Jan.  i,  1855. 
(5.)  Elvira  L.,  b.  Nov.  14,  1856. 
(6.)  Myron  H.,  b.  Aug.  26,  1859. 

VH.     THANKFUL,  b.  Aug.  21,  1772,  m.  Ezekiel  Palmer,  d.  Julv 
8,  1858. 

VHL  ELIAKLM,  b.  March  i,  1775,  m.  Olive  Hawthorn  of  Read- 
ing, Vt.,  1798.  He  resided  in  Reading  for  many  years,  and  there 
all  his  children  were  born.  Later  in  life  he  removed  to  Sterling, 
Mass.,  where  he  d.  Feb.  14,  1850.     He  had  eight  children  : 

1.  Philoma,  b.  March  13,  1799,  m.  John  Rice  of  Reading.  She 
lived  in  Reading  until  after  the  birth  of  all  her  children,  when 
she  removed  to  Sterling,  where  she  passed  the  residue  of  her 
life,  and  d.  Feb.,  1872.     She  had  three  children  : 

(i.)  Alzamond  D.,  b.  Nov.  24,  1828. 

(2,)  Rosalia,  b.  March  8,  1830,  m.  Chester  N.  Bruce  of  Ster- 
ling, Mass.,  April  20,  1854.  She  has  had  two  children  :  i. 
"Alvin  C.,"  b.  Nov.  24,  1862;  2.  "Mary  Ella,"  b.  Aug.  27, 
1867. 

(3.)  Annette   C,  b.   March  24,  1832,  m.  William  Johnson,  July 

4,  1861,  r.  Milton,  Florida  (1876).  She  has  had  five  chil- 
dren: I.  "  Sarah  M,"  b.  June  7,  1862;  2.  "Annie  R.,"  b. 
April  5,  1864;  3.  "Nellie  F.,"  b.  Sept.  11,  1865  ;  4.  "Wil- 
liam," b.  Oct.  16,  187 1  ;  5.  "Emma,"  b.  Sept.  20,  1874. 

2.  Olive,  b.  Feb.  17,  iSoo,  m.  John  Wait  of  Reading,  Vt.,  1832, 
and  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  Adelaide  S.,  b.  Dec.  12,  1836,  m.  Loren  Button,  Nov.  16, 
1853.      She   has   had    five   children:     i.    "Florence  A.,"   b. 


382  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Sept.  19,  1854;  2.  "Orville  O.,"  b.  Oct.  26,  1855  ;  3.  "Helen 
E.,"  b.  Aug.  19,  1857;  4.  "Francis  E.,"  b.  Feb.  13,  i860; 
5.  "Loren  E.,"  b.  March  26,  1862. 

3.  SoPHRONiA,  b.   March  12,    1803,   m.  James  Maywell  of  Errol, 
N.  H.,  1834,  d.  at  Errol,  June,  1839.     She  had  five  children  : 
(i.)  Alvin.     (2.)  Luther.     (3.)  Abnira.     (4.)  Alzamond. 

(5.)  Harris. 

4.  Samuel  A.,  b.  March  11,  1810.  He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Mary  Partridge  of  Rockingham,  Vt.,  March  25,  1834;  m. 
(second)  Charlotte  E.  Keys  of  Sterling,  Mass.,  Dec.  31,  1848. 
He  is  a  clergyman,  r.  Hartford,  Conn.  (1876.)  He  has  had  ten 
children,  five  by  each  wife,  all  but  one  of  whom  lived  to  woman- 
hood. 

(i.)  Minnie  Skimes,  b.   at  Baltimore,   Md.,   March   25,    1835, 

unm.,  is  the  author  of   "Marion  Foster,"   "CHnton   Forest," 

"RosiHe,"  etc.,  etc. 
(2.)  J/czr_}' y<7i-<?//«';/^,  b.  at  Pittsburg,  Penn.,  Aug.   12,   1837,   m. 

Thomas  Bissell  of  Hartford,  Oct.,   1865.      She   has  had  two 

children. 
(3.)  Eiidora  Adelaide,  b.  at  Akron,   Ohio,   Aug.  6,    1839,   m. 

William  R.  Adams  of  Bethel,  Vt.,   Dec.    i,    1856.      She   has 

had  eight  children. 
(4.)  Isadore  Francis,  b.  at  Quincy,  Mass.,  June  18,  1844,  unm. 

(1876.) 
(5.)  Florence  Annette,  b.  at  Quincy,   May   17,    1848,   d.  June, 

1856. 
(6.)  Lizzie  Es telle.     (7.)  Agnes  Georgia.     (8.)  Ldella  Grace. 
(9,)  Marion  Lee.     (10.)    Carrie  Belle. 

5.  Elmira,  b.  March  9,  181 2,  m.  Ira  Holden  of  Reading,  Vt., 
Jan.  20,  1839,  r.  Perkinsville,  Vt.  (1876.)  She  has  had  six 
children  : 

(i.)  Rosaltha,  b.  Nov,  8,  1840,  d.  Oct.  28,  1842. 

(2.)   Corrisande  L.,  b.  July  28,  1842.     She  has  been  twice  m., 

(first)  to  Chandler  Wells,  Nov.  14,  1859  ;  m.  (second) 

Brewer.     She  has  had  two   children:    i.  "Leonard  R.,"    b. 

May  3,  i860;  2.  "Bessie,"  b.  Nov.  i,  1872. 
(3.)  Rosabelle  V.,  b.  Dec.   16,   1844,   m.   Henry  L.   Stetson  of 

Winchester,  N.  H.,  Jan.  27,  1866.     She  has  had  one  child: 

I.  "Elmer  Alvaro,"  b.  May  11,  1868. 
(4.)  Aiiverne   L.,  b.   Nov.    i,    1846,  m.   Carrie   E.   Owens,    of 

Dixon,  III,  March  18,  1871.     He  has  had  two   children:    i. 

"Ray  Auverne  L.,"  b.  Oct.  26,  1871  ;    2.  "Ira  Leander,"   b. 

March  18,  1873. 
(5.)  Izona   C.,  b.   Feb.   4,    1849,   "i-   Edward    E.   Stimpson  of 

Springfield,  Vt.,  Jan.  11,  1871,  d.  April  13,  1872. 
(6.)  Roniaine  L.,  b.  Dec.  9,  1852,  m.  Alma  S.  Lockwood,  Dec. 

30,  1871. 

6.  LuRiNTHA,  b.  May  9,  18 14,  m.  Philemon  Holden  of  Grafton, 
Vt.,  1836.     She  has  had  six  children  : 

(i.)  Alzamond  D.  R.     (2.)  Lcstina  P.     (3.)  Adelbert  D. 


GENEALOGY. DAVIS.  383 

(4.)  Katie  Atinie,  m.  Myron  Covey,  and  had  two  children  :    i . 

"Bertie  M.;"  2.   " Leon  CKfford." 
(5.)  Ella    V.,vl\.   Ferdinand  L.  Cobb,  has  had  one   child:    i. 

"Josiah." 
(6.)   Caroline  R.,  m.  Alvester  Richardson. 

7.  Lysander  Mason,  b.  April  7,  1816,  m.  in  South  Carolina,  1842. 
Has  had  several  children,  is  a  lawyer  by  profession,  and  his  r. 
Wilcox  county,  Alabama  (1876). 

8.  Seth  Leander,  b.  June  6,  18 18,  m.  Joanna  Brown  of  Errol, 
N.  H.,  1847,  d.  Feb.,  1874.     He  had  eight  children  : 

(i.)  Amoretfa    P.,  m.    Henry   Swett,    had    two    children :      i. 

"Chester  Henry ;"  2.  "IsoraMay." 
(2.)   Qiiincy  B.,  m.  Ella  Annis. 
(3.)  Ella  S.,  m.  S.  J.  Hanscomb. 

(4.)  A.  L.     (5.)    Voina  S.     (6.)  Rosa  May.     (7.)  Norah   G. 
(8.)  Adelia  Belitida. 

IX.  JONATHAN,  b.  Oct.  n,  1776,  m.  Sally  Francis  of  Lexing- 
ton, Mass.  He  purchased  a  farm  of  wild  land  in  Windsor,  Vt., 
which  was  his  home  for  life.  He  had  six  sons  and  five  daughters, 
and  d.  April  1 1,  1865. 

X.  LEVI,  b.  Oct.  15,  1777,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Jemima  Hib- 
bard,  (second)  to  Sally  Allen,  r.  Brookfield,  Vt.,  where  he  d.  May 

9.  1861. 

BaiJl'S,  Silas,  a  brother  of  John,  Sen.,  m.  Ruth  Page,  by 
whom  he  had  five  children,  all  of  whom  were  b.  at  Shirley.  He  was 
one  of  the  volunteers  to  Cambridge  on  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of 
April,  and  was  afterwards  in  the  Continental  service  three  years  and 
seven  months.  He  lived  on  a  farm  in  the  western  section  of  the 
town,  his  land  being  intersected  by  the  boundary  line  running  be- 
tween Lunenburg  and  Shirley.  His  residence — not  a  remnant  of 
which  is  left — was  always  supposed  to  stand  in  Shirley,  and  he  always 
acted  as  a  citizen  of  Shirley,  though  the  true  boundary  was  at  that 
time  unknown. 

I.  SILAS,  b.  May  3,  1767. 

II.  ELIAKIM,  b.  Sept.  19,  1769. 

III.  DANIEL,  b.  May  3,  1772. 

IV.  ELISHA,  b.  March  22,  1774,  d.  July  23,  1777. 

V.  RUTH,  b.  April  16,  1778,  m,  Melvin  Harris,  a  colored  man, 
had  two  children,  and  d.  March  2,  1849. 

1,  Chloe,  b.  Jan.  16,  1797.  In  early  life  she  became  a  member 
of  the  Shaker  community,  and  continued  in  that  faith,  an  active 
and  devoted  believer,  always  industrious  and  obedient ;  and  had 
her  fidelity  rewarded  by  the  care  she  received  from  her  asso- 
ciates in  her  years  of  age  and  infirmity.     She  d.  Jan.  9,  1878. 

2.  Solomon,  b.  Jan.  18,  1801,  d.  at  the  state  almshouse  in 
Tewksbury,  Mass  ,  Aug.  13,  1873. 


384  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Hal)tS,  JiOnatijan,  brother  of  John,  Sen.,  and  Silas,  with 
EHzabeth,  his  wife,  and  one  son,  became  inhabitants  of  Shirley,  June 
I,  1773.  No  farther  notice  of  them  appears  upon  the  town  records. 
He  was  a  vokmteer  to  Cambridge  on  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of  April. 
He  also  served  in  the  eight  months  enlistment,  and  subsequently 
three  years  and  seven  months  as  a  Continental  soldier. 

HBHiiiS^  J^CllCCCtl,  a  widow,  with  three  children,  viz.  :  Rebecca, 
Elijah  and  Abijah,  removed  from  Leominster  to  Shirley,  July  10, 
1782.  The  selectmen  of  the  town  forbade  them  citizenship. 
Rebecca  Davis,  Sen.,  d.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  30,  1782.  Her  daughter, 
Rebecca,  d.  Dec.  6,  1782.  Both  d.  within  four  or  five  months  of 
their  settlement  here. 

13clUtSi,  iWtlt'g,  removed  from  Westford,  Mass.,  and  became  a 
resident  of  Shirley,  Jan.,  1773. 

IBHiiiUy  lEHSIjcl,  removed  from  Lancaster,  Mass.,  to  Shirley, 
with  the  family  of  Ensign  John  Field,  March  18,  1784. 


DAY. 


Among  the  Puritan  passengers  that  came  to  this  continent  from 
England,  in  the  ship  Hopewell,  under  command  of  Captain  Bardock, 
from  London,  in  1635,  ^^^s  Robert  Day,  who  settled  in  Ipswich, 
Mass.  With  other  children  he  had  a  son — Thomas  by  name — who 
was  b.  at  Ipswich,  in  1643,  ^^^^  ^^^o  d.  in  1718.  He  left  a  son — 
Thomas,  Jr. — who  was  b.  in  1677,  and  who  d.  in  1750.  He  had  a 
son — Jeremiah — who  was  b.  1 713,  and  d.  in  1788.  He  had  a  son 
who  became  a  resident  of  Shirley  in  1779. 

^<lfi)  NatijaniCl,  son  of  Jeremiah,^  (Thomas,  Jr.,'^  Thomas,^ 
Robert,')  was  born  at  Ipswich,  Mass.,  Dec.  8,  1747,  m.  Sarah  Chap- 
man, March  13,  1774.  He  owned  and  occupied  a  farm,  in  the 
easterly  part  of  the  town,  now  the  home  of  Melzor  V.  Farnsworth, 
and  d.  at  Shirley,  July  22,  1824.  Mrs.  Day  d.  Jan.  10,  1813.  Both 
lie  buried  in  the  old  cemetery.     They  had  ten  children  : 

I.  NATHANIEL,  b.  at  Ipswich,  April  15,  1775,  d.  at  Shirley, 
Sept.  8,  1789. 

II.  SARAH,  b.  at  Ipswich,  July  22,  1776,  d.  at  Shirley,  May  12, 
1859,  unm. 

III.  MOSES,  b.  at  Ipswich,  Feb.  i,  1778.  He  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Jane  Park  of  Groton,  Jan.  i,  1800,  m.  (second)  Anna  L. 
Hobert  of  Groton,  Dec.  11,  181 7,  d.  at  Nashua,  N.  H.,  Aug., 
1839.     He  had  eleven  children  : 

1.  Moses,  b.  at  Groton,  Nov.    17,    1800,   m.    Pamelia  Sawtell  of 
Groton,  May  28,  1819,  d.  July  31,  1838. 

2.  Jane  S.,   b    Jan.    i,   1803,    m.    Reuben   Stimpson,   April   26, 
1834,  r.  Medway,  Mass.  (1876.) 


GENEALOGY. DAY.  385 

3.  Nathaniel,  b.  Sept.  17,  1805,  d.  Jan.  16,  1831. 

4.  Sarah  C,  b.  Dec.  21,  1807,  d.  Dec.  8,  1815. 

5.  An  Infant,  b.  July  27,  181 3,  d.  same  day. 

C>.  Sarah  Ann,  b.  April  10,  18 19,  d.  Dec.  8,  1822, 
7.  Nancy,  b.  Aug.  26,  182 1,  d.  Dec.  18,  1848. 
<S.  Elizabeth,  b.  Nov.  19,  1823,  d.  Oct.  13,  1839. 

9.  Samuel  S.,  b.  March  3,  1826,  d.  April  5,  1832, 

10.  Augusta,  b.  Jan.  2,  1829,  ni.  Harvey  Mason,  Feb.  12,  1872. 
Her  husband  d.  May  9,  1872  ;  r.  Nashua,  N.  H.,  widow  (1877J. 

11.  Josephine,  b.  May  24,  1831,  d.  Sept.  3,  1850. 
The  children  of  Moses  Day  were  all  b.  at  Groton. 

IV.  AMOS,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  29,  1780,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Lydia  Garfield  of  Harvard,  Mass.,  March  27,  1810;  she  d.  March 
9,  1836  ;  m.  (second)  Lucy  Blanchard  of  Boxboro',  Mass.,  Jan.  8, 
1839  ;  she  d.  Dec.  21,  1856.  He  d.  Jan.  26,  1859.  He  had  five 
children,  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

1.  Nathaniel,  b.  Jan.  21,  1813,  m.  Harriet  Gray,  Sept.  2,  1855. 
In  a  few  years  he  buried  his  wife,  and  has  since  had  no  fixed 
residence, 

2.  Amos  Bowman,  b.  Nov,  23,  18 14,  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Eunice  Holbrook  of  Boston,  Dec.  25,  1845,  m.  (second)  Lizzie 
M.  Whitney  of  Eitchburg,  May  6,  1871,  r.  Fitchburg,  Mass. 
(1882.) 

3.  James  Orsamus  Willard,  b.  Oct.  16,  181 7,  d,  Jan.  23,  1S51, 
unm. 

4.  Samuel  L.,  b.  Feb.  10,  1820,  m.  Frances  Stirling,  d.  Dec.  16, 
1855.     He  had  one  child  : 

(i.)   Nathaniel,  b.  March  4,  1848,  d.  March  i,  1854. 

h.  Lydia,  b.  July  22,  1822,   m.  Franklin  Haskell  of  Leominster, 
Jan.  31,  1849,  r.  Leominster,  has  had  four  children  : 
(i.)  Sarah  J.,  b.  at  Leominster,  Aug.  12,  1851. 
(2.)  Htniuard  Day,  b.  at  Leominster,  Oct.  14,  1854. 
(3.)  Samuel  James,  b.  at  Leominster,  Nov.  7,  i860. 
(4.)  Jesse  Fremont,  b.  at  Leominster,  June   28,   1864,  d.  Sept. 
16,  1864. 

V.  EDWARD,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  18,  1782,  d.  March  22,  17S2. 

VI.  BENJAMIN,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  26,  1783,  m.  Mary  Barret  of 
Beverly,  Dec.  27,  1809,  d.  Jan.  17,  1855.    He  had  nine  children  : 

1.  Benjamin,  b.  Dec.  4,  18 10,  d.  July  1,  181 3. 

2.  Elizabeth  B.,  b.  April  8,  181 3,  r.  Salem,  Mass.  She  resides 
with  her  widowed  mother  who  is  living  in  the  enjoyment  of  a 
green  old  age  (1877). 

49 


386  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

3.  Mary,  b.  Jan.  5,  1815,  m.  Philip  Attleton  of  Springfield,  Mass., 
d.  June  15,  1865. 

4.  Sarah  H.,  b.  April  21,  181 7,  m.  Joseph  C.   Danks  of  Spring- 
field, 1853,  r.  Cleveland,  Ohio  (1875). 

5.  Benjamin  B.,  b.  Feb.  7,  1819,  d.  Nov.  19,  1821. 

6.  Thomas    C,  b.   Dec.    16,   1820,  m.  Elizabeth   B.    Hartwell  of 
Groton,  1844,  had  four  children,  and  d.  Sept.  19,  1873. 

(i.)  Thomas  H.,  b.  Sept.  5,  1845,  d.  Nov.  3,  1875. 
(2.)    William  F.,  b.  Sept.,  1848,  d.  185 1. 
(3.)  Mary  E.,  b.  June  11,  1853. 
(4.)  Arthur  B.,  b.  June  20,  1855. 

7.  Martha,  b.  Dec.  18,  1822,  d.  Nov.  17,  1824. 

8.  Jane  A.,  b.  Nov.  29,  1824,  m.  Abner  Wheeler  of  Shirley,  June 
25,  1868,  r.  Ayer,  Mass. 

9.  Rebecca,  b.  July  7,  1827,  d.  Nov.  11,  1833. 

VII.  MARY,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  27,  1785,  d.  March  18,  1829,  unm. 

VIII.  BECCA,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  26,  1787,  d.  July  30,  1787. 

IX.  JOSEPH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  24,  1788,  m.  Nancy  Dike  of 
Westminster,  Mass.,  pub.  April  29,  1820,  d.  at  Shirley,  July  14, 
1847.     He  was  industrious,  honest,  and  useful. 

X.  REBECCA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  30,  1792,  d.  at  Leominster, 
Sept.  28,  1869,  unm. 

The  Day  families  of  the  second  generation,  generally,  passed  their 
lives  in  the  town  of  their  birth,  or  in  its  vicinity.  They  pursued  the 
safe,  peaceful,  and  profitable  calling  of  agriculturists  ;  were  enabled 
to  enjoy  the  various  comforts  of  life  without  incurring  debt,  and 
without  encumbering  their  estates  ;  they  were  charitable  according  to 
their  means,  and  not  ambitious  of  distinction,  but  were  satisfied  with 
that  medium  position  which  patient  industry  and  a  consistent 
economy  will  rarely  fail  to  secure  ;  they  were  satisfied  with  that  dis- 
tinction which  eventually  comes  to  those  who  ever  aim  to  carry  the 
scales  of  justice  evenly  balanced.  Some  of  them  were  occasionally 
called  to  discharge  the  duties  of  town  officials,  which  they  did  with 
personal  credit,  and  to  the  advantage  of  their  fellow-citizens.  They 
have  generally  found  graves  within  the  cemeteries  of  their  native 
town,  but  their  posterity  has  entirely  passed  away  from  the  homes  of 
their  fathers. 


DICKERSON. 

IBiCfeCV.SOn,  JJamCS,  b.  at  Harvard,  Mass.,  March  4,  1748, 
came  to  Shirley  a  young  man,  and  was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  In  con- 
nection with  Francis  Harris,  he  erected  the  second  saw-mill  that  was 


GENEALOGY. DICKERSON.  387 

set  up  in  the  town.  He  was  one  of  the  prhicipal  workmen  in  build- 
ing the  second  meeting-house  in  town,  which  for  correct  taste  and 
architectural  finish  was  a  model,  for  the  time.  He  was  a  volunteer 
to  Cambridge  on  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of  April.  He  at  length  be- 
came proprietor  of  the  farm  east  of  the  common  in  the  center  of  the 
town,  where  he  kept  a  public  house,  and  where  his  children  were  b. 
The  last  years  of  his  life  were  passed  at  the  house  of  his  son-in-law 
— Francis  Balch — where  he  d.,  a  devoted  Christian,  April  2,  1836. 
He  m.  Priscilla  Harris  of  Shirley,  and  had  nine  children  : 

I.  SUSANNA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  6,  1774,  m.  Jacob  Phelps  of 
Shirley,  Nov.  29,  1798,  d.  Dec.  10,  1855. 

II.  JAMES,  b.  Nov.  19,  1775,  d.  Dec.  11,  1784. 

HI.  PRISCILLA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  18,  1778,  m.  John  Farns- 
worth  of  Shirley,  June  11,  1797,  d.  at  Shirley,  xA^pril  15,  1859. 

IV.  HANNAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  5,  1779,  m.  William  Warren  of 
Shirley,  Nov.  4,  1798,  d.  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  July  21,  1853. 

V.  LEAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  5,  1783,  was  twice  m.  (first)  to  Joel 
Page  of  Shirley,  Jan.  19,  1803,  m.  (second)  Thomas  Peabody  of 
Shirley,  May  12,  1848,  d.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  7,  1861. 

VI.  JAMES,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  24,  1785,  d.  Aug.  30,  1785. 

VII.  DILLY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  4,  1786,  has  been  thrice  m.,  (first) 
to  Nathan  Holden  of  Shirley,  July  8,  1804  ;  he  d.  April  13,  1807  ; 
m.  (second)  Luther  Holden,  a  brother  of  Nathan,  her  former  hus- 
band, pub.  April  19,  1812,  who  d.  Sept.  18,  1830;  m.  (third) 
Luther  Hartwell,  Sept.  10,  1840,  and  d.  at  Woburn,  at  the  house 
of  her  son,  Oct.  12,  1870. 

VIII.  SARAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  24,  i  790,  m.  Francis  Balch,  Feb. 
7,  181  i.  They  lived  on  the  farm  at  the  east  part  of  the  town,  now 
the  property  of  John  E.  Gardner,  where  she  d.  Dec.  28,  1871. 
Had  four  children  : 

1.  Dorcas,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  26,  181 1,  m.  George  Rice,  April  14, 
1833.  The  present  r.  of  Mrs.  Rice  is  at  North  Leominster, 
Mass.     Had  one  child  : 

(i.)  Sarah  Zipporah,h.  at  Northboro',  Mass.,  Aug.   17,    1836, 
d.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  21,  1849. 

2.  Francis,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  10,  1814,  m.  Eliza  Butler  of 
Shirley,  April,  1837,  had  three  children,  and  d.  at  Leominster, 
Nov.  22,  1876. 

(i.)   Oscar  A.,  b.  Jan.  25,  1838,  m.  Julia  Ann  Norris,  Oct.  30, 

1 86 1,  r.  Ayer,  Mass. 
(2.)  Ellen  Maria,  b.  at  Shirley.  July,  1844,  m.  George  S.  Pierce 

of  Leominster,  Sept.  i,  1870,  r.  Leominster. 
(3.)  Revilla  M.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  10,  1846,  r.  Leominster. 


388  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

3.  Sarah,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  14,  1818,  m.  Oliver  F.  Lawrence  of 
Harvard,  Mass.,  Dec.  i,  1841,  r.  Shirley,  had  six  children  : 

(i.)  George  F.,  b.  at  Fitchburg,  Nov.  i,  1843,  "''•  Ann  M.  Wil- 
lard  of  Harvard,  May  20,  1866.  He  has  had  two  children  : 
I.  "George  F.  K.,"  b.  July  22,  1867  ;  2.  "Lizzie  V.,"  b.  May 
20,  1869,  d.  June  15,  1870. 

(2.)  Edward  H.,  b.  April  24,  1845,  d.  Sept.  21,  1847. 

(3.)  Sarah  E.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  2,  1848,  d.  Aug.  14,  1849. 

(4.)  Edivard  A.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  21,  185 1,  m.  Fannie  M. 
May  of  Fitchburg,  July  3,  1872,  r.  Fitchburg  (1877).  Has 
one  child  :  "Glennie  M.,"  b.  March  26,  1875. 

(5.)  Herbert  E.,  b.  July  21,  1854,  m.  Ellen  F.  Hastings  of 
South  Lyndeboro',  N.  H.,  Feb.  17,  1875. 

(6.)  Austin  E.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  22,  1856,  m.  Addie  Norris 
of  Boston,  Nov.  23,  1876. 

4.  Charles,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  12,   1820,  m.  Lucena  O.  Bliss  of 
Royalston,   Mass.,  May  9,   1847,   had   one   child: 

(i.)  Emma  Lucena,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  12,  1850. 

IX.     LUCY,  b.  Aug.  4,  1792,  m.  David    Sawtell,  Oct.   10,   1813,  d. 
at  Shirley,  Feb.  25,  1876.     She  had  nine  children  : 

1.  John,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  20,  1814,  m.  Susan  Bathrick,  Dec. 
29,  1834.     Had  two  children,  both  b.  at  Shirley  : 

(i.)    William,  b.  May  i,  1835,  m.  EHza  A.   Balcom  of  Shirley, 

May  17,  1863,  d.  March  30,  1865. 
(2.)  James,  b.  at  Shirley,  May   12,   1838,   d.    1865.      The  tw^o 

brothers  were  soldiers  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  and  both 

among  the  victims  of  that  war. 

2.  William,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  20,  181 6,  m.  Nancy  E.  Fletcher 
of  Groton,  Feb.  19,  1843,  r.  Shirley. 

3.  Jerome,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec,  181 9,  d.  Jan.  24,  1821. 

4.  Harriet,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.   18,   1821,  m.  Thaddeus  Balcom, 
Nov.  28,  1858,  r.  Shirley. 

5.  Jane,    b.   at  Shirley,  July   20,    1825,    m.   Sumner    Hopkins  of 
Shirley,  May  4,  1843,  ^-  O^t.  12,  1847. 

0.  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  20,   1828,  m.  Emery  Williams 
of  Shirley,  June  23,  1847,  r.  Shirley.     She  had  one  child  : 
(i.)  Augusta  J.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  6,  1848,  m.  Homer  Wilson, 
Dec.  16,  1868,  d.  Dec.  15,  1872. 

7.  Angelina,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  15,  1831,  d.  at  Shirley,  May   28, 
1866,  unm. 

8.  Charles,  b.  June  21,  1833,   m.   Charlotte   Scadling   of  Lowell, 
May  31,  1862. 

!).  Henry,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  19,  1836,  m.  Betsey  E.  Cowdrey  of 
Lunenburg,  May  8,  1855. 


GENEALOGY. DIGGINS-DODGE.  389 

DIGGINS. 

BfflfilUS,  JJtimCB,  and  his  wife,  Lydia,  with  their  children, 
SALLY  and  MOLLY,  came  from  Lancaster  to  reside  at  Shirley, 
Sept.  I,  1773. 


DODGE. 


HBoTlflf,  ^OSfpi},  lived  in  Shirley  before  its  incorporation,  and 
was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  petition  for  its  separation  from  Groton. 
He  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  the  farm  now  owned  by  Abraham  Fair- 
banks, and  sold  his  property  to  Joshua  Longley  in  1781,  when  it  is 
presumed  he  removed  from  town.  He  left  upon  the  records  of  the 
town  birth-dates  of  six  children  : 

L     MOLLY,  b.  Sept.  4,  1769. 
H.     JOSEPH,  b.  Aug.  14,  1770. 
HL     HANNAH,  b.  Feb.  18,  1772. 

IV.  THOMAS,  b.  Aug.   14,   1773,  m.   Hannah   Kezer  of  Shirley, 
July  I,  1799. 

V.  MOSES  RLITER,  b.  May  25,  1775. 
VL     JOHN,  b.  May  8,  1777. 

HJotlflC,  .^ClUnUt  and  his  wife,  Martha,  and  their  two  sons, 
ELISHA  and  SAMUEL,  became  residents  of  Shirley,  having  re- 
moved here  from  Lunenburg,  under  the  auspices  of  \Villiam  Little, 
Aug.  19,  1773.  Their  third  son,  BARZILLA,  was  b.  at  Shirley, 
Feb.  29,  1774. 

5i90tlflf,  iSIlSljtl,  was  a  son  of  Job  and  Judith  [Frost]  Dodge 
of  Littleton,  Mass.,  and  was  b.  in  that  town,  July  4,  i  769.  He  was 
a  grandson  of  Nehemiah  Dodge,  who  was  b.  Jan.  17,  1698,  m.  Sarah 
Dennis,  Oct.  26,  1724,  lived  in  Wenham,  Mass.,  for  a  time,  but 
eventually  settled  in  Littleton  with  his  family,  where  he  remained 
for  life. 

Elisha  came  to  Shirley  in  early  life,  lived  in  the  center  of  the  town, 
was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  there  wrought  in  his  professional 
calling.  He  builded  and  partially  finished  the  house  now  owned 
and  occupied  by  Mrs.  Lucy  Holden,  but  did  not  make  it  a  perma- 
nent residence.  He  then  purchased  and  enlarged  the  house,  now 
the  home  of  Albert  Adams  and  family,  where  he  remained  until  age 
and  infirmity  required  him  to  discontinue  hard  labor.  He  d.  at 
Shirley,  Jan.  19,  1838.  Mr.  Dodge  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Eunice 
Farnsworth  of  Shirley,  May  11,  1794,  m.  (second)  Susanna  Dwight 
of  Shirley,  Jan.  4,  1813.     He  had  five  children  : 

L     JOSLAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  21,  1794,  d.  Nov.  11,  1795. 


390  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

II.  BETSEY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  i6,  1796,  d.  Dec.  15,  1816. 

III.  ELISHA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  28,  1799. 

IV.  JEFFERSON,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  8,  1801. 

V.  SUSAN,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  3,  18 14,  m.  Wilder  S.  Thurston  of 
Lancaster,  Sept.  29,  1852,  r.  Lynn,  Mass.   (1882.) 


DOLE. 


IBolC)  .^UTOS,  vvas  a  son  of  Dea.  Enoch  and  Rachel  [Jewett] 
Dole  of  Littleton,  b.  at  Littleton,  Jan.  11,  1733,  m.  Molly  Page  of 
Groton,  May  29,  1755,  removed  to  Shirley  about  the  year  1760.  He 
had  ten  children  : 

I.  LEMUEL,  b.  at  Litdeton,  April  4,  1756. 

II.  BENJAMIN,  b.  at  Littleton,  Nov.  13,  1757.     He  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  June  17,  1775. 

III.  AMOS,  b.  at  Litdeton,  Sept.  19,  1759,  d.  Feb.  11,  1786.     He 
was  in  the  Continental  service  three  years  and  six  months. 

IV.  MARY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  15,  1762,  d.  Aug.  3,  1781. 

V.  RACHEL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  12,  1764. 

VI.  ENOCH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan,  7,  1 766, 

VII.  LUCY,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  4,  1768. 

VIII.  SARAH,  b,  at  Shiriey,  May  23,  1769. 

IX.  JOHN,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  21,  1772. 

X.  BENJAMIN,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov,  10,  1775. 


DRURY. 

IBrurS,  Samuel,    m.  Susanna  Wilson  of  Shirley,  pub.  Sept. 
1782.     Had  one  daughter  b.  in  town  : 

I.     SUSANNA,  b.  March  28,  1783. 


DUNN. 


IBllttlt,  lEtJtoin,  owned  and  occupied  the  farm,  in  a  southern 
section  of  the  town,  now  the  home  of  Samuel  H.  Clark.  He  d. 
leaving  the  farm  encumbered  with  a  life  maintenance  of  his  widow, 
who  d.  Jan.  12,  1820.     They  had  one  son  b.  in  town  : 

I.     ANDREW,  m.  Mary  Lawrence  of  Shirley,  Dec.  19,  1799. 

The  family  removed  from  town  during  the  early  years  of  the 
present  century. 


GENEALOGY. DWIGHT.  391 

DWIGHT. 

Persons  of  this  name  have  been  somewhat  numerous  in  this 
country.  An  extended  genealogy  has  been  published  of  one  branch 
of  the  name — the  descendants  of  John  Dwight,  who  settled  first  at 
Watertown,  1636,  but  within  the  year  removed  to  Dedham,  and  d. 
there,  probably  about  1658.  (See  Bond's  History  of  Watertown 
— from  which  source  many  dates  and  facts  in  the  following  Dwight 
registry  of  Shirley  have  been  derived.) 

IBiDl0ijt,  JJo!)U,  b.  at  l^oston  in  1740.  He  was  a  son  of  John 
Dwight,  who  was  a  seaman  by  profession,  and  who  sailed  from 
Boston,  first  as  a  common  sailor,  and  afterward  as  master  of  a  vessel, 
and  who  was  lost  by  shipwreck  in  1 744. 

John,  Jr.,  came  to  Shirley  when  a  young  man,  and  was  soon  the 
proprietor  of  a  farm,  the  same  formerly  owned  by  John  Whitney, 
situated  in  Mulpus  valley,  which  estate  was  afterwards  converted  into 
a  home  for  the  paupers  of  the  town,  but  has  since  been  reconverted 
into  a  private  establishment.  He  was  one  of  the  Cambridge  volun- 
teers at  the  alarm  of  the  1 9th  of  April. 

He  was  a  stone-cutter  by  trade,  as  well  as  a  farmer,  an  honest, 
industrious  man,  and  in  good  pecuniary  circumstances.  Sometime 
previous  to  the  year  1770  he  was  m.  to  Mrs.  Susanna  Moore  of 
Shirley,  widow  of  John  Moore,  and  daughter  of  Francis  Harris,  Esq. 

He  served  for  a  time  in  the  war  for  independence,  and  received  a 
wound  in  the  head  at  the  battle  of  White  Plains,  which  impaired  his 
hearing  for  life.  His  wife  d.  Sept.  6,  1816.  He  d.  Oct.  2,  1816. 
Within  six  weeks'  time,  John  Dwight  and  his  wife,  his  son  Francis 
and  wife,  all  living  under  the  same  roof,  d.,  one  after  the  other,  hav- 
ing been  poisoned  by  some  corned  beef  of  which  they  ate,  that  was 
diseased.     He  had  eight  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

I.     SUSANNA,  b.  Dec.  2,  1771,  m.  Elisha  Dodge  of  Shirley,  Jan.  4, 
18 1 3,  d.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  22,  1838. 

n.     JOHN,  b.  Dec.  22,  1773.     He  had  four  children: 

1.  John  Sullivan,  b.  at  Boston,  May  13,  18 13,  graduated  at 
Cambridge  in  1832,  studied,  divinity  in  that  university,  and 
entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  Christian  ministry.  He  was 
ordained  over  the  Second  Congregational  Church  at  Northamp- 
ton, May  20,  1840,  preached  there  a  few  years,  but  soon  left  the 
ministry  and  devoted  himself  to  other  and  more  congenial  lit- 
erary pursuits. 

He  had  always  a  great  passion  for  music,  "believing  it  con- 
nected itself,  in  all  its  relations,  large  and  small,  with  the 
destinies  of  this  country,  and  the  higher  instincts  and  senti- 
ments of  our  common  nature,  and  of  all  true  religion."  He 
has  given  several  courses  of  public  lectures  on  music,  and  pub- 
lished a  volume  of  select  minor  poems  of  Goethe  and  Schiller, 
translated  by  himself 

He  gave  up  preaching  from  sympathy  with  the  socialistic 
movement   of    George    Ripley   and    others    at     "Brook-farm," 


392  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

where  he  continued  for  five  years,  and  entered  with  heartiness 
•  into  all  the  purposes  and  plans  of  that  singular  experiment. 
He  in  no  wise  regarded  this  movement  in  the  light  of  a  pleasing 
dream,  full  of  promise,  yet  hard  of  realization,  but  he  set  it  down 
as  very  practical,  and  conducted  by  practical,  common-sense 
men  and  women.  He  taught  Latin,  Greek,  German  and  music 
to  one  class,  while  he  learned  from  others  the  severe  physical 
industries  of  farming,  chopping  wood,  cultivating  trees,  and 
indeed,  each  employment  of  the  hands  that  is  involved  in  the 
duties  of  a  socialistic  experiment  like  that  enacted  at  Brook- 
farm.  He  has  himself  declared  that  "the  prime  idea  was  an 
organization  of  industry  in  such  a  way  that  the  most  refined 
and  educated  should  show  themselves  practically  on  a  level 
with  those  whose  whole  education  had  been  hard  labor."  "The 
great  point  aimed  at  was  to  realize  practical  equality  and  mutual 
culture,  and  a  common  education  for  the  children  in  a  larger 
sense  than  prevails  in  ordinary  society."  Motives  of  inestimable 
worth ;  and,  had  the  plan  succeeded,  results  would  have  fol- 
lowed that  would  have  removed  many  social  evils  and  advanced 
the  moral  interests  of  an  intelligent  community. 

In  1848  Mr.  Dwight  returned  to  Boston,  where  he  devoted 
himself  for  some  years  to  the  preparation  of  articles  for  various 
papers,  as  "The  Harbinger,"  (a  socialistic  paper,  first  published 
at  Brook-farm  and  afterwards  at  New  York,)  and  "The  Dial," 
published  at  Boston ;  and  also  to  public  lecturing,  especially  in 
courses  of  lectures  on  music,  and  wrote  many  articles  as  a 
musical  critic  for  different  papers. 

In  1852  he  established  "Dwight's  Journal  of  Music,"  in 
Boston,  which  was  for  several  years  the  only  musical  journal  in 
the  country,  and  is  quite  generally  regarded,  it  is  believed,  as 
unsurpassed  by  any  other. 

He  m.  Feb.  11,  1851,  Mary  Bullard  of  Boston.  She  d.  of 
typhoid  fever,  Sept.  6,  1S60,  leaving  no  issue. 

2.  Mary  Ann,  b.  at  Boston,  April  4,  1816,  r.  Boston  (1878),  unm. 

3.  Frances  Ellen,  b.  at  Boston,  Dec.  13,  1819,  r.  Boston  (1878), 
unm. 

4.  Benjamin  Franklin,  b.  at 'Boston,  Sept.  5,  1824,  r.  Boston 
(1878),  an  architect. 

HI.  SALLY,  b.  Feb.  18,  1776,  m.  Joseph  Brown  of  Shirley,  Nov. 
3,  1802,  d.  1853. 

IV.  BETTY,  b.  March  i,  1778,  m.  Edmund  Page  of  Shirley,  Feb. 
I,  1806,  d.  at  Nashua,  N.  H.,  Nov.  16,  1867. 

V.  FRANGIS,  b.  June  17,  1780,  m.  Maria  Blanchard,  Nov.,  1805. 
He  d.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  28,  1816.  His  widow,  Maria,  d.  Oct.  9, 
1 8 16.     They  had  five  children  : 

1.  Thomas,  b.  July  10,  1S06,  left  home  in  early  life,  and  never  re- 
appeared to  his  friends.  He  is  supposed  to  have  d.  in  South 
America  in  1837,  unm. 

2.  Sullivan,  b.  May  25,  1807,  lost  at  sea. 


GENEALOGY 


-DWIGHT.  393 


3.  John,  b.  Jan.  22,  1810,  m.  Sally  Hastings  of  West  Medway, 
April  14,  1837.  She  was  b.  at  Boston,  Oct.  29,  181 5.  He  had 
six  children,  and  d.  at  Cambridge,  Mass.,  Feb.  s,  1868. 

(i.)  Sarah  Harris,  b.  at  North  Bridgewater,  Sept.  30,  1838,  m. 
William  B.  Davis  of  Acton,  Mass.,  Dec.  7,  1865,  r.  Acton. 

(2.)  Annie  Eliza,  b.  at  Medway,  Mass.,  July  22,  1840,  m.  Lewis 
S.  Dupee  of  North  Wrentham,  July  22,  1865.  Her  husband 
d.  April  10,  1870. 

(3.)  Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  at  South  Plymouth,  Mass.,  June  16, 
1842,  m.  Jason  E.  Wilson  of  Medway,  Aug.  20,  1865. 

(4.)  John  Francis,  b.  at  South  Plymouth,  Aug.  20,  1844,  grad- 
uated from  Harvard  University,  1869,  m.  Nancy  L.  Woodruff 
of  Rahway,  r.  Rahway.  He  is  principal  of  a  literary  institu- 
tion in  that  place  (1876). 

(5.)  Celia  Adelaide,  b.  at  Medway,  Sept.  9,  1846,  m.  Joseph 
Barker  Thomas  of  Weymouth,  Mass.,  Dec.  24,  1870. 

(6.)  Allen  Seahury,  b.  at  Medway,  Oct.  7,  1848,. resides  with 
his  mother,  Newton,  Mass.,  unm.  (1876.) 

4.  Elizabeth,  b.  May  23,  18 13,  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Moses 
Jenkins,  April  7,  1830.  She  had  three  children  (see  Jennerson 
record),  m.  (second)  Jacob  Puffer  of  Concord,  N.  H.,  1852. 
She  d.  at  Concord,  Jan.  26,  1865,  and  was  interred  in  the  old 
cemetery  at  Shirley.  She  left  two  children,  the  fruit  of  her 
second  marriage  : 

(i.)  Albert  A.,  b.  at  Concord,  N.  H.,  June  16,  1853. 
(2.)  Betsey  A.,  b.  at  Concord,  March  20,  1856. 

5.  Francis,  b.  July  20,  1815,  d.  at  Acton,  May  27,  1850,  unm. 

VI.     PRISCILLA,  b.  May  31,  1782,  m.  Sherebiah  Cowdry  of  Ashby, 
Mass.,  Jan.  2,  18 10.     She  had  six  children,  and  d.  Jan.,  1868. 

1.  John,  b.  at  Ashby,  Sept.  29,  18 10,  m.  Amanda  Goddard  of 
Royalton,  Vt.,  May  25,  1835,  r.  Westmoreland,  N.  H.  (1873.) 
He  has  had  two  children  : 

(i.)  Henry  Francis,  b.  Nov.  12,  1837,  m.   Lois  Aldrich  Knight, 

May   8,   i860,  r.  Westmoreland    (1873),   has  one  child:    i. 

"Fred  Henry,"  b.  Oct.  24,  1869. 
(2.)  Mary  Ann,  b.  Sept.  10,  1842, 'm.  Joseph  Henry  Brown  of 

Cambridge,  Mass.,  June   6,    1865,  r.   Cambridgeport   (1873). 

She  has  had  one  child  :   i.  "Major  John,"  b.  June  11  and  d. 

June  13,  1871. 

2.  Philenia,  b.  x'\pril  16,  1813,  r.  Westmoreland  (1873),  unm. 

3.  Sherebiah,  b.  Dec.  28,  181 5,  d.  July  7,  1816. 

4.  Albert,  b.  Feb.  24,  18 18,  m.  CaroHne  Holt  of  Weston,  Vt., 
where  he  d.  April  24,  1846.  His.  widow  removed  to  Boston, 
and  d.  April  13,  1857. 

5.  George  Washington,  b.  July  3,  182 1,  m.  (first)  Fanny  Sabine 
of  Westmoreland,  Oct.  6,  1845.     She   d.   March   i,   1862.     He 

50 


39-4  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

m.  (second)  Selina  Putnam  of  Springfield,  Vt.,  Sept.  4,  1862,  r. 
Walpole,  N.  H.  (1873.)     He  has  had  two  children  : 
(i.)   George,  b.  June  19,  1846,  d.  July  4,  1847. 
(2.)   Charles,  b.  March  22,  1849,  d.  June  29,  1849. 

6.  James  Monroe,  b.  Dec.  31,  1825,  m.  Almina  Elizabeth  Bemis 
of  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,   Sept.   26,    1854,  r.  Westmoreland.      He 
has  had  five  children  : 
(i.)  Stella  Almina,  b.  Jan.  15,  1856,  m.  Thomas  B.  Bemis,  Nov. 

9,  1872. 
(2.)  James  Washington,  b.  July  3,  1857. 
(3.)  Dwight  Bemis,  b.  Aug.  3,  i860,  d.  Feb.  11,  1S61. 
(4.)  Fannie  Priscilla,  b.  March  9,  1862. 
(5.)   George  Daniel  Sherehiah,  b.  July  29,  1864. 

VH.  PAMELIA,  b.  April  22,  1783,  m.  David  Parker  of  Shirley, 
Jan.  I,  1805,  d.  Dec.  6,  1861. 

Vni.  SULLIVAN,  b.  March  25,  1785.  In  1810  he  left  Shirley 
and  became  an  inhabitant  of  Thomaston,  Me.,  m.  Betsey  Marsh  of 
Bath,  pub.  Aug.  18,  1820.  He  was  a  marble  worker  and  manu- 
facturer of  cemetery  monuments,  hearth  trimmings,  etc.  He  was 
also  a  militia  officer  of  some  note,  made  Thomaston  his  life  home, 
and  d.  June  12,  1853.     Had  four  children  : 

1.  Caroline  T.  H.,  b.  at  Thomaston,  Dec.  5,  182 1,  m.  Edward  C. 
Selden  of  Norridgewock,  Me.,  Aug.  13,  1848,  had  one  child, 
and  d.  June  12,  1854. 

(i.)  Edward  D.,  b.  Sept.  22,  1851. 

2.  Henrietta  L.  M.,  b.  March,  1823,  d.  March  31,  1843. 

3.  Francis  S.,  b.  March  21,  1825,  d.  June  2,  1842. 

4.  Helen  M.,  b.  Aug.  6,  1830,  d.  Feb.  21,  1845. 


EDGARTON. 

It  is  a  matter  of  sincere  regret  to  the  compiler  of  this  history,  that 
he  has  not  been  able  to  trace  each  family  register  from  its  original  in 
this  country  down  to  its  original  in  this  town,  and  thence  through  its 
genealogy  to  the  present  time ;  but  the  sources  of  information 
required  for  this  have  not  always  been  at  hand  ;  when  they  have  been 
accessible,  however,  he  has  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity  to 
give  his  record  its  intended  fulness.  Especially,  when  families  of 
prominence  have  appeared,  a  competence  to  give  this  completeness 
to  the  registry  is  particularly  desirable,  but  not  always  attainable. 

When  the  ancestral  immigrant  of  the  Edgarton  family  came  to  this 
country,  or  where  he  settled,  has  not  been  ascertained.  The  first 
notice  of  the  name  that  has  come  to  us  is  from  the  records  of  East 
Bridgewater.  In  the  early  part  of  the  last  century,  Dennis  Edgarton, 
— or  Egerton,  as  the  orthography  of  the  name  was  then  understood, — 
and  his  wife,  Experience, — resided  in  the  town  above   named,  and 


GENEALOGY. EDGARTON.  395 

had  a  family  of  eight  children,  viz. :  Hannah,  John,  Rebecca,  Expe- 
rience, James,  Hezekiah,  Miriam,  Dennis.  The  father  died  before 
April  1 8,  1734,  when  all  of  his  children  were  baptized. 

John  Edgarton,  the  son  of  Dennis,  was  born  in  1721,  m.  Abigail, 
daughter  of  James  and  Ruth  [Shaw]  Snow  of  East  Bridgewater, 
Nov.  27,  1746.  They  had  nine  children,  viz.:  Ruth,  John,  James, 
William,  Joseph,  William,  Abigail,  Benjamin,  Hannah. 

Three  of  the  brothers  from  this  family  came  to  Shirley  in  early 
manhood,  to  find  homes  with  our  ancestors,  to  select  farms  from  their 
virgin  soil,  and  take  wives  from  their  well  peopled  households.  For 
each  of  these  wants  they  here  found  a  supply.  One  of  them  made 
the  town  his  home  for  life,  while  the  other  two,  after  a  period  of 
years,  sought  residences  in  other  localities.     The  first  in  age  was 

IStlflartOn,  JOi)n,  b.  at  East  Bridgewater,  Dec.  26,  1750, 
became  a  resident  of  Shirley  about  the  time  he  came  to  the  years  of 
his  majority,  and  remained  an  active  and  useful  citizen  unto  the  close 
of  his  life.  He  was  proprietor  of  the  farm  now  owned  by  William 
P.  Wilbur,  and  erected  the  house — the  Jirst  building  of  brick  ever  set 
up  within  the  limits  of  the  town — that  now  belongeth  to  the  farm. 
He  was  a  volunteer  to  Cambridge  on  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of  April, 
1775.  Mr.  Edgarton  was  honored  with  the  official  position  of 
justice  of  the  peace  ;  and  the  title  E-s-q.  was  not  a  mere  compli- 
mentary adjunct  to  his  name,  as  he  discharged  the  various  business 
requirements  that  devolved  upon  his  grade  of  the  civil  magistracy. 
He  was  twice  appointed  to  represent  his  town  in  the  state  legislature  ; 
for  twenty-one  years  he  held  the  office  of  selectman  of  the  town ;  his 
services  were  also  sought  on  committees  and  in  other  places  of  trust, 
and  his  public  worth  evinced  by  the  confidence  with  which  he  was 
regarded  by  his  fellow  townsmen. 

He  married  Abigail  Parker  of  Groton,  Jan.  21,  1773,  and  d.  at 
Shirley,  Nov.  11,  1828.  His  widow  d.  July  25,  1840.  He  had  seven 
children  : 

I.  LEONARD,  b.  Sept.  23,  1773,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Betsey 
Parker  of  Shirley,  July  12,  1798;  m.  (second)  Nancy  Cleverly  of 
Lancaster,  1808;  d.  June,  1855.  Had  seven  children,  viz.: 
Jarvis,  Eliza,  Parker,  Abba,  John,  George,  Caroline.  Jarvis  m.  and 
had  four  children,  viz.  :  Festus  Allen,  Jay,  Sarah  Maria,  and  Sue. 
Festus  A.,  son  of  Jarvis,  and  grandson  of  Leonard,  lives  in  Wis- 
consin ;  has  five  children,  viz.  :  Parker,  Frank,  Charlie,  Adrietta, 
and  Ada.  Parker  and  Adrietta  are  m.,  and  each  has  one  child. 
Sarah  Maria,  daughter  of  Jarvis,  and   granddaughter  of  Leonard, 

m. Wells,  d.  childless ;  her  sister,  Sue,  m. Brown, 

has  an  adopted  child.     Parker,  son  of  Leonard,  setded  on  Staten 
Island,  and  d.  there,  childless. 

IL  JOHN,  Jr.,  b.  April  i,  1775.  In  early  manhood  he  settled  at 
Madison,  N.  Y.,  which  became  his  permanent  home,  m.  Mercy 
Lewis  of  Madison,  d.  April  4,  1844.  Had  ten  children,  viz.: 
J.  Jackson,  Caroline,  Betsey,  Abba,  Cordelia,  Harrison,  Marietta, 
Lucitta,  Angenette,   and   Joseph.     Of  the  above-named  children 


396  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

of  John,  Jackson  m.,  d.,  and  left  two  daughters,  viz.  :  Sophia  and 
Cornelia.  Sophia  lives  in  Wisconsin,  and  m.  Dr.  Russell,  has  one 
child.     Cornelia  lives  at  San  Francisco,  has  three  children.     Abba, 

the  third  daughter  of  John,  m. Sanborn,  lives  in  Madison, 

has  six  children,  viz.  :    John,  lives  in  Illinois  ;    George  ;   Josephine, 

m. Joslin ;    Alia,  lives  in   Michigan  ;    Libbie,   m.  

Forward,  lives  at  Madison  ;    Abbie,  m.   Wright,  lives  at 

Madison.     Caroline,  the  eldest  daughter  of  John,  m. Story, 

lives  at  Buffalo,   has  three  children,  viz.  :    George,  Bushnell,  and 

Majoria ;    Majoria  m.  Crosby.      Angenette,  the  youngest 

daughter  of  John,  m.  Willis,  and  had  two  children,  viz. : 

Herbert  and  Eddie.  Joseph,  the  youngest  of  the  children  of 
John,  left  one  daughter  in  Wisconsin,  viz. :  Mary  Lucitta. 

III.  JOSEPH,  b.  Nov.  8,  1777,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Miranda 
Parker  of  Harvard,  pub.  June  28,  1802;  she  d.  Jan.  8,  1808; 
m.  (second)  Mehitable  Whitcomb,  Dec.  23,  1810;  she  d.  Sept.  28, 
1862  ;  he  d.  Oct.  6,  1845. 

It  has  been  intimated  in  j:hese  pages  that  Mr.  Joseph  Edgarton 
was  chief  actor  in  the  early  manufactures  of  the  town,  and  to  his 
enterprise  and  skill  much  of  the  original  effort  in  this  department 
is  owing.  In  other  respects  he  was  not  noted  for  public  demon- 
strations. Unlike  his  honored  father,  he  withdrew  from  all  public 
official  appointments  and  devoted  his  energies  and  labors  to  private 
pursuits.  These,  however,  in  a  large  measure,  interested  the 
public  good,  by  opening  avenues  of  employment  to  single  laborers 
of  both  sexes.  But  Mr.  Edgarton,  according  to  the  testimony  of 
his  family,  shone'  in  the  clearest  light  amid  the  scenes  of  his  own 
household.  He  was  pleasant  and  affectionate  in  his  daily  inter- 
course with  his  wife  and  children,  made  them  happy  in  his  society, 
and  sought  to  guide  them  in  ways  of  honor  and  integrity.  In  life 
he  was  the  object  of  their  warmest  love  and  reverence,  and  his 
death  was  to  them  a  source  of  sincere  bereavement.  He  had 
fifteen  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

1.  Joseph  B.,  b.  Dec.  28,   1803,  m.  Susan  Hobby,  Feb.  8,  1836, 
had  one  child,  and  d.  at  Waterloo,  Canada,  1876. 

(i.)  Marx,  who  m.   G.   W.   Allen  of   Waterloo,   and  had  one 
child  :'i.  "Henry." 

2.  Stillman,  b.  May  25,  1805,  d.  May  25,  1805. 

3.  Rowland  P.,  b.  May  9,  1806,  m.  Louiza  Hobby,  Aug.  8,  1833, 
r.  Oskosh,  Wis.,  and  has  four  children. 

4.  Charles  A.,  b.  Dec.  30,  1807,  d.  March  25,  1808. 

5.  Miranda,  b.  Oct.  25,  181 1,  m.  Jonas  H.  Priest,  Jan.  23,  1844, 
had  one  child,  and  d.  at  Waltham,  Feb.  15,  1846. 

(i.)  Herman,  b.  at  Waltham,  Oct.  20,  1844,  r.  Waltham,  m. 

G.  Mary,  b.  Feb.  21,  1813,  r.  Shirley,  unm.  (1882.) 
7.  Sar.\h,  b.  Dec.  i,  1814,  d.  July  14,  iSiS,  at  Shirley. 


GENEALOGY. EDGARTON.  397 

8.  William  Whitcomb,  b.  Oct.  28,  1816,.  m.  Elizabeth  Fowle  of 
Shirley,  Nov.  25,  1841,  had  two  children,  and  d.  Feb.  9,  1880. 
Elizabeth  [Fowle]  Edgarton,  d.  at  Shirley,  May  8,  1857. 

(i.)  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  11,  1842,  d.  at   Shirley,    Feb. 

27,  1845. 
(2.)    William  B.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  2,  1847,  m.  Lucy  Foster  of 

Waterloo,  Canada,  r.  Canada. 

9.  Sarah  Carlton,  b.  March  17,  1819,  m.  Rev.  A.  Dwight  Mayo, 
July  28,  1846,  d.  at  Gloucester,  July  9,  1848.  She  had  one 
child : 

(i.)   Caroline,  b.  at  Gloucester,  Sept.  23,  1847,  d-  May  11,  1852. 
Both  mother  and  daughter  were  interred  in  Shirley. 

Mrs.  Mayo  was  a  lady  of  high  mental,  moral  and  religious 
attainments.  She  moved  in  a  sphere  of  usefulness,  and  so  culti- 
vated her  intuitions  that  she  had  few  retractions  to  make  on 
account  of  mistakes,  and  was  so  guarded  in  her  movements  that 
few  corrections  of  either  head  or  heart  were  required.  She  was 
born  in  a  beautiful  country  village,  where  nature  and  art  com- 
bined to  dispense  the  useful  and  the  beautiful,  and  where  agri- 
cultural and  manufacturing  interests  were  so  blended  as  to  give 
encouragement  to  each  occupation  and  animation  to  every 
laudable  enterprise.  Amid  scenes  like  these  the  most  of  her 
life  was  passed,  and  her  poetic  imagination  early  caught  the 
inspiration  of  her  position.  With  apparent  ease  and  facility  she 
conveyed  her  rich  thoughts  to  the  printed  page,  and  her  pro- 
ductions appeared  well  calculated  to  gratify  the  different  tastes 
of  readers,  from  the  witty  to  the  grave,  giving  a  wholesome  and 
instructive  portion  to  all  in  due  season.  Long  will  the  fruits  of 
her  musings  remain  to  identify  the  place  and  surrounding  scenes 
of  her  much-loved  home,  on  tlie  banks  of  the  gentle  Catacu- 
nemaug. 

She  was  for  several  years  the  literary  conductor  of  a  monthly 
magazine,  called  "The  Ladies'  Repository,"  and  assisted  to  raise 
it  from  an  inferior  position  to  a  medium  standard  with  the 
monthlies  of  that  day.  She  also  had  the  editorship  of  an  annual 
religious  souvenir  which  bore  the  title  of  "Rose  of  Sharon," 
through  nine  consecutive  volumes.  In  addition  to  the  large 
attention  required  to  conduct  these  periodicals,  she  proved  her 
excellence  as  a  writer  of  juvenile  literature  in  preparing  several 
books  for  Sunday-school  libraries.  In  these  books  she  labored 
to  mingle  the  useful  with  the  entertaining  in  such  manner  as  to 
engage  the  attention,  instruct  the  mind,  and  enlarge  the  moral 
perceptions  of  the  youthful  reader. 

There  have  been  few  persons  more  universally  respected  when 
living,  and  more  sincerely  mourned  when  dead,  than  this  gifted 
woman.  A  volume,  containing  memoirs  and  correspondence, 
has  been  prepared  and  published  by  her  bereaved  husband, 
which   has   been    extensively  circulated.     The   few  lines  which 


398  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

follow  were  written -by  her  in  remembrance  of  a  friend,  but  are 
equally  applicable  to  herself: 

"  Why  should  I  weep  for  thee  ?  I  have  not  wept  ! 
For  though  fond  hearts  and  holy  ties  were  riven, 
I  could  not  mourn  that  thy  tired  body  slept, 
And  that  thy  spirit  had  gone  home  to  heaven! 

When  all  was  beautiful  in  earth  and  sky. 

And  thou,  grown  weary  with  thy  pain  and  dread. 
Felt  how  serene  and  blest  it  were  to  lie 

In  'the  cool,  fiower-wreathed  chambers  of  the  dead,' — 
Then  God,  thy  Father,  heard  thy  murmured  prayer; 

Home  to  his  arms  he  took  his  weary  child, 
No  more  to  strive  with  sin,  or  pain,  or  care, 

A  spirit  glorified  and  undefiled  !" 

10.  Henry,  b.  Dec.  29,  1820,  m.  Cynthia  Ann  Longley  of  Shirley, 
July  23,  1844.     He  has  had  eight  children  ;  r.  Shirley  (1882). 
(i.)  Henry  L.,  b.  March  8,  1847,  m.  Eva  Burnham,  r.  Williman- 

tic,  Conn.,  has  one  son:   i.  "Johnnie." 
(2,)  John  B.,  b.  April  18,  1849,  d.  Feb.  i,  1852. 
(3.)    Clarabel,  b.  Dec.  7,  1851,  d.  Feb.  4,  1852. 
(4.)   George  Munson,  b.  Oct.  17,  1857,  r.  Shirley. 
(5.)   Carrie,  b.  Dec.  26,  1859,  r.  Shirley. 
(6.)  Mamie,  b.  Jan.  27,  1861,  r.  Shirley. 
(7.)  Annie,  b.  Sept.  i.  1864,  d.  Aug.  i,  1865. 
(8.)  Joseph  Rodman,  b.  March  16,  1868,  d.  Jan.  12,  1876. 

11.  John  Marshall,  b.  Jan.  24,  1823,  d.   at  Shirley,  Oct.,    1847. 
[See  College  Graduates.] 

12.  Helen  Maria,  b.  April  2,  1825,  d.  July  12,  1825. 

13.  Charles  Austin,  b.   Oct.    13,    1826,   m.  Jane   A.   Longley  of 
Shirley,  June  17,  1852.     He  has  had  three  children  : 

(i.)    Charles  Frederick,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  14,  1854,  r.  Shirley. 
(2.)  Hittie  Whitcomb,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  27,  i860,  r.  Shirley. 
(3.)  Sadie  Miranda,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  25,  1863,  r.  Shirley. 

14.  Edward  Everett-,  b.  Feb.  8,  1829,   m.    Emily  Bennett,   Dec. 
24,  1857.     Has  had  two  children  : 

(i.)  Lizzie  Estelle,  b.  Jan.  3,  i860. 

(2.)    Clara  Gertrude,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.   24,    1865,   d.   July   22, 
1871. 

15.  Frederick  Adolphus,  b.  May  5,  1831,  m.  Caroline  Taylor  of 
Shirley,  April  4,  i860,  r.  Clinton. 

IV.     WILLIAM,  b.  Dec.  27,  1780,  m.  Allaseba  Bennett  of  Lunen- 
burg, 1804,  had  eleven  children,  and  d.  at  Madison,  N.  Y.,  1864. 

1.  Sally,  b.  Nov.  24,    1804,  m.    Ambrose  Phelps,  Jan.   6,    1831, 
r.  Madison  (1869). 

2,  Benjamin,  b.  Nov.  24,  1806,  d.  of  cholera  at  New  Orleans,  June 
1,  ^'^11' 


GENEALOGY. EGERTON.  399 

3.  James  S.,  b.  Feb.  i,  1808.  Has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Clarissa  Littlejohn,  Jan.  28,  1835;  ^^e  d.  Aug.  8,  1837;  m. 
(second)  Sophia  Berry,  March  15,  1838  ;  r.  Wisconsin  ;  had  four 
children. 

4.  Allaseba  M.,  b.  Feb.  17,  1810,  m.  John  B.  Mowry,  Jan.  11, 
1832,  d.  July  2,  1835. 

5.  William  E.,  b.  Oct.  27,  1812,  d.  July  22,  1818. 

6.  Arabella,  b.  Oct.  18,  1814,  m.  George  H.  Simmons,  Jan.  8, 
1842,  r.  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.  (1858.) 

7.  DoRiNDA,  b.  Jan.  20,  181 7,  d.  Feb.  10,  181 7. 

8.  DoRiNDA  M.,  b.  May  7,  1818,  m.  R.  J.  Baker,  Oct.  14,  1844, 
r.  Wisconsin  (1858). 

9.  Miranda  P.,  b.  May  22,  1820,  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  L. 
Washburn,  Aug.  10,  1843;  he  d.  Oct.  20,  1844;  m.  (second) 
D.  W.  Martin,  April  23,  1850,  r.  Wisconsin  (1858). 

10.  Sylvia  M.,  b.  May  10,  1822,  m.  Hiram  Wright,  May  29,  1850; 
he  d.  at  Kansas,  in  the  army;  she  r.  in  Kansas  (1858). 

11.  William  W.,  b.  July  23,  1825,  m.  Mary  W.  Howard,  r.  Madi- 
son (1858). 

V.  ABIGAIL,  b.  July  15,  1784,  m.  Thaddeus  Baily  of  Townsend, 
had  four  children  :  Joseph,  Miranda,  Abby,  Mary. 

VI.  SALLY,  b.  Jan.  2,  1788,  m.  Levi  Wilds  of  Shirley,  July  6,  1806. 

VII.  SYLVIA,  b.  Feb.  28,  1794,  m.  John  Davis  of  Shirley,  May  4, 
1820,  removed  to  Charlton,  where  Mr.  Davis  was  a  law  practitioner 
for  many  years.  She  eventually  removed  to  Chicago,  r.  there  in 
1876  ;  became  a  widow  in  1840,  and  has  five  children,  viz. :  Cath- 
arine, Edgarton,  Martha,  Charles,  Julius. 

ISfJCrtOU,*  James,'  (son  of  Jol-m^  and  grandson  of  Dennis 
Egerton,^  of  East  Bridgewater,)  was  born  March  i,  1753.  He  was 
the  second  in  age  of  the  three  brothers,  (John,  James  and  Benjamin,) 
who  came  in  a  body  to  cast  their  lot  among  the  early  settlers  of  Shirley. 


*The  descendants  of  James  Egerton  have  adhered  to  the  original  orthog- 
raphy of  the  name — Egerton — as  it  appears  in  the  Bridgewater  records ;  for 
which  reason  that  method  of  spelling  has  been  adopted  for  this  branch  of  the 
family  in  this  genealogy.  The  Egerton  family  is  unquestionably  of  English 
origin,  though  no  attempt  has  been  made,  so  far  as  the  author  of  this  history  is 
informed,  to  trace  a  connection  with  its  English  ancestry, — which  probably  mio-ht 
easily  be  done  by  further  research.  The  name  of  Egerton  is  an  honored  one  in 
English  history.  Thomas  Egerton,  Viscount  Brackley,  who  died  in  1617,  was 
Lord  High  Chancellor  under  the  reign  of  King  James.  His  son,  John  Egerton, 
was  created  Earl  of  Bridgewater.  Sir  John  Egerton  was  knighted  in  1599 — 
died  1614.  His  son,  Rowland,  was  created  Baronet  in  1617 — died  1646.  In  the 
same  line  was  Sir  Thomas  Egerton,  who  succeeded  as  Baronet  1756,  and  was 
created  Baron  Grey  de  Wilton  in  1784.  Samuel  Egerton,  Esq.,  of  Totten  Park, 
in  Cheshire,  was  for  many  years  Member  of  Parliament,  and  from  him  Sir 
Samuel  Egerton  Brydges,  an  English  author  and  bibliographer,  received  his 
baptismal  name. 


400  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

He  married,  February  27,  1783,  Bathsheba  Walker,  born  Feb.  25, 
I  75  7,  daughter  of  Capt.  Samuel  and  Mary  (Stratton)  Walker  of  Shirley, 
and  removed  to  Langdon,  N.  H.,  (then  Charlestown  No.  4,)  where 
he  established  a  permanent  home.  Building  in  a  wilderness,  he  was 
subjected  to  the  hardships  and  privations  incident  to  pioneer  life. 
He  early  took  the  lead  in  a  movement  calling  for  a  division  of  the 
town,  or  "otherwise  to  place  the  meeting-house  in  a  more  central 
location  ;"  which  movement  resulted  in  the  incorporation  of  the  town 
of  Langdon.  Mr.  Egerton  was  an  efficient  worker  in  the  interests 
of  the  new  town,  was  one  of  the  board  of  selectmen  at  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  town  government,  and  was  repeatedly  chosen  to  places 
of  honor  and  trust  by  his  fellow-townsmen.  He  also  held  a  commis- 
sion as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  in  early  life  took  part  in  the  contest 
which  secured  the  independence  of  the  American  colonies.  He 
was  a  man  of  noble  physical  presence,  of  strong  sense,  dignified  in 
deportment  but  kind  and  genial  in  heart,  and  was  greatly  beloved 
and  respected  by  all.  He  died  October  15,  1813.  His  widow, 
Bathsheba,  died  March  9,  1849,  ^^  the  age  of  92  years.  They  had 
seven  children,  all  born  in  Langdon,  viz  : 

I.  JAMES,  b.  June  27,  1784,  died  unm.  Oct.  13,  181 2,  at  Williams- 
port,  Pa.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  teaching. 

IL  BATHSHEBA,  born  April  19,  1786,  married  (first)  Benjamin 
Stearns  of  Langdon.  He  was  a  son  of  Josiah  and  Anna  (Putnam) 
Stearns,  and  was  born  in  Lunenburg,  Mass.,  Feb.  27,  1780.  He 
was  a  farmer,  and  added  to  that  the  business  of  blacksmithing. 
He  was  an  accomplished  military  officer,  and  held  successively 
commissions  as  major,  lieutenant-colonel  and  colonel,  in  the  New 
Hampshire  militia.  He  was  chosen  to  the  office  of  selectman  in 
1815,  '16  and  '17.     He  died  June  11,  1817.     Children: 

1.  John  Walker,  born  Sept.  12,  1806,  mar.  July  12,  1837,  Betsey 
Maria  Eaton,  born  January  12,  181 2,  daughter  of  Obadiah  and 
Abigail  (Woodbury)  Eaton  of  Montpelier,  Vt.  Mr.  Stearns  was 
a  merchant  at  Keeseville  and  Peru,  N.  Y. ;  but  in  1857  removed 
to  Chicago,  111.,  where  he  became  extensively  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile business,  and  where  he  now  resides,  (1882.)  They  have 
had  six  children,  five  of  whom  were  born  in  Keeseville  and  one 
in  Peru  : 

(i.)  Ja>nes  Egertofi,  horn  June    15,  1838,  mar.  May    21,  1868, 
Annette  PYeeman,  of  Chicago.     He  died  April  5,  1873,  leaving 
one  daughter  :    i.  "  Maria  Annette,"  born  June  19,  1871. 
(2.)  Frances  Maria,  born  June  24,  1840. 

(3.)  Harriet  Eaton,  born  May  17,  1842,  married  Aug.  12,  1873, 
John  Camp  Whitmarsh,  born  Oct.  27,  1830,  son  of  David  and 
Phebe  (Camp)  Whitmarsh  of  Bristol,  N.  Y.     Mr.  Whitmarsh 
resides  in  Chicago,  and  follows  the  business  of  a  grain  broker, 
(4.)  Ja?ie  Abigail,  born  August  29,  1844. 
is-)  /''^^'^  ^Valker,  born  June  19,  1846. 
(6.)    Woodbury  Eaton,  born  March  2,  1851. 


GENEALOGY. EGERTON.  401 

2.  WiLLARD  Egerton,  bom  ]\Iay  29,  1808.  He  removed  in  early 
life  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  carried  on  a  successful  business 
in  dairy  farming  and  stock-raising  ;  and  was  for  a  time  a  member 
of  the  board  of  aldermen  of  that  city.  In  18S0  he  removed  to 
Danvers,  Mass.,  where  he  now  resides,  (1882)  unm, 

3.  Abigail  Snow,  b.  March  16,  1810,  mar.  April  5,  1832,  Luke 
Putnam,  b.  May  2,  1802,  son  of  Samuel  and  Ruth  (Spencer) 
Putnam,  of  Charlestown,  N.  H.  Mr.  Putnam  is  a  farmer,  and 
resides  in  Danvers.     Children  : 

{x.)  Joh?i  Wells,  born  June  2,  1833,  died  June  22,  1833. 
(2.)  Ann  Maria,  born  July  5,  1834,  at  Acworth,  N.  H. 

■4.  Nancy  Maria,  born  April  18,  1815,  mar.  Dec.  26,  1839,  William 
Moore  Morrison,  born  June  18,  18 12,  son  of  David  and  Hannah 
(Moore)  Morrison  of  Langdon,  N.  H.  He  was  for  many  years 
engaged  in  the  restaurant  business  in  Boston,  but  in  1873  re- 
moved to  Danvers,  where  they  now  reside.  (1882.) 

0.  Sar.\h  Alexander,  b.  Dec.  6,  181 7,  mar.  June  29,  1842,  Samuel 
Willard  Prouty,  born  Dec.  22,  18 14,  son  of  Willard  and  Sally 
(French)  Prouty  of  Lajigdon,  N.  H.  Mr.  Prouty  was  a  farmer, 
and  a  dealer  in  farm  stock,  which  he  sent  to  the  markets  of 
Cambridge  and  Brighton.  He  resided  at  Alstead,  N.  H.,  where 
he  died,  Sept.  19,  1876,  and  where  his  widow  now  resides.  (1882.) 
They  had  one  son  : 
(i.)  James  Stearns,  born  January  27,  1856. 

Bathsheba,  widow  of  Col.  Benjamin  Stearns,  married  (second)  Dec. 
26,  1820,  Elisha  Garfield,  born  April  25,  1769,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Abigail  (Peirce)  Garfield  of  Spencer,  Mass.  Mr.  Garfield  was  a 
farmer  and  resided  in  Langdon,  where  he  died  Jan.  6,  1856,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-six.  He  was  one  of  the  selectmen  of  Langdon  in 
1818  and  '19,  and  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  in  1820. 
Mrs.  Garfield  died  Nov.  16,  1863,  aged  seventy-seven  years.  There 
were  four  children  by  this  marriage ,  viz  : 

6.  Esther  Jane,  bom  March  8,  182 2,, mar.  October  18,  1849, 
Joseph  Garfield,  born  Jan.  4,  1806,  son  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth 
(Myrick)  Garfield  of  Spencer.  Mr.  Garfield  was  a  farmer,  and 
resided  on  the  ancient  homestead  of  the  Garfields,  in  Spencer, 
where  his  grandfather,  Samuel  Garfield,  settled  in  1 748.  He 
died  June  5,  1876.     They  had  three  children  : 

(i.)    George  Elisha,  born  November  12,  1S50. 

(2.)    yane  Stearns,  born  Aug.  6,  1852,  married  Oct.  14,  1S75, 

George  Austin  Putnam,  born  August  23,  1848,  son  of  Andrew 

and  Nancy  (Woodard)  Putnam,  of  Spencer. 
(3.)  Mary  Abigail,  born  September  19,  1855. 

7.  Benjamin  Stearns,  born  June  19,  1823,  mar.  Dec.  11,  1S50, 
Catherine  Palmer  Davis,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Lucinda 
(Prouty)  Davis  of  Langdon.     He  d.  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  Dec.  17, 

.51 


402  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

1853,  while  on  a  visit  to  that  State  with  a  view  of  selecting  a  lo- 
cation for  a  home.     His  children  were — 

(i.)  Hei'bert  Farwell,  born  Feb.  24,  1852,  died  August  24,  1854. 
(2.)   Benjamin  Herbert,  born  May  25,  1854. 

8.  Edmund  Holden,  born  Feb.  6,  1825,  mar.  Oct.  19,  1859,  Eliza 
Strong  Smith,  born  Mar.  25,  1835,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
(Hudson)  Smith,  of  Vergennes,  Vt.  He  was  a  merchant,  at 
Keeseville,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  Sept.  24,  1875,  ^^^  where  his 
family  still  reside  (1882).  Children,  all  born  at  Keeseville  : 
(i.)   Mary  Eliza,  born  December  18,  i860. 

(2.)  Jennie  Maria,  born  October  23,  1862. 
(3.)  Jessie  Bathsheba,  born  January  27,  1867, 
(4.)  Edmund Da7ia,  born  October  28,  1873. 

9.  James  Freeman  Dana,  born  Aug.  14,  1828,  mar.  Dec.  i,  1853, 
Emily  Charlotte  Newton,  born  Dec.  2,  1831,  daughter  of  Capt. 
Martin  and  Susan  (Chamberlain)  Newton,  of  Fitchburg.  He 
resides  in  Fitchburg ;  occupation,  coal  dealer.     Children  : 

(i.)    Charlotte  Gertrude,  born  July  7,  1856,  died  Oct.  ii,  1859. 

(2.)  Emma  Susie,  born  June  2,  1861  ;  married  Oct.  9,  1882, 
William  Ashley  Blodgett,  born  Oct.  9,  1858,  son  of  Warren 
Kendall  and  Precinda  Minerva  ( Paddock)  Blodgett,  of  Boston. 
They  reside  in  Cambridge. 

(3.)   Mary  Louise,  born  October  i,  1863. 

(4.)  Edmund  Dana,  born  October  12,  1866. 

(5.)   Theresa  Newton,  born  February  i8,  1879. 

in.     SAMUEL,  born  July  27,  1788,  m.  Sept.  8,  1814,  Clarissa  King, 

b. ,  1792,  daughter  of  Samuel   and  Betsey  (Jones)  King  of 

Langdon,  N.  H.  Mr.  Egerton  was  a  farmer,  and  became  the  owner 
of  his  father's  homestead  in  Langdon.  He  was  a  prominent  man 
in  the  town  a4id  in  the  State,  and  held  various  positions  of  honor 
and  responsibility, — being  chosen  to  the  office  of  selectman  by  his 
townsmen  for  many  years  in  succession.  He  held  a  commission  as 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  was  for  some  time  a  member  of  the  New- 
Hampshire  Senate.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Governor's 
Council.  A  democrat  of  the  old  school,  and  a  man  of  sterling 
integrity,  he  enjoyed  in  a  marked  degree  the  confidence  and  respect 
of  all  parties.  It  has  been  said  of  him  that  "  he  lived  and  died 
without  an  enemy."  His  death  took  place  March  27,  1854,  at  the 
age  of  65  years.  His  widow  died  May  2,  1879,  aged  87  years. 
They  had  seven  children,  all  born  in  Langdon  : 

L  James,  b.  Nov.  30,  1816,  m.  Dec.  9,  1847,  Nancy  Glover  Sart- 
well,  b.  Aug.  —  1825,  daughter  of  Simon  and  Betsey  (Elwell) 
Sartvvell,  of  Langdon.  He  early  removed  to  Boston,  where  he 
carried  on  the  business  of  a  restaurant  for  many  years  at  Quincy 
market.  He  died  Mar.  27,  1869.  His  wife  died  April  13,  1868. 
They  had  six  children,  all  born  in  Boston,  viz  : 
(i.)  yames  Ozro,  b.  Oct.  8,  1848,  m.  Dec.  25,  18 71,  Amelia  G. 
P.  Brigham,  b.  March  15,  1848,  daughter  of  William  A.  and 
Maria  (Grey)   Brigham,  of  Worcester,  Mass.     They  reside  in 


''^'o, 


'^^ypb 


^rtnt,  w.  p.  Ai.i.EB.G*''* 


HON,  SAMUEL    EGERTON, 


From  a  ijortruit  133'  Tiius.  Wake,  1S22. 


GENEALOGY. EGERTON.  403. 

Springfield,  Mass.,  and  have  one  child  :     i.  "  Charles  Ozro," 

born  March  14,  1880. 
(2.)   Almoii  Humphrey,  born  Nov.  16,  1850,   mar.   March   10, 

1872,  Jennie  McCarty,  b.  Jan.  i,  1856,  daughter  of  John  and 

Mary  McCarty,  of  Boston. 
(3.)    Charles  Simon,  born  January  9,  1853,  r.  Alstead,  N.  H. 
(4.)    Carrie  Maria,  born  February  24,  1856. 
(5.)  Alice  Gertrude,  born  November  9,  1858. 
(6.)    George  Washington,  born  March  23,  1866. 

2.  Nancy  Caroline,  born  April  9,  181 8,  m.  June  6,  1839,  Almon 
Humphrey,  b.  June  16,  1808,  son  of  John  and  Esther  (Sartwell) 
Humphrey  of  Langdon.  Mr.  Humphrey  resided  in  Boston, 
where  he  did  a  successful  business  for  many  years  in  butter, 
cheese,  and  country  produce.  He  died  at  Alstead,  N.  H.,  Sept. 
30,  i860.     Mrs.  Humphrey  resides  in  Boston.     (1882.) 

3.  Clarissa  Maria,  born  Jan.  23,  1820,  m.  Jan.  10,  1855,  Lemuel 
Willis  Uinsmore,  born  Mar.  24,  1824,  son  of  Calvin  and  Lucy 
(Walker)  Dinsmore,  of  Alstead,  N.  H.  He  resides  in  Alstead, 
and  follows  the  occupation  of  farming. 

4.  Sophia  Ann,  born  Nov.  15,  1821,  died  Dec.  11,  1841,  unm. 

0.  Almira,  born  Sept.  23,  1823  ;  resides  in  Boston. 

G.  Wales  Lafayette,  b.  Sept.  8,  1825,  m.  May  8,  1855,  Caroline 
Kendall  Tolman,  b.  Nov.  4,  1836,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Nicena 
(Holman)  Tolman,  of  Troy,  N.  H.  He  resides  in  Somerville,  and 
carries  on  the  restaurant  business  in  Boston.  Mrs.  Egerton  died 
June  26,  1874.     Children: 

(i.)  Samuel  Wales,  born  in  Boston,  March  9,  1857. 
(2.)   Clara  Ardel,  born  in  Charlestown,  July  7,  1859. 
(3.)    Willie  Edtuard,  born  in  Charlestown,  March  29,  1865. 
(4.)  James  Alfred,  born  in  Somerville,  December  i,  1869. 
(5.)  Francis  Dwight,  born  in  Somerville,  January  4,  1874. 

7.  Mary  Ellen,  b.  May  13,  1827,  mar.  Oct.  4,  1864,  Isaac  Francis 
Kendall,  b.  April  16,  1822,  son  of  Daniel  W.  and  Lydia  Kendall, 
of  Bangor,  Me.     He  is  a  farmer,  and  resides  in  Charlestown,  N. 
H.     They  have  one  child  : 
(i.)  Lillian  May,  born  February  6,  1873,  at  Boston. 

IV.  POLLY,  born  Dec.  13,  1790,  m.  April  24, 1814,  Joshua  Brooks, 
born  Feb.  29,  1 790,  son  of  John  D.  and  Martha  P.  Brooks.  Mr. 
Brooks  was  a  contractor  and  builder.  He  removed  to  Avon,  Lo- 
rain county,  Ohio,  where  he  died  July  30,  1875,  at  the  age  of  85 
years.     Mrs.  Brooks  died  April  17,  1863.     They  had  one  son  : 

1.  James  Egerton,  born  Oct.  14,  1814,  m.  Jan.  8,  1843,  Elizabeth 
Ann  Sweet,  born  Nov.  7,  181 7,  daughter  of  Waterman  and  Amy 
(Bly)  Sweet,  of  Avon.  He  was  a  merchant,  and  resided  at  Avon 
till  1869,  when  he  removed  to  Elyria,  Ohio,  where  he  died  June 
5,  1874.     They  had  three  children,  all  born  at  Avon  : 

(i.)  Rosalie,  born  November  16,  1843. 


404  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(2.)  Walter  Egerton,  b.  Aug.  13,  1846,  m.  Aug.  8,  1877,  Fannie 
Marion  Topliff,  born  Aug.  20,  1855,  daughter  of  John- Adams 
and  Carrie  (Beers)  Tophff,  of  Elyria,  O.  He  is  a  hardware 
merchant,  and  resides  at  Elyria.  They  have  one  child,  viz  : 
I.  "  Harold  Topliff,"  born  December  19,  1879. 

(3.)  Ja77ies  Bertrand,  born  August  10,  1859. 

V.  NABBY,  born  February  .24,  1793,  died  September  13,  1798. 

VI.  MILLIA,  b.  March  23,  1795,  m.  Sept.  7,  18 15,  Harry  Baldwin, 
b.  Nov.  23,  1795,  s<^"  of  Joshua  and  Elizabeth  (Spaulding)  Bald- 
win, of  Charlestown,  N.  H.  He  was  a  farmer,  residing  at  Charles- 
town,  where  he  died  March  8,  1878.  Mrs.  Baldwin  died  June  6, 
1879,  at  the  age  of  84  years.  They  had  ten  children,  all  born  in 
Charlestown  : 

1.  Albert  Joshua,  born  Dec.  11,  1816.     He  was  a  farmer,  and 
settled  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  d.  unmarried,  Jan.  15,  186 1. 

2.  Betsey  Maria,  born  Jan.  18,  18 18,  mar.  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  May 
15,  1850,  Rev.  William  Sias,  born  May  15,  1802,  son  of  Benja- 
min and  Achsah  (Whitcher)  Sias,  of  Danville,  Vt.     They  at  pres- 
ent reside  in  Holyoke.  (1882.)     They  have  had  six  children  : 
(i.)  Hannah  Fanny  Maria,  b.  in  Mishawaka,  Ind.,  Aug.  8,  185 1, 

m.  June  2,  1875,  Henry  Martyn  Whittier,  born  June  2,  1846, 
son  of  Simeon  and  Cynthia  P.  (Bascom)  Whittier,  of  Newport, 
N.  H.     They  reside  in  Bratdeboro',  Vt. 

(2.)  Ella  Alberta,  b.  in  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  Aug.  20,  1852,  m. 
April  30,  1879,  Charles  Walter  Stone,  born  July  31,  1853,  son 
of  Chester- Hubbard  and  Mary-Holt  (Rumrell)  Stone,  of 
Weathersfield,  Vt.  He  is  a  merchant,  residing  at  Springfield, 
Vt.  They  have  two  children,  viz  :  i.  "Walter  Hubbard,"  born 
January  30,  1880;  2.  "George  Henry,"  born  July   2,   1882. 

(3.)  Lticy  Hubbard,  horn  in  Plainfield,  Vt.,  June  5,  1854,  died 
in  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  November  12,  1869. 

(4.)  Mary  Priscilla,  born  in  Wakesha,  Wis.,  Oct.  2,  1855,  mar. 
Sept.  28,  1873,  Edwin  James  Fletcher,  born  Dec.  15,  1851, 
at  North  Chelmsford,  son  of  William  Edward  and  Mary  Jane 
(Sanborn)  Fletcher.  They  have  had  three  sons:  i.  "Edwin 
William,"  bom  at  Franklin,  N.  H.,  August  8,  1874  ;  died  Feb. 
27,  1881  ;  2,  "  Channing  Eugene,"  b.  at  Claremont,  N.  H., 
Jan.  27,  1876  ;  3.  "  Frank  Leonard,"  b.  at  Claremont,  N.  H., 
August  31,  1879. 

(5.)  William  Henry,  born  at  St.  Charles,  111.,  January  22,  1858, 
resides  in  Holyoke. 

(6  )  Frank  Egerton,  b.  in   Polo,  III,  May  17,  1862,  r.  Holyoke. 

3.  Henry  Egerton,  born  April  10,  18 19,  died  unmarried,  at  Rock 
Island,  111.,  November  20,  1850. 

4.  Gardner  Samuel,  born  March  18,  1822,  died  August  4,  1825. 

5.  Edward,  b.  June  24,  1824,  m.  May  24,  1852,  Martha  Wheeler, 
b.  Jan.  9,  1829,  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Betsey  (Puffer)  Wheeler, 


'      GENEALOGY. EGERTON.  405 

of  Westminster,-  Mass.      He  resides  in  Fitchburg,    and   follows 

the  occupation  of  chair- making.     Children  : 

(i.)  Frederick  Egerton,  born  at  Fitchburg,  March  28,  1854,  died 

October  8,  1858. 
(2.)   yennie  Frances,  born  Jan.  15,  1859,  at  Langdon,  N.  H. 

G.  Samuel  Gardner,  born  June  20,  1826,  m.  Nov.  1853,  Frances 
Maria  Fiske,  born  Jan.  24,  1829,  daughter  of  Aaron  and  Hannah 
(Taintor)  Fiske,  of  Charlestown,  N.  H.  He  was  a  farmer,  and 
resided  in  Langdon,  where  he  died  May  28,  18S0.  Children,  all 
born  in  Langdon  : 

(i.)  Ida  Velma,  born  June  27,  1854,  m.  Feb.  i,  1875,  Edgar  H. 
(Nash)  Whitney,  adopted  son  of  David  Whitney,  of  Acworth, 
N.  H.  They  reside  in  Langdon  ;  occupation,  farming. 
(2.)  Carrie  Florence,  born  February  16,  1856,  married  Nov.  20, 
1875,  Charles  Samuel  Chandler,  born  May  15,  1855,  son  of 
Samuel  and  Mary  Lovina  (Kilburn)  Chandler,  of  Alstead. 
They  reside  at  Bellows  Falls,  Vt. 
(3.)  Millia  Frances,  born  August  2,  1862. 

7.  James  Harvey,  born  Oct.  8,  1827,  mar.  Aug.  25,  1859,  Nancy 
Sharpe,  b.  Jan,  5,  1833,  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret  (Patter- 
son) Sharpe,  of  Greensboro',  Vt.  He  is  a  farmer,  and  resides  in 
Charlestown,  N.  H.     Children,  all  born  in  Charlestown  : 

(i.)  Etta  Florence,  born  Jan.  12,  i860,  died  Dec.  i,  1874. 

(2,)  Ella  Mary,  born  October  3,  1862. 

(3.)  Harry,  born  January  17,  1866,  died  December  24,  1874. 

8.  Millia  Augusta,  born  July  4,  1830,  married  August  15,  1853, 
Abram  Downer  Hull,  born  October  10,  18 13,  son  of  Horace  and 
Taphena  (Downer)  Hull,  of  Charlestown,  N.  H.  Mr.  Hull 
resides  at  Charlestown,  where  he  has  been  largely  engaged  in 
public  business,  having  held  the  office  of  deputy  sheriff  for  up- 
wards of  thirteen  years.  They  have  had  five  children,  all  born 
in  Charlestown  : 

(i.)  Harry  Baldwin,  b.  July  2,  1854,  d.  October  8,  same  year. 

(2.)  Emma  Elithea,  born  January  15,  1856. 

(3.')  Albert  Ernest,  born  July  24,  1858,  m.  Oct.  21,  1879,  Elithea 
Jane  Dwinnell.  daughter  of  William  T.  and  Margaret-Elizabeth 
(Auld)  Dwinnell,  of  Frankfort,  Kansas.  He  resides  in  Frank- 
fort, and  has  two  children  :  i.  "Elizabeth  Augusta,"  born  Sept. 
17,  1880;  2.  "Mary  Margaret,"  born  March  2,  1882. 

(4.)  Arthur  Egerton,  born  July  12,  1861. 

(5.)   Galen  Downer,  born  November  16,  1865. 

9.  Martha  Ann,  born  Jan.  4,  1832,  mar.  April  18,  1855,  John 
Bennett,  born  March  5,  1834,  son  of  Amos  and  Lucretia(Buffum) 
Bennett,  of  Richmond,  N.  H.     They  reside  in  Keene,  N.  H. 

10.  Mary  Sophia,  born  June  21,  1833,  mar.  April  29,  1863,  Henry 
Franklin  Evans,  born  April  15,  1838,  son  of  Joseph  and  Annette 
(McCHntock)  (Henry)  Evans,  of  Charlestown,  N.  H.  They 
reside  in  Marlboro',  Mr.  Evans  being  engaged  in  boot-making. 


406  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

VII,  SOPHIA,  b.  April  14,  1797,  mar.  Feb.  9,  1815,  Samuel  King, 
b.  May  25,  1791,  son  of  Samuel  and  Betsey  (Jones)  King  of  Lang- 
don,  N.  H.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  resided  in  Acworth,  N.  H., 
where  he  died  August  29,  1877,  at  the  age  of  86  years.  Mrs. 
King  died  Dec.  31,  1843,  leaving  fourteen  children,  all  of  whom 
lived  to  years  of  maturity  : 

1.  Alvah  Walker,  born  June  11,  18 15,  died  Feb.  16,  1847,  unm. 

2.  Mary  Jane,  b.  Dec.  31,  18 16,  m.  May  9,  1850,  John  Garfield, 
born  April  10,  1815,  son  of  Elisha  and  Polly  (Vance)  Garfield,  of 
Langdon,  N.  H.  Mr.  Garfield  is  a  printer,  and  resides  in  Fitch- 
burg,  where,  in  1838,  he  established  i\\Q  Fifchlnerg  Sentifie/  new^- 
paper,  with  which  he  was  for  many  years  connected  as  publisher. 
They  have  had  two  children  : 

(i.)  Estelh'  Jeatinette,  born  at  Milford,  N.  H,,  April  8,  1854,  died 

at  Fitchburg,  Jan,  10,  1877. 
(2,)  Leopold Herinan.,  born  at  Milford,  N.  H,,  Sept.  13,  1857,  died 

at  Fitchburg,  April  23,  188 1, 

3,  Benjamin  Stearns,  b.  Sept,  15,  1818,  m,  April  27,  1843,  Susan 
Willard,  born  Aug,  18,  182 1,  daughter  of  Ambrose  and  Annis 
(Bundy)  Willard,  of  Langdon,  N,  H,  He  is  a  carpenter,  and 
resides  in  Acworth,     Children  : 

(i.)  Sinnner  Willard,  born  March  16,  1845,  m,  June  25,  1873, 
Abbie  Ann  Jefts,  daughter  of  EH  and  EHzabeth  Ann  Jefts,  of 
Langdon,  N,  H,  They  have  three  children:  i,  "Charles 
Sumner,,"  born  May  25,  1874  ;  2,  "  Addie  Ella,"  born  Jan.  17, 
1876;  3,  "Dana  Stearns,"  born  March  18,  1880, 

(2.)  Enwia  Antoinette,  ]  ^    .      1    t-  1  o        f  d,  Feb.  8,  18^0. 

(3.)  Ella  Adelaide,        \  ^^^'^^'^^  ^^^-  ^5'  ^^49,  |  d.  Aug.  15,1868. 

(4.)  Edward  Afelvin,  b.  Aug.  6,  1854,  m.  Rosella  Betsey  Smith, 
born  Sept.  30,  1859,  daughter  of  Calvin  and  Betsey  (Prouty) 
Smith,  of  Langdon.  They  have  one  child  :  i.  "  Edward  Le- 
land,"  born  April  18,  1879.  Mr.  King  resides  in  Langdon; 
occupation,  farming. 

4,  Samuel  Allen,  born  July  27,  1820,  mar.  Aug.  24,  1848,  Sarah 
Healey  Lane,  born  June  4, 18 19,  daughter  of  Dudley  and  Harriet 
(Healey)  Lane,  of  Vienna,  Me.  He  is  a  produce  dealer,  at 
Faneuil-Hall  market,  Boston,  and  resides  in  Cambridge,  They 
have  two  children  : 

(i.)  Stella  Abbie,  born  August  4,  1849,  m.  Nov.  26,  1873,  James 
Warren  Hunnewell,  b.  Oct.  19,  1849,  ^o^i  of  James  and  Caro- 
line (Ivers)  Hunnewell,  of  Cambridge.  Mr.  Hunnewell  resides 
in  Cambridge,  and  carries  on  a  variety  store.  They  have  two 
children;  i.  "Frederick  Allen,"  b.  June  12,  1876;  2.  "Bertha 
Stella,"  b.  Sept.  28,  1878. 

(2.)  Julia  Frances,  b.  Oct.  22,  1850,  m.  Jan.  21,  1873,  George 
Baldwin  Morton,  b.  June  3,  1850,  son  of  Ira- Allen  and  Clara- 
Augusta  (Noble)  Morton,  of  Cambridge.  They  reside  in  Cam- 
bridge, where  Mr.  Morton  follows  the  occupation  of  piano-forte 
making.  They  have  one  child:  i.  "Sarah  Augusta,"  born 
Nov.  25,  1873. 


GENEALOGY. EGERTON.  407 

5.  James  Egerton,  born  May  13,  1822,  mar.  Dec.  30,  1852,  Ellen 
Sophia  Dinsmore,  b.  Nov.  16,  1827,  daughter  of  Calvin  and  Lucy 
(Walker)  Dinsmore,  of  Alstead,  N.  H.  He  died  at  Ottawa, 
Canada,  Oct.  16,  186 1.     Children,  born  in  Canada: 

(i.)  Eniina  Eliza,  born  April  25,  1856. 

(2.)   Clarissa  Elmira,  b.  Oct.  20,  i860,  died  Sept.  20,  1865. 

6.  Henry  Nesmith,  born  April  25,  1824,  mar.March  i,  1854,  Han- 
nah Cary  Ware,  born  May  20,  1827,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Susannah  (Nichols)  Ware,  of  Acworth,  N.  H.  They  reside  in 
Boston,  and  have  two  children  : 

(i.)    Waller  Henry,  horn  Dec.  27,  1854. 
(2.)  Arlhiir  James,  born  March  24,  1857. 

7.  Eliza  Ann,  born  Feb.  13,  1826,  mar.  Nov.  20,  i860,  Henry 
Wiley,  born  June  13,  182 1,  son  of  Samuel  and  Lucy  (Miller) 
Wiley,  of  Langdon,  N.  H.  He  is  a  farmer,  and  resides  in  Lang- 
don  ;  he  holds  a  commission  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  has 
represented  the  town  for  several  years  in  the  New- Hampshire 
legislature. 

8.  John  Washburn,  born  August  14,  1827,  mar.  Feb.  22,  1859, 
Pamelia  Goodale,  of  Detroit,  Mich.  He  settled  in  Detroit, 
where  he  died,  Sept.  4,  1869,  leaving  one  child  : 

(i.)  Ebner  Alvah,  born  March  30,  1868, 

9.  Sophia  Bathsheba,  born  April  17,  1829,  mar.  April  28,  1857, 
John  Freeman  Dickey,  born  Feb.  24,  1833^,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Sally  (Grout)  Dickey,  of  Langdon,  N.  H.  He  is  a  carpenter, 
and  resides  in  Alstead,  N.  H. 

10.  WiLLARD  Freeman,  born  March  2,  1831,  mar.  April  21,  1858, 
Mehitable  Aramantha  Lewis,  born  January  4,  1837,  daughter  of 
George  and  Mehitable  (Way)  Lewis,  of  Marlow,  N.  H.  He  is  a 
farmer,  and  resides  in  Marlow,  where  he  has  been  actively  and 
honorably  engaged  in  public  business.     Children  : 

(i.)  Liietta  Mehitable,  born  November  26,  1861. 
(2.)  Lewis  Satnuel,  born  November  23,  1866. 
(3.)  Lottie  Dell,  born  September  29,  1873. 

11.  Solon  Southard,  born  Feb.  23,  1833,  married  (first)  Sept.  20, 
1859,  Josephine  Adelaide  Kilburn,  daughter  of  George  W.  and 
Lovina  (Marvin)  Kilburn,  of  Alstead,  N.  H.  She  died  Nov.  24, 
1859,  and  he  married  (second)  Nov.  18,  1862,  Sarah  Jane  Dickey, 
born  June  23,  1844,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Sally  (Grout) 
Dickey,  of  Langdon,  N.  H.  He  is  a  farmer,  and  resides  in  Ac- 
worth,  N.  H.     They  have  three  children  : 

(i.)  Samuel  Southard,  born  November  23,  1868. 
(2.)  Sarah  Sophia,  born  January  15,  1872. 
(3.)    Willie  James,  born  February  2,  1877. 

12.  Emily  Amelia,  born  March  29,  1835,  married  Nov.  18,  1862, 
Charles  Asa  Holden,  born  Aug.  4,  1833,  son  of  Asa  and  Mary- 
Ann  (Evans)  Holden,   of  Langdon,   N.  H.      Mr,   Holden  is  a 


408  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

farmer,  and  resides  in   Langdon.     He  has  been  active  and  effi- 
cient in  town  affairs,  and  has  represented  his  fellow  townsmen  in 
the  State  legislature.     They  have  three  children  : 
(i.)  Emily  Corinne,  born  October  6,  1863. 
(2.)    Charles  Clyde,  born  January  10,  1866. 
(3.)  Allen  King,  born  August  11,  1870. 

13,  Nancy  Ellen",  born  June  4,  1837,  married  April  28,  1857, 
James  Andrew  Dickey,  born  August  4,  1835,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Sally  (Grout)  Dickey,  of  Langdon,  N.  H.  Mr.  Dickey  is  a 
farmer,  and  occupies  the  King  homestead  in  Acworth.  They 
have  one  daughter  : 

(i.)  Lennd  Josephine,  born  April  30,  1862. 

14.  RozENE  Marl-^j  born  February  12,  1839. 

The  youngest  of  the  three  brothers  who  came  from  East  Bridg- 
water to  settle  in  Shirley  was 

2£trfiartOn,  53en|amin,^  (John,^  Dennis,^)  became,  with  his 
brothers,  John  and  James,  a  resident  of  Shirley  in  early  manhood, 
m.  Sarah  Parker,  eldest  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah  (Dickerson) 
Parker  of  Shirley,  Dec.  7,  1 788,  lived  in  Shirley  until  near  the  close 
of  the  century,  when  he  was  settled  on  a  farm  in  Lancaster,  where  he 
d.  April  2,  1806.     He  had  five  children  : 

L  BENJAMIN  WASHBURN,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  i,  1789,  m. 
Mary  Ann,  daughter  of  Dr.  Benjamin  and  Marial  (Nichols)  Hart- 
well,  pub.  Sept.  14,  18 14,  d.  Oct.  29,  1825.  He  had  four 
children  : 

1.  Benjamin  Hartwell,  b.  March  30,  1819,  d.  Dec.  24,  1825. 

2.  SoPHL4,  b.  April  8,  1S21,  m,  E.  Hubbard,  Dec.  19,  1844.  She 
lived  in  Williamsburg  at  the  time  of  the  destructive  inundation 
that  was  occasioned  by  a  defective  reservoir  dam,  and  her  hus- 
band, daughter,  and  a  grandchild  became  victims  of  the  sad 
catastrophe. 

3.  Edwin,  b.  June  12,  1823,  d.  June  26,  1861. 

4.  Janette,  b.  Nov.  29,  1825,  m.  Henry  Stearns,  May  16,  1849. 
n.     JAMES    DEXTER,    b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  4,   1791,   m. 


Willard  of  Harvard,  has  children,  and  r.  in  western  New  York. 

in.  ARTHUR;  b.  at  Shirley,  April  16,  1793.  He  lived  the  life  of 
a  seaman,  and  d.  in  that  employment,  leaving  behind  a  widow  and 
son. 

IV.  OTIS  P.,  b.  at  Lancaster,  Feb.  17,  1796,  m.  Mary  Holmes 
Fales  of  Thomaston,  Me.,  March  26,  1822,  d.  at  Thomaston,  Dec. 
19,  1870.  Mary,  his  wife,  d.  July  16,  1861.  He  had  eight 
children  : 

1.  Sarah  Parker,  b.  at  Thomaston,  July  12,  1823,  m.  R.  Harvey 
Counce  of  Thomaston,  r.  Thomaston  (1876). 


GENEALOGY. EDGARTON-FARNSWORTH.       409 

2.  Isabella  Prince,  b.  Aug.  19,  1825,  m.  R.  C.  Crawford,  Aug.  7, 
1849,  r.  Holbrook,  Mass. 

3.  Eliza  M.,  b.  Dec.  2,  1827,  d.  Jan.  13,  1851. 

4.  Augustina,  b.  at  Thomaston,  April  5,  1830,  m.  Isaac  McLellan 
Vose,  Sept.  26,  1855,  r.  Thomaston  (1876). 

5.  James  Otis  Parker,  b.  Nov.  21,  1832,  m.  Augustina  Grafton, 
Dec.  21,  1856,  r.  Wollaston  Heights,  Mass. 

6.  George  Whitney,  b.  April  11,   1835,  m.  Frances  S.  Wallace, 
Nov.,  1869,  r.  Lynn  (1876). 

7.  David  Ruggles,  b.  Oct.   12,    1837,    m.    Opheha    A.    Taft  of 
Uxbridge,  April  28,  1863. 

8.  Lucy  Ann,  b.  Sept.  22,  1840,  m.  Alfred  S.  Robinson,  Oct.  12, 
1859,  r.  Lynn. 

V.     MARYALL,  b.  af  Lancaster,  May  16,  1804.     She  was  drowned 
at  the  age  of  four  years. 


FARNSWORTH. 

As  early  as  1639,  Joseph  Farnsworth  was  settled  in  Dorchester 
(Savage's  Genealogical  Dictionary),  and  had,  with  other  children,  a  son, 
Matthias,  who  was  a  proprietor  of  Groton  territory,  and  was  a  select- 
man of  the  town  in  1670.  He  lived  in  Lynn  for  a  time  before  he 
came  to  Groton,  and  had  children  born  in  both  towns.  Mr,  Butler 
supposes  that  is  the  common  origin  of  the  numerous  families  of  the 
name  that  have  been  settled  in  Groton  and  that  have  emigrated  from 
there  to  other  parts  of  the  country.  The  first  of  the  name  settled  in 
Shirley  was 

jFtirnStoOrtf),  JlOStpi),  He  was  here  among  the  early  set- 
tlers of  the  town,  and  came  from  Reading  with  his  family,  consisting 
of  six  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  dates  of  their  births  have  not 
been  entered  upon  the  records  of  the  town,  and  very  little  of  their 
genealogy  has  been  traced.     His  children  were 

I.  JOSEPH,  left  the  town,  unm. 

II.  LEVI,  m.  Abigail  Harrington,  daughter  of  Thaddeus  and 
Thankful  (Dodge)  Harrington,  pub.  April  6,  1782,  and  had  seven 
children,  all  b.  at  Shirley. 

1.  Samuel,  b.  April  16,  1783,  was  a  lawyer  by  profession,  and  set- 
tled in  Tuscaloosa,  where  he  remained  through  life. 

2.  Hannah,  b.  Dec.  12,  1785,  d.  April  5,  1797. 

S.  Luther,  b.  Sept.  22,  1786,  m.  Mary  Childs  of  Groton,  d.  Sept. 
21,  1821. 

4.  Levi,  b.  Oct.  5,  1791,  m.  Hannah  Burrage,  pub.  Dec.  29,  1816. 

52 


410  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

5.  Jonas,  b.  June  27,  1795,  d.  March  21,  1797. 

6.  Thomas  Whitney,  b.  Aug.  14,  1797,  d.  Jan.  3,  1838. 

7.  La  VINA  LoNGLEY,  b.  Dec.  i,  1800,  m.  Nathan  Barrett  of  Ash- 
burnham,  Feb.  i,  1828. 

III.  JESSE,  m.  Sarah,  daughter  of  Obadiah  and  Mary  (Gould) 
Sawtell  of  Shirley,  pub.  Feb.  i,  1789,  d.  Feb.  21,  1848.  He  had 
five  children  : 

1.  Obadiah,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  18,  1789,  m.  Abigail  Fairbanks, 
pub.  March  31,  181 1. 

2.  RuFUS,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  15,  1791. 

3.  MiNOT,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  19,  1795,  <^-  ^^  Shirley,  Aug.  6,  1798. 

4.  Calvin,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  14,  1799,  m.  Ploomy  Adams  of 
Lunenburg,  Aug,  4,  1822. 

5.  Sally,  b.  1806,  m.  Ashur  Parker  of  Charlestown,  pub.  1830,  d. 
March  16,  1838. 

IV.  JONATHAN,  m.  Hitty  Parker  of  Lunenburg,  pub.  Feb.  14, 
1796,  had  two  children,  b.  at  Shirley. 

1.  Sally,  b.  Nov.  21,  1797. 

2.  SuKEY,  b.  March  24,  1799. 

V.  NATHANIEL  FLINT,  m.  Abigail  Swiers,  pub.  July  10,  1769, 
d.  March  12,  18 16,  had  several  children. 

VI.  JOHN,  b.  March  4,  1771,  m.  Priscilla,  daughter  of  James  and 
Priscilla  (Harris)  Dickerson  of  Shirley,  June  11,  1795,  d.  Jan.  20, 
1826.     He  had  nine  children  : 

1.  James,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  10,  1795,  passed  his  manhood  in 
Marietta,  Ohio,  and  d.  there  Aug.  16,  1833. 

2.  John,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  9,  1797,  m.  Eunice  Conant  of  Shirley, 
Dec,  I,  1823,  d.  Aug.,  1833.     He  had  one  child: 

(i.)  Harriet,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  7,  1825,  m.  David  A.  Smith  of 
Concord,  June  13,  1843,  r.  Leominster  (1877).  She  has  had 
four  children  :  i.  "Charles  E.,"  b.  Aug.  20,  1847,  d.  Nov.  16, 
1847;  2.  "Edwin  F.,"  b.  Feb.  7,  1850;  3.  "Mary  H.,"  b. 
May  27,  1852  ;  4.  "Lucy  E.  H."  b.  Sept.  6,  1854. 

3.  Nancy,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  16,  1800,  twice  m.,  (first)  to  James 
Dalton  of  Concord,  Jan.  14,  1723,  m.  (second)  Joseph  Wright, 
May  25,  1825. 

4.  Joseph,  b.  Sept.  18,  1802,  m.  Rebecca  Davis  of  Boxborough, 
Sept.  22,  1829,  had  six  children,  and  d.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  4,  1880. 
Children  were  all  b.  at  Shirley. 

(i.)  Eliza,  b.  July  3,  1830,  m.  Adoniram  J.  Hartshorn,  Sept.  21, 
[854.  She  has  had  five  children,  and  d.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  2, 
1879.  Her  children  are:  i.  "Charles  Judson,"  b.  March  13, 
1856;   2.  "Frank  E.,"b.  Nov.   17,  1862;  3.  "  Harry  A.,"  b. 


GENEALOGY. FARNSWORTH.  411 

Aug.  i6,  1867;  4.  "Flora  J.,"  b.  Sept.  2,  1869;  5.  "Mary 
Belle,"  b.  Jan.  12,  1872. 

(2.)  Joseph  Abel,  b.  Feb.  27,  1832,  m.  Margaret  A.  Balcom  of 
Shirley,  June  13,  185 1,  r.  Shirley  (1882).  He  has  had  eight 
children,  all  b.  at  Shirley:  i.  "Abel  Augustus,  b.  Dec.  26, 
1851  ;  2.  "Francena  M.,"  b.  Nov.  10,  1852;  3.  "Frances 
Ann,"  b.  July  17,  1855,  m.  Willis  H.  Flagg,  July  18,  1874,  r. 
Shirley  (1876);  4.  "Jenny,"  b.  May  13,  1861,  d.  Aug.  18, 
1861  ;  5.  "Carrie  M.,"  b.  June  28,  1862,  d.  Dec.  28,  1862; 
6.  "Lulu  G.,"  b.  Jan.  16,  1866;  7.  "E.  Blanche,"  b.  Aug. 
16,  1868;  8.  "Minnie,"  b.  Dec.  21,  1870. 

(3.)  James  D.,  b.  Sept.  5,  1834,  d.  March  11,  1838. 

(4.)  Samuel,  b.  June  i,  1837,  m.  Margaret  A.,  daughter  of  Abel 
and  Jane  P.  (Livermore)  Longley  of  Shirley,  April  14,  1859, 
r.  Ayer  (1882),  has  two  children  :  i,  "Frederic  Arthur,"  b.  at 
Ayer,  Nov.  17,  1865  ;  2.  "Hubert  Longley,"  b.  at  Ayer,  Sept. 
14,  1874. 

(5.)  Sophia,  b.  Oct.  11,  1840,  m.  John  W.  Kendall  of  Haver- 
hill, Feb.  14,  1859. 

(6.)    Charles,  b.  March  17,  1844,  d.  April  10,  1847. 

5.  Betsey,  b.  April   19,  1807,  m.  Melzar  Vinal,  of  Concord,  Jan. 

10,  1827;    she  was  left  a  widow   April   9,    1876;    r.  Waltham 

(1882).     She  has  had  five  children  : 

(i.)   George  F.,  b.  at  Concord,  Sept.  5,  1828,  d.  Oct.  29,  1828. 

(2.)  Emeline  A.,  b.  May  9,  1830,  d.  Feb.  11,  1833. 

(3.)  Elizabeth  A.,  b.  June  2,  1834,  d.  June  9,  1835. 

(4.)  Sarah  E.,  b.  Oct.  14,  1837,  m.  J.  Rockwell  Hartwell  of  Lit-> 
tleton,  July  4,  1858.  She  has  had  two  children  :  i.  "Emeline 
A.,"  b.  at  Waltham,  May  30,  1879;  2.  "Hiram  Britton,"  b. 
at  Watertown,  June  30,  1873. 

(5.)  George  Farnstuorth,  b.  at  Waltham,  Feb.  11,  1841,  m. 
Mary  Proctor  of  Carlisle,  Nov.  10,  1869,  has  had  two 
children:  i.  "Winifred  May,"  b.  June  12,  1871  ;  2.  "Robert 
Clifford,"  b.  Sept.  9,  1872. 

G.  Sally,  b.  Nov.  27,  1810,  m.  Ephraim  Carr  of  Concord,  Oct.  id, 
1828,  r.  Groton  (1882).     She  has  had  eleven  children  : 
(i.)   Charles  F.,  b.  at  Concord,  March  6,  1832,  ni.  Irene  Jud- 

icins  of   Frankhn,  N.  H. ;    had  one    child:     i.  "Ira  F.,"  b. 

March  11,  1862. 
(2.)  Eliza  H.,  b.  at  Concord,  Sept.  18,  1834,  m.  Samuel  Hem- 

menway   of    Groton,    Nov.    27,    1856.      She  has   had  three 

children:   i.  "Ida  May,"  b.  at  Groton,   Dec.    18,    1859,   d. 

Feb.  24,  1865  ;  2.  "George,"  b.  at  Groton,  March  30,  1S61  ; 

3.  "Frank,"  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  26,  1863. 
(3,)  Abbie  M.,    b.   at   Concord,   March    22,    1836,    m.   George 

Aldrich  of  Framingham,  Feb.   i,   1859,  had  three  children: 

I.  "  Eva,"  b.  at  Groton,  July  31,   18—;    2.  "Frank  H.,"  b. 

at  Marlboro',  Oct.  3,  1862,  d.  July  24,  1864  ;   3.  "Frank  A.," 

b.  at  Marlboro',  Feb.  24,  1866,  d.  Oct.  9,  1867. 
(4.)  Martha  H.,  b.  at  Concord,  March  20,   1838,  d.  Aug.  25, 

1840. 


412  •  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(5.)  Sarah  E.,  b.  at  Lexington,  June   14,   1840,  m.  Charles  W. 

Whitcomb  of    Brookline,  N.  H.,  Aug.   3,    1859.      He  was  a 

lieutenant  in  the  federal  army  at  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and 

was  slain  in  battle  May  8,  1864. 
(6.)  Harriet  S.,  b.  at  Groton,  April  20,  1842,  has  been  twice  m., 

(first)  to  Charles  E.  Moore  of  Ayer,  who  d.  Dec.  12,  1868,  m. 

(second)  George  O.  Hill  of  Westford,  Oct.  9,   1872,  who  d. 

Jan.  12,  1876, 
(7.)  Martha  A.,  b.  at  Groton,  April  3,  1844,  d.  July  2,  1846. 
(8.)   George  H.,  b.  at  Groton,  Aug.  17,  1845,  d.  Aug.  i,  1850. 
(9.)  Mary  F.,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  13,  1848,  d.  Aug.  16,  1850. 
(10.)  Ellen  F.,  b,  at  Groton,  Sept.  8,  1850,  d.  Sept.  5,  1852. 
(11.)    William  H.,  b.  at  Groton,  March  6,  1854,  d.  Nov.  3,  i860. 

7.  Samuel,  b.  Feb.  28,  18 14,  m.  Sarah  Carkin,  April  i,  1838,  r. 
Shirley  (1882).     He  has  had  four  children  : 

(i.)  George,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  12,  1839,  "^^  Harriet  Waters  of 
Shirley,  Oct.  23,  1861,  r.  Shirley  (1882),  has  had  four  children, 
all  b.  at  Shirley  :  i.  "Ella  Frances  Augusta,"  b.  Aug.  28,  1863  ; 
2.  "Lewis  Henry,"  b.  Feb.  11,  1866;  3.  "Herbert  F.,"  b. 
June  4,  1872,  d.  Dec.  9,  1872  ;  4.  "Esther  Janette,"  b.  Oct. 
19,  1873. 

(2.)  Sarah,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  i,  1842,  m.  Parker  Sidney  Fuller 
of  Groton,  Jan.  i,  1865,  r.  Groton  (1882),  has  had  one  child  : 
I.  "Nelly  Maria,"  b.  at  Groton,  June  15,  1867. 

(3.)  Melzar  Vinal,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  13,  1846,  m.  Emma  F. 
Lothrop  of  Boston,  April  19,  1871,  has  had  three  children: 
I.  "Angelina  L.,"  b.  at  Shirley,  June  18,  1872;  2.  "Charles 
Lewis,"  b.  June  24,  1874;  3.  "Mary  F.,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct. 
9,  1876. 

(4.)  Lewis  J.,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  24,  1854,  m.  Georgianna  H. 
Brown  of  Lunenburg,  July  4,  1878,  r.  Shirley  (1882). 

8.  Sophia,  b.  Aug.  8,   1816,  m.  John  Lawton  of  Shirley,  April  6, 
1842,  r.  Lunenburg  (1882). 

9.  Calvin,  b.  Oct.   19,   1820,  m.  Sarah  Stuart,  Jan.  18,  1855,  has 
had  three  children,  all  b.  in  Shirley. 

(i.)  Sarah  Maria,  b.  Aug.  19.  1856,  d.  May  11,  1858. 
(2.)  Elizabeth,  b.  Sept.  28,  1858,  d.  March  20,  1871. 
(3.)  John  L.,  b.  April  27,  1861. 

Vn.     EUNICE,  m.  Elisha  Dodge  of  Shirley,  May  11,  1794. 

VHL     NANCY. 


FARR. 


This  is  not  a  common  name  in  New  England,  and  Mr.  Savage 
says  that  it  has  been  supposed  by  some  that  it  is  the  same  as  Farrar ; 
and  yet  distinct  families  of  the  names  may  be  traced  back  to  their 
immigration  to  the  American  Colonies,  who  even  present  no  claim  to 


GENEALOGY. FARR-FARWELL.  413 

earlier  identification.     The  first  of  the  name  that  appears  upon  the 
records  of  Shirley  is 

iF^tr,  SSEilliam,  who  with  his  wife,  Lucy,  and  his  two 
daughters,  Sally  and  Molly,  came  from  Harvard  and  settled  in  town 
May  II,  1785.  They  probably  remained  in  town  but  a  short  time, 
and  left  no  traditional  notoriety. 

jFtltrr,  ^TljOntaS,  came  to  Groton,  as  Mr.  Butler  says,  from 
"Burgoyne's  army,"  with  Mary,  his  wife,  probably  soon  after  the  de- 
feat at  Saratoga,  as  they  had  a  son  b.  there  March  9,  1779,  William 
byname.  The  family  removed  to  Shirley,  Dec.  4,  1780,  but  the 
selectmen  refused  them  citizenship,  and  nothing  further  is  known  of 
them. 


FARRAR. 

jFatrar,  ZfilCtn'ai),  his  wife,  Catharine,  and  their  children, 
Josiah,  Eliab  and  Mercy,  removed  from  Sudbury  and  became  resi- 
dents of  Shirley,  May  4,  1776.  No  additional  notice  of  them  is 
found  upon  the  town  records. 


FARWELL. 

Henry  Farwell  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  at  Concord,  Mass., 
which  town  was  incorporated  as  early  as  1635.  ^^  cannot  here  be 
stated  from  what  port  or  in  what  ship  he  emigrated,  but  it  is  sup- 
posed by  Shattuck,  the  Concord  historian,  that  he  is  the  "common 
ancestor  of  all  of  the  name  in  New  England."  He  had  five 
children,  and  eventually  removed  to  Chelmsford,  where  he  died. 

Joseph,  his  second  son,  was  b.  at  Concord,  Feb.  20,  1642.  He  m. 
Hannah  Learned  of  Woburn,  and  settled  at  Dunstable,  which  was 
his  home  for  life.  He  had  nine  children  ;  of  these,  William,  the 
eighth  in  the  order  of  age,  was  b.   Jan.    21,    1688.      He   settled  in 

Groton,  m.  Elizabeth  ,  and  had  six  children,   four  of  whom 

were  located  upon  that  part  of  the  territory  of  Groton  now  known  as 
Shirley.  Their  family  registers,  as  here  recorded,  were  taken  from 
the  "Farwell  Memorial,"  published  by  D.  P.  Holton,  M.  D.,  of  New 
York.     The  eldest  of  the  Shirley  residents  was 

iFarUJCll,  212ailliam»  Jr.,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  I,  1 715,  (Wil- 
liam,'' Joseph,^  Henry,')  m.  Sarah  Parker  of  Groton,  and  had  eight 
children  : 

I.     EUNICE,  b.  at  Groton,  April  20,  1742,  m.  Conant. 

IL     ELIZABETH,  b.  at  Groton,  April  13,  1744,  m.  Samuel  Gould. 

HI.     HENRY,  b.  at  Groton,  May  15,  1746,  m.  Damson  Phillips  of 
Lancaster,  pub.  July  2,  1761. 


414  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

IV.  SARAH,  b.  at  Groton,  Nov.  28,  1748,  m. 

V.  SUSANNx'\,  b.  at  Groton,  Jan.  28,  1751,  m.  John  Solendine. 

VI.  SYBIL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  i,  1757.  (This  birth-place  with 
those  that  follow  in  the  family,  does  not  imply  a  change  of  resi- 
dence, but  the  formation  of  a  new  town,  which  included  the  resi- 
dence.)    She  m.  John  Todd  of  Lancaster,  pub.  April  14,  1775. 

VII.  WILLIAM,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  23,  1761. 

VIII.  PHINEHAS,  b.  at  Shirley.  His  name  appears  among  the 
recruits  for  the  eight  months'  service  in  1775,  war  of  Revolution. 

iF«rt*tocU,  ©llbcr,  b.  at  Groton,  Jan.  13,  1722,  (William/'' 
Joseph,-  Henry,^)  m.  Rejoice  Preston  of  Groton,  July  22,  1742,  had 
ten  children  : 

L     WILLIAM,  b.  Dec.  12,  1744. 

II.  ISAAC,  b.  Dec.  8,  1746. 

III.  JONATHAN,  b.  Sept.  25,  1748,  m.  Priscilla  Smith  of  Groton, 
Aug.  26,  1 771,  d.  Jan.  18,  1819. 

IV.  ABIGAIL.     V.     OLIVE.     VI.     BENJAMIN.     VII.     LEVI. 
VIII.     NANCY.     IX.     ELIZABETH.     X.     CALVIN. 

iFartoCU,  f^tntSy  b.  at  Groton,  July  21,  1724,  (William,^ 
Joseph,-  Henry,^)  he  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Lydia  Tarbell,  Dec.  6, 
1749,  m.  (second)  Sarah  Taylor  of  Westford,  June  3,  1761,  had  seven 
children,  and  d.  Jan.  9,  1804.     His  children  were 

I.  ANNA,  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  17,  1750,  d.  Feb.  20,  1754. 

II.  SAMUEL,  b.  at  Groton,  May  21,  1752,  d.  in  infancy. 

III.  WILLIAM,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  16,  1754. 

IV.  LYDIA,  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  25,  1762,  d.  Dec.  11,  1763. 

V.  SARAH,  b.  at  Groton,  Dec.  7,  1763,  m.  James  Brazer  of 
Charlestowri,  d.  1810. 

VI.  LYDIA,  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  14,  1765,  m.  John  White,  Dec.  25, 
1788. 

VII.  JONATHAN,  b.  Dec.  6,  1767,  m.  Sybil,  daughter  of  Richard 
and  Elizabeth  (Bennett)  Sawtell,  Jan.  25,  1801,  d.  April,  1845. 
His  wife  d.  March  26,  1839.  At  the  time  of  their  death,  their 
home  was  in  Milford,  N.  H. 

"  Henry  Farwell  was  a  soldier  in  the  French  wars,  and  was  captain 
of  one  of  the  companies  of  minute  men  in  Groton  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Revolutionary  war.     He  marched  with  his  company  on 


GENEALOGY. FARWELL-FLAGG.  415 

the  19th  of  April,  1775,  to  Cambridge;  was  in  the  battle  of  Bunker 
Hill,  and  was  severely  wounded.  A  musket  ball  passed  through  his 
body,  lodging  near  the  spine,  whence  it  was  extracted  in  the  evening 
after  the  battle.  He  was  a  man  of  small  stature,  but  very  strong  and 
athletic,  and  of  undaunted  courage." — Butler''s  History  of  Groton. 

All  this  seems  to  prove  that  Mr.  Farwell  was  an  inhabitant  of 
Groton  at  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  yet  it  is  proven  that  his 
home  was  within  the  present  bounds  of  Shirley  in  1747,  as  he  was 
a  petitioner  for  a  separation  of  the  towns  at  that  date,  as  were  his 
three  brothers,  William,  Oliver  and  Josiah. 

jFatiueU,  JlOSia!),  b.  at  Groton,  though  (probably  through 
mistake)  his  birth-date  has  not  been   entered  upon  its  records,   m. 

Lydia ,  and  was  probably  settled  within  the  present  hmits  of 

Shirley  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  ;  whether  he  remained  there 
through  life  or  returned  to  Groton  cannot  here  be  stated.  He  had 
four  children  : 

I.     LYDIA,  b.  Oct.  23,  1 75 1. 

H.     HANNAH,  b.  July  31,  1753,  d.  Sept.  i,  1753. 

HI.     JOSIAH,  b.  Sept.  i,  1754. 

IV.     MARY,  b.  Nov.  8,  1756. 

Some  of  the  early  members  of  the  Farwell  family  distinguished 
themselves  as  Indian  hunters.  As  has  been  said,  Joseph,-  (Henry,^) 
lived  in  Dunstable  during  a  large  portion  of  his  manhood  life,  and 
died  there  ;  this  was,  at  the  time,  a  frontier  town  of  the  white  settle- 
ments, and  Mr.  Farwell  and  his  family,  for  a  large  portion  of  the 
time,  were  obliged  to  occupy  a  garrisoned  house.  One  of  the  name 
was  second  in  command  at  Lovell's  fight  at  Pickwaket,  May  8,  1725, 
and  was  one  of  the  nine  that  .were  found  unhurt,  forty-seven  having 
gone  into  the  engagement.  See  Belknap's  History  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. 


FISK. 


The  following  entry  may  be  found  on  the  town  records  of  Shirley  : 

jFiSlfe,  SintfOn,  of  Shirley,  and  Ehzabeth  Wasson  of  Amherst, 
N.  H.,  intend  marriage,  Oct.  3,  1784. 


FLAGG. 


jFIflflfl>    ILciJl,    of   Shirley,    and    Ruth  Austin  of    Lunenburg, 
intend  marriage,  Oct.  ye  9,  1791. 


416  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

FLETCHER. 

In  187 1,  Edward  H.  Fletcher,  of  New  York  city,  published  a 
genealogy  of  the  Fletchers  of  this  country,  tracing  them  down  mainly 
from  one  ancestor,  Robert  Fletcher,  who  immigrated  to  America  and 
settled  at  Concord  in  1635,  ^^^  same  year  it  was  incorporated. 

He  had  five  children,  all  sons,  three  of  whom  were  born  in 
England.  He  d.  at  Concord,  April  3,  1677.  Descended  from  him, 
of  the  sixth  generation,  was 

jFlftCijet,  ©Ittjet,  who  came  to  Shirley  about  1768.  He  was 
a  son  of  David  and  Mary  (Butterfield)  Fletcher  of  Westford,  (Oliver,^ 
David,"'^  Samuel,'*  Samuel,'^  Samuel,"  Robert,^)  b.  Sept.  25,  1743,  m. 
Sarah  Fletcher  of  Westford,  Sept.  22,  1768.  His  farm  in  Shirley  was 
located  near  the  estates  bf  Joseph  Hazen,  Samuel  Longley,  and 
Sidney  Benjamin,  yet  now  has  no  special  identification.  He  had 
seven  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley.  The  writer  of  the  Fletcher  Gene- 
alogy has  them  born  at  Westford,  which  is  a  mistake.  Where  Oliver 
Fletcher  died,  and  when,  cannot  here  be  stated.     His  children  were 

I.  OLIVER,  b.  Nov.  28,  1768,  according  to  Shirley  town  records, 
but  according  to  the  Fletcher  genealogy,  was  b.  Nov.  28,  1 769  ; 
was  killed  in  battle  near  Sackett's  Harbor,  N.  Y.,  in  the  last  war 
with  England. 

II.  SARAH,  b.  April  27,  1770,  according  to  Shirley  record, 
April  29,  1 771,  according  to  the  Fletcher  genealogy,  d.  1797,  unm. 

III.  JOANNA,  b.  June  12,  1772,  according  to  Shirley  record,  1773 
according  to  Fletcher  genealogy,  m.  Ira  Spaulding  of  Chelmsford, 
had  eight  children  : 

1.  SoPHRONiA.     2.  Mary.     3.  Benjamin.     4,  Ira. 
5.  Charles.     G.  Sarah.     7.  Anna.  ■  8.  Parmelia. 

IV.  OLIVE,  b.  Feb.  28,  1775,  m.  Jesse  Hildreth  of  Westford, 
March  24,  i8or,  had  ten  children  : 

1.  Sophia,  m.  George  Worcester. 

2.  Benjamin  Franklin. 

3.  Olive,  d.  unm.     4.  Jesse,  m. Ingalls. 

5.  Mehitable,  d.  unm.     6.  Betsey.     7.  Lucy,  d.  unm, 
8.  Mary  Ann.     D.  James.     lU.  Harriet. 

V.  LUCY,  b.  July  2,  1776,  m.  John  Gray,  r.  Lowell  (1871),  had 
three  children  : 

1.  John,  d.  young.     2.  Jesse.     3.  Lucy. 

VI.  BETSEY,  b.  Feb.  5,  1779,  m.  Stephen  Spaulding  of  Chelms- 
ford, had  four  children  : 

1.  Eliza.     2.  Stephen.     3.  Asa.     4.  Elbridge  G. 

VII.  MILLY,  or  PARMELIA,  b.  May  12,  1784,  m.  Cyrus  Ken- 
dall of  Billerica,  Aug.  12,  1827. 


GENEALOGY. FLOOD-FROST.  417 

FLOOD. 

Savage  makes  the  first  immigrant  of  this  name  to  have  come  in  the 
ship  Ann,  in  1623,  but  he  insinuates  that  the  name  has  been  so  fre- 
quently confounded  with  Floyd  that  happy  is  he  who  can,  in  all 
instances,  discriminate  them,  one  from  the  other. 

Without  being  able  to  trace  his  pedigree  from  the  original  settler,  it 
has  been  found  that  the  first  removed  to  the  territory  of  Groton 
— afterward  Shirley — came  from  Andover  about  the  year  1 743,  and 
the  only  one  of  the  name  who  ever  lived  in  the  town. 

jFlOOtJ,  <S«HnilCl,  ni.  Tryphena,  daughter  of  Ephraim  and 
Lucy  Powers,  Dec.  8,  1743,  had  seven  children,  and  d.  at  Shirley; 
his  wife  d.  Aug.  3,  1758.  He  lived  in  a  southern  section  of  the 
town,  and  his  name  does  not  appear  among  the  petitioners,  in  1747, 
for  an  independent  municipality.     His  children  were 

I.     MARY,  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  15,  1744. 

n.     MARTHA,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  18,  1746. 

HI.     SAMUEL,  b.  at  Groton,  April  21,  1749. 

IV.  TIMOTHY,  b.  at  Groton,  July  21,  1751. 

V.  PHILIP,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  14,  1753. 

VI.  DANIEL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.,  1756. 

VII.  WILLIAM,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  2,  1758. 


FOSTER. 


jFOStrr,  Jonatljan,  of  Mason,  N.  H.,  m.  Miriam,  daughter 
of  Simon  and  Sarah  Holden,  pub.  Jan.  18,  1781.  He  became  a 
resident  of  Shirley,  and  had  two  children  born  here. 

I.  JONATHAN,  b.  Aug.  5,  1782. 

II.  MIRIAM,  b.  June  12,  1785. 


FROST. 


This  is  a  very  common  New  England  name  of  persons  who 
descended  from  different  immigrant  families,  but  who  can  all,  prob- 
ably, claim  the  same  English  origin.  The  original  settler  of  the 
name  in  Shirley  is 

jFl^OSt,  .^iJlfaij,  whose  pedigree  cannot  here  be  given,  but  who 
is  supposed  to  have  been  born  in  Groton,  and  kindred  of  the  Frost 
families  of  that  town  noticed  in  Butler's  history.  He  m.  Sarah  Law- 
ton  of  Groton,  and  in  1 748  bought  forty  acres  of  land  in  what  is  now 

53 


418  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Shirley,  of  Thomas  Tarbell,  for  ^50,  which  land  is  situated  on  both 
sides  of  the  Catacunemaug  river,  and  is  bounded  on  the  east  by  the 
Nashua  river.  It  lies  near  the  Phoenix  mills,  still  bears  the  name  of 
"Frost  place,"  and  is  owned  (1882)  by  the  heirs  of  the  late  Samuel 
Hazen.  Abijah  Frost  had  six  children,  all  of  whom  were  b.  at 
Shirley,  and  he  d.  there  in  May,  1790.  His  widow  d.  June  16,  1816. 
His  children  were 

I.  SCRIPTURE,  b.  Nov.  4,  1758,  who  was  thrice  m.,  (first)  to 
Hannah  Harris  of  Shirley,  pub.  April  15,  1780,  m.  (second)  Clar- 
issa Putnam  of  Lunenburg,  pub.  Aug.  23,  1789;  she  d.  May  11, 
1794;  m.  (third)  Sally  Sprague  of  Harvard,  Sept.  15,  1795.  He 
resided  at  Harvard,  a  farmer,  in  good  standing,  and  d.  there,  July 
24,  1824.  His  widow  d.  also  at  Harvard,  March  22,  1844.  He 
had  eight  children  : 

1.  Nancy,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  25,  1790,  m.  Jonas  Abbot  of  East 
Sudbury  (now  Wayland).  She  had  two  children,  and  d.  at 
Boston,  June  5,  1865.     Her  children  were 

(i.)   Onesimus,  b.  18 13,  d.  unm. 

(2.)  George,  b.  at  Boston,  June  19,  1815,  r.  Boston  (1882),  has 
been  thrice  m.,  and  had  three  children  ;  m,  (first)  Martha  H. 
Brown  of  Newburyport,  June  15,  1841  ;  she  d.  at  Columbia, 
S.  C,  March  24,  1850;  he  m.  (second)  Hannah  H.  Knowles 
of  Boston,  Sept.  24,  1850;  she  d.  May  14,  1864;  m.  (third) 
Carrie  Ehzabeth  Haskell  of  Boston,  March  30,  1865.  His 
children  were  i.  "  George  Washington,"  b.  at  Boston,  April 
18,  1842,  d.  at  Boston,  Nov.  27,  1870,  unm. ;  2.  "Caroline 
Wallace,"  b.  at  Boston,  Nov.  12,  1843,  r.  Boston  (1878); 
3.  "Martha  Eudora,"  b.  at  Boston,  Jan.  26,  1847,  d.  at 
Boston,  Dec.  11,  1861,  unm. 

2.  Lucy,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  25,  1792,  m.  George  Bonnor  of 
Boston,  March  5,  1820,  who  d.  at  New  York,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  30, 
1840;  she  had  four  children,  and  d.  at  Harvard,  Sept.  28,  1873. 

3.  Thomas  Sprague,  b.  Oct.  17,  1797,  m.  Mercy  Sawyer  of  Har- 
vard, Nov.  28,  1822  ;  she  d.  at  Harvard,  Sept.  11,  1876;  he  r. 
in  Harvard  (1878),  had  eight  children  : 

(i.)  Manassah  Sawyer,  b.  at  Harvard,  Nov.  29,  1823,  d.  Jan.  3, 
1825. 

(2.)  Thomas  Otis,  b.  Dec.  24,  1825,  m.  Emily  Elizabeth  Mar- 
shall of  Belchertown,  Jan.  i,  1851,  r.  Worcester  (1878),  has 
had  five  children:  i.  "Frank  Eugene,"  b.  at  Harvard,  June 
27,  1858  ;  2.  "Herbert  Everett,"  b.  at  Harvard,  July  3,  i860  ; 
3.  "  Stella  Maria,"  b.  at  Harvard,  Jan.  3,  1862,  d.  May  24, 
1864;  4.  "Walter  Marshall,"  b.  at  Millbury,  Jan.  20,  1867; 
5.  "Harry  Perry,"  b.  at  Worcester,  Jan.  13,  1876. 

(3.)  Augusta  Eliza,  b.  Nov.  24,  1827,  m.  William  Thomas 
Barber  of  Worcester,  Oct.  4,  1853,  r.  Worcester  (1878),  has 
two  children  :  i.  "Josephine  Augusta,"  b.  at  Worcester,  July 
24,  1854  ;  m.  Gardner  Erastus  Adams  of  Worcester,  Nov.  14, 


GENEALOGY. FROST.  419 

1872,  r.  Worcester,  has  one  child,  Walter  Gardner,  b.  Jan.  12, 

1874;  2.  "Fred  Wallace,"  b.  July  27,  1858. 
(4.)  Afarcia  Sanger,  b.  June  5,  1830,  d.  Oct.  12,  1830. 
(5.)  Manassah  Sawyar,  b.  Sept.  10,  1831,  d.  Sept  18,  1833. 
(6.)  Laura  Ann,  b.  Dec.  14,  1834,  d.  Feb.  27,  1835. 
(7.)  Ann  Maria,  b.  Sept.  4,  1836,  r.  Worcester  with  her  father, 

unm.  (1878.) 
(8.)  Sarah    Marcia    Saivyer,    b.    Nov.    24,    1837,    m.    George 

Luther  Sawyer  of  Harvard,  June  2,  1861,  r.   Harvard  (1878), 

had  three  children  :   i.  "Elmer  Jabez,"   b.   at   Harvard,  Jan. 

25,  1862,  d.  May  28,  1868;  2.  "Alice  Frost,"  b.  at  Harvard, 

July  4,  1871  ;  3.  "Lucy  Farwell,"  b.  Aug.  8,  1875, 

4.  Scripture,  Jr.,  b.  Oct.  17,  1797,  m.  Nancy  Henry  of  Shirley, 
Jan.  27,  1824,  d.  at  Boston,  Nov.  16,  1835  j  his  widow  d,  June 
n,  1879  ;  h^  h^<^  '^^^o  children  : 

(i.)  Francis   Louis,    b.  at  Shirley,   Nov.    20,    1825,   m.  Agnes 

of  Newark,  N.  J.,  d.  at  Newark,  June   16,  1872,  had 

one  child  :  i.  "George  Francis,"  b.  Feb.  22,  1871  ;  his  widow 
r.  Newark  (1878). 

(2.)  Caroline  Lucinda,  b.  at  Harvard,  March  29,  1830,  m.  (first) 
Joseph  B.  Brown  of  Boston,  Sept.  15,  1852,  divorced  in  1861, 
m.  (second)  William  Sullivan  Blake  of  Boston,  Aug.  6,  1861  ; 
he  d.  Aug.  24,  187 1  ;  she  had  one  child:  i.  "Blanche  Lil- 
lian," b.  at  Boston,  June  16,  1854,  r.  Boston  (1878). 

5.  Martha,  b.  April  23,  1799,  m.  Charles  Willard  of  Harvard, 
Feb.  15,  1 82 1,  had  four  children,  and  d.  at  Harvard,  March  16, 
1851.     Her  children  were 

(i.)  Martha  Ann,  b.  Jan.  12,  1822,  m.  Barzilla  Lawrence  of 
Harvard,  April  25,  1843,  r.  West  Acton  (1878),  had  two 
children:  i.  "Martha  Malvina,"  b.  Oct.  2,  1852,  m.  Alvin 
Lincoln  Whitcomb,  Nov.  21,  1870,  has  two  children  :  i.  Fred 
Lincoln,  b.  May  5,  1871  ;  2.  Charles  Ernest,  b.  April  25, 
1873;   2.   "Austin  Edmund,"  b.  March  28,  1859. 

(2.)  Charles  Austin,  b.  May  30,  1823,  m.  Ellen  Sprague,  May 
30,  185-,  had  one  child:   i.  "Myra  Ellen,"  b.  April  4,  1859. 

(3.)  Sarah  Elizabeth,  b.  July  6,  1827,  d.  at  Harvard,  Sept.  9, 
1831. 

(4.)  Clarissa  Malvina,  b.  June  30,  1838,  d.  at  Harvard,  Jan. 
17,  1846. 

6.  Artemas,  b.  Feb.  23,  1803,  m.  Mary  Ann  Hemmenway  of 
Boston,  Sept.  28,  1830,  d.  at  Harvard,  Nov.  19,  1846,  had  two 
children  : 

(i.)  A  daughter,  b.  and  d.  Sept.  2,  1838,  at  Harvard. 

(2.)  Ann  Rebecca,  b.   Sept.   2,    1838,   m.   William    Maynard   of 

Hyde    Park,   Aug.    10,    1871,  r.    Hyde   Park;    her  widowed 

mother  r.  in  her  family. 

7.  Sarah,  b.  May  5,  1808,  m.  Oliver  Taylor,  r.  Stow  (1878). 

8.  Clarissa,  b.  Sept.  27,  1809,  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  George 

Simons,  m.  (second)  Phinehas  Weatherbee,  r.  West  Acton 
(1878). 


420  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Scripture  Frost,  the  ancestor  of  the  foregoing  long  record  of 
names  was  a  soldier  from  Shirley,  in  the  Continental  service,  in  the 
company  under  command  of  Capt.  Robert  Longley  of  Bolton,  i  775. 

II.  TRIPHENA,  b.  March  26,  1761,  m.  David  Jenkins  of  Stod- 
dard, N.  H.,  pub.  Oct.  26,  1780. 

III.  SARAH,  b.  June  10,  1765,  m.  Paul  Hale  of  Peterboro,'  N.  H. 

IV.  MARY,  b.  Feb.  10,  1767. 

V.  HANNAH,  b.  March  14,  1770. 

VI.  ELIZABETH,  b.  April,  1773. 


FROTHINGHAM. 


iFrOti)infll)am,  Wiiiiiam,  Jr.,  and  Miss  Mary  Leathers, 
both  of  Shirley,  intend  marriage,  Nov.  ye  19,  1775. 

The  above  publishment  contains  two  names  of  residents  of  Shirley, 
not  found  in  any  other  record,  and  concerning  whom  tradition  is 
silent. 


GOING. 


Mr.  Savage  speaks  of  four  persons  or  families  of  this  name  that 
settled  in  Massachusetts,  in  the  early  history  of  that  colony  :  Robert, 
in  Dedham,  1644  ;  Simon,  in  Rowley,  1675  ;  John,  at  Lynn,  in  1682, 
and  Nathaniel,  at  Reading,  in  1691.  But  that  the  early  settler  in 
Shirley,  of  this  name,  descended  from  either  of  these  families  has 
not  been  ascertained  ;  indeed,  no  extended  genealogy  of  the  name 
has  been  published,  if  compiled. 

Going  is  probably  the  true  orthography  of  the  name,  though  it 
has  at  times  been  written  Gowing,  Gowen,  and  Goen. 

CffOlUfl,  22t)ni0?n%  m.  Abigail  Symonds,  April  27,  1757. 
He  lived  in  the  north  part  of  Shirley,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Mr.  Charles  Andrews.  There  his  children  were  born,  and  there  he 
remained  until  led  into  retirement  by  advancing  years,  when  he  re- 
moved with  his  wife,  to  some  town  in  the  now  state  of  Maine. 
There,  in  the  family  of  one  of  their  children,  they  passed  the  residue 
of  their  lives.  He  was  one  of  the  Shirley  volunteers  at  the  alarm  of 
April  19,  1 775,, and  was  the  second  lieutenant  of  the  company. 
They  had  twelve  children  : 

I.  JOSEPH,  b.  Nov.  25,  1757,  d.  Sept.  2,  1776. 

II.  EBENEZER,  b.  March  10,  1761,  d.  Oct.  10,  1761. 

III.  EBENEZER,  b.  Sept.  29,  1762,  m.  Sarah,  daughter  of  Eben- 
ezer  and  Hannah  Smith  of  Shirley,  pub.  April  16,  1785. 


GENEALOGY. GOING.  421 

IV.  EZEKIEL,  b.  March  2,  1764,  m,  Lucy  Douglas,  d.  at  Shirley, 
Nov.  24,  1847.  His  widow  d.  there  Feb.  12,  1856.  He  had  six 
children  : 

1.  Sally,  b.  April  27,  1786,  m.  John  Bailey  of  Lunenburg,  pub. 
1809,  r.  Lunenburg  (1877),  has  had  nine  children  : 

(i.)  Caroline,  b.  Dec.  3,  18 10. 

(2.)  Asher,  b.  March  5,  181 2. 

(3.)  Lovina,  b.  Aug.  8,  1814. 

(4.)  Doiras  M.,  b.  Feb.  15,  1816. 

(5.)  Samuel  H.,  b.  Sept.  21,  1818. 

(6.)  Mary  B.,  b.  June  10,  182 1. 

(7.)  ^//, "b.  July  16,  1826. 

(8.)  Eliza,  b.  July  16,  1826. 

(9.)  Sarah  A.,  b.  July  7,  1829. 

2.  Lucy,  b.  May  18,   1791,   m.  Benjamin  Bailey   of   Lunenburg, 
pub.  1809,  d.  at  Lunenburg,  Jan.  9,  1868,  had  seven  children  : 
(i.)  Martha,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Jan.  20,  1810, 

(2.)  Lticy,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  March  6,  181 2. 

(3.)  Samuel  B.,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Sept.  13,  18 14. 

(4.)  Luther  H.,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  June  8,  181 7. 

(5.)  Benja7nin,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  June  23,  181 9. 

(6.)  Ezekiel,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Nov.  27,  1822. 

(7.)   Charlotte  D.,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  March  18,  1829. 

3.  Asher,  d.  in  infancy. 

4.  Abigail,  b.  June  27,  1799,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Joseph 
Adams  of  Lunenburg,  m.  (second)  Amos  Robbins  of  Mason, 
N.  H.,  r.  Mason  (1868).     She  has  had  three  children. 

5.  Bathsheba,  b.  Sept.  17,  1803,  m.  George  Lancey  of  Brookline, 
N.  H.,  May  29,  1827,  d.  at  Clinton.  She  has  had  six  children  : 
(i.)  Lucy  Ann,  b.  Oct.  27,  1827,  r.  Clinton,  unm.  (1882.) 

(2.)  Abigail  Augusta,  b.  Sept.  i,  1829,  d.  at  Clinton,  Sept.  8, 
1866. 

(3.)  Eli  Saivtell,  b.  Oct.  8,  1831,  m.  Sylvia  Adams  of  Lunen- 
burg, March  29,  1853,  d.  Oct.  18,  1865,  had  six  children: 
I.  "Wilbur  A.,"  b.  at  Lunenburg,  May  30,  1853,  m.  Emma 
Cook  of  Lunenburg,  Nov.  25,  1873  ;  2.  "Myrtilla  L.,"  b.  at 
Lunenburg,  Nov.  4,  1855,  m.  William  Dickson,  April  18, 
1872;  3.  "Abby  A.,"  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Dec.  27,  1857;  4. 
"Roswell,"  b.  May  26,  i860;  5.  "Eli  F.,"  b.  July  26,  1862; 
6.  "Elbridge  S.,"  b.  Oct.  15,  1863. 

(4.)  Martha  R.,  b.  Sept.  6,  1833,  m.  Samuel  A.  Baker  of 
Clinton,  Oct.  20,  1852,  r.  Clinton  (1882). 

(5.)  George  Albert,  m.  Hattie  A.  Wyeth  of  Lunenburg,  May  18, 
1859,  has  had  nine  children:  i.  "Freddie,"  b.  at  Lunenburg, 
June  4,  i860;  2.  "George  McClellan,"  b.  at  Lunenburg, 
May  7,  1862;  3.  "Elmer  E.,"  b.  at  Lunenburg,  April  9, 
1865;  4.  "Samuel  A.,"  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Feb.  28,  1866;  5. 
"Henry  A.,"  b.  at   Lunenburg,  Oct.  14,  1867;    6.  "Gertrude 


422  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

S.,"  b.   at  Lunenburg,    June    28,    1869;      7.    "Mattie    C," 
b.    at    Lunenburg,    Dec.   23,    1871  ;    8.    "Ellery   E.,"   b.   at 
Lancaster,  Feb.  4,   1874;    9.  "Fannie  E.,"  b.  at  Lancaster, 
June  19,  1875,  d.  Aug.  30,  1875. 
(6.)  Luther  Augustus,  b.  May  22,  1837,  unm,  (1882.) 

6.  Eli,  b.  Oct.  17,  1805. 

V.  WILLIAM,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  4,  1767,  was  four  times  m.,  (first) 
to  Lucy,  daughter  of  Dea.  John  and  Rachel  (Tuttle)  Heald  of 
Shirley,  pub.  Jan.  8,  1789  ;  m.  (second)  Abigail  Sawyer;  m.  (third) 
Nancy  Flagg  of  Lunenburg,  who  d.  July  10,  1836;  m.  (fourth) 
Mrs.  Lucretia  Holbrook,  and  Mr.  Going  was  her  fourth  husband ; 
he  d.  Oct.  26,  1847,  had  seven  children  : 

1.  Rhoda,  m.  Joshua  Stevens  of  Boston. 

2.  Lucy,  b.  1791,  m.  Robert  Hosea  of  Boston,  1809,  had  one 
child : 

(i.)  Robert,  b.  181 1,  m. 

3.  Comfort,  removed  in  early  life  to  some  town  in  Maine,  where 
he  m.,  had  a  family,  and  d. 

4.  William,  was  a  soldier  of  the  American  army  in  the  war  of 
181 2,  from  which  service  he  never  returned  to  his  home,  and 
never  was  heard  from  by  his  friends. 

5.  Alvy,  left  his  home  in  Shirley  at  early  manhood,  r.  Baltimore, 
Md.  (1875.) 

6.  Eliza,  m.  Herbert  Proctor  of  Charlestown,  Nov.  26,  1820,  had 
one  child  : 

(i.)  Abigail  G.,  passed  a  portion  of  her  girlhood  with  the 
Shakers,  afterward  seceded  from  that  faith,  and  m.  Benjamin 
Britton,  May  2,  1855. 

7.  Augustus,  b.  at  Charlestown,  Oct.  6,  1821,  m.  Mrs.  Amanda 
Heald  of  Shirley,  July  4,  1848,  r.  Leominster  (1880),  had  one 
child  : 

(i.)  Sarah  A.,  b.  at  Fitchburg,  Jan.  26,  1849. 

VI.  NABBY,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  26,  1769,  left  home  during  her 
years  of  girlhood,  and  lived  at  Belfast,  Me.,  where  she  m.  and 
reared  a  family. 

VII.  THOMAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  11,  1772,  d.  Aug.  20,  1773. 

VIII.  ELIZABETH,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  5,  1773,  d.  Oct.  11,  1775. 

IX.  ASA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  9,  1775,  left  the  town  of  his  nativity  at 
an  early  period  of  his  active  life,  and  secured  a  residence  in  some 
town  in  Maine.  There  by  industry  and  frugality  he  secured  that 
worldly  prosperity  which  enabled  him  to  open  a  retreat  for  his  des- 
titute parents,  when  age  and  infirmity  had  deprived  them  of  the 
abihty  of  self-support. 

X.  THOMAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  28,  1778,  d.  Nov.  9,  1778. 


GENEALOGY. GOING.  423 

XL     JOSEPH,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  28,  1778. 

XII.  MOLLY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  8,  1780,  left  her  native  town  a 
maiden,  and  became  an  inmate  of  her  sister's  family  in  Belfast, 
Me.,  where  she  married. 

©Otllfi,  Jfonati^aU,  a  brother  of  Ebenezer,  Sen.,  b.  Sept.  12, 
1738.  He  lived  in  a  north-west  section  of  the  town,  on  the  farm 
that  is  the  present  home  of  Abram  Fairbanks,  He  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Anna  Bennett,  April  15,  1762,  m.  (second)  Hannah  Kendall ; 
had  nine  children  : 

I.  JONATHAN,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  25,  1762. 

II.  THOMAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  19,  1764. 

in.     ANNA,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  14,  1766,  m.  Abram  Pierce. 

IV.  ELIAB,  b.  Sept.  6,  1770,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Abigail 
Warren  of  Townsend,  Feb.  4,  1793  ;  she  d.  Feb.  7,  1833  ;  he  m. 
(second)  Dorcas  Humphrey,  Dec.  10,  1835  i  ^^  d-  P^^-  i9>  1849; 
had  seven  children  : 

1.  Sally,  b.  May,   1795,  m.  William  Turner,  June  25,   1818,  d. 
April,  186 1. 

2.  RoxEY,  b.  May  6,  1796,  m.   Eri    Lewis,   Nov.   20,  1820.     She 
had  four  children  : 

(i.)  Roxayina,  b.  Jan.  24,  1822,  m.  Thomas  Farrar,  June  13, 
1844,  had  one  child  :   i.  "Flora,"  b.  Sept.  3,  1856. 

(2.)  Sally  Marshall,  b.  July  20,  1824,  m.  George  W.  Bracket, 
Nov.  3,  1842,  d.  July  3,  1844. 

(3.)  Nancy,  b.  July  20,  1827,  m.  Henry  Williams,  Oct.  27, 
1848,  had  five  children:  i.  "Sarah  Ann,"  b.  Dec.  17,  1849; 
2.  "Eliza  B.,"  b.  Dec.  30,  1851  ;  3.  "James  H.,"  b.  Oct.  21, 
1853,  d.  Sept.  3,  1854;  4.  "John  F.,"  b.  July  25,  1856,  d. 
May  29,  1857;  5.  "Alice  Maria,"  b.  Aug.  21,  1859. 

(4.)  Eli  Brazer,  b.  June  6,  18 2-,  d.  April  16,  1849. 

3.  Charles,  b.  Jan,  28,  1800,  d.  Nov,  i,  1819. 

4.  Ivory,  b.  Sept.  22,  1802,  m.  Abigail  Phillips,  d.  Dec.  12,  1861. 

5.  Abigail,  b.  Sept,  5,  1804. 

6.  Anna,  b,  Nov,  3,  1807,  m,  Artemas  Roswell,  Feb.  16,  1842,  r. 
Acton  (1862). 

7.  Eliab,  b.  May  27,  1813,   m.    Hannah  Warren,   Dec,   12,  1834; 
has  had  twelve  children,  all  b,  at  Townsend  : 

(i.)  Mary  E.,  b.  Dec.  16,  1836,  d.  April  4,  1838. 

(2,)   Charles  IV.,  b,  Feb.  21,  1838, 

(3,)  Henry,  b.  May  i,  1839,  d,  Aug.,  1839. 

(4.)  Francis  M.,  b.  Jan.  18,  1841, 

(5.)  Johfi  N.,  b.  April  20,  1843. 

(6,)  Henry  K.,  b.  March  27,  1845. 

(7.)  Edward  B.,  b.  Oct.  4,  1847. 

(8.)  Nancy  Elizabeth,  b.  Jan.  27,  1849. 


424  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(9.)  Ahby  Ann,  b.  May  9,  1851. 
(10.)  Mary  Emma,  b.  Nov.  12,  1852. 
(11.)  Eliah  Hamilton,  b.  Oct.  19,  1854. 
(12.)  Hannah  A.,  b.  Sept.  22,  1857. 

V.  ASx^HEL,  b.  June  30,  1772. 

VI.  BENJAMIN,  b.  June  14,  1774. 

VII.  JOHN  KENDALL,  b.  Dec.  14,  1777,  m.  Mary  Flagg  of 
Lunenburg,  June  27,  1803.  He  had  two  children,  and  d.  at 
Shirley,  Oct.  10,  1847. 

1.  John  Kendall,  b.  Dec.  14,  1810,  m.  Harriet  Barrett  of  Shirley, 
May  29,  1837,  had  one  child,  and  d.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  20,  1866. 

John  K.  Going,  Jr.,  held  a  commanding  position  in  Shirley 
during  the  most  of  his  manhood  life.  From  small  pecuniary 
beginnings  he  came  up  to  the  possession  of  a  large  estate.  This 
work,  in  which  so  many  fail,  he  accomplished  by  an  unwearied 
activity  and  indefatigable  industry.  He  was  early  and  late  en- 
gaged in  his  purposes,  with  unrelaxed  zeal  and  untiring  devotion. 
Indeed,  his  severe  application  to  business  was  the  procuring 
cause  of  the  sickness  which  terminated  his  earthly  existence. 

But  though  his  efforts  were  successful  in  the  procurement  of 
earthly  wealth,  (the  basis  of  American  aristocracy,)  he  ever 
maintained  that  urbane,  familiar  bearing  which  characterizes  the 
true,  well-bred  gentleman,  regarding  himself  not  above  the 
grade  of  any  other  true-minded  citizen. 

From  time  to  time  he  received  the  honors  of  official  stations 
with  dignity,  and  discharged  their  various  duties  with  correctness 
and  decision.  For  four  years  he  held  the  office  of  selectman, 
and  represented  the  town  in  one  state  legislature.  He  was  also 
for  several  years  a  county  commissioner.  He  died  at  a  com- 
paratively early  age,  leaving  a  widow  and  son  heirs  of  his  large 
estate.  During  his  life  Mr.  Going  gave  a  new  glazing  to  the 
entire  church  of  the  first  parish  in  Shirley,  with  which  he  was 
connected,  and  left  a  fund  of  five  hundred  dollars  for  the  future 
ministerial  support  of  said  parish.  His  son  did  still  more  ;  was 
at  the  expense  of  a  thorough  renovation  of  the  interior  of  the 
church  building,  changing,  in  a  measure,  its  form,  and  adding 
largely  to  its  appendages,  thus  rendering  it  one  of  the  most 
appropriate  and  inviting  temples  of  worship  to  be  found  in  any 
of  the  rural  towns  of  this  vicinity. 

(i.)  Henry  B.,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  7,  1839,  m.  Nelly  L. 
Chambers  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Oct.  28,  1867,  she  was  b.  Oct. 
]o,  1846  ;  has  had  three  children,  r.  Boston  (1882).  i.  "Ma- 
bel," b.  Dec.  21,  1868;  2.  "Gertrude,"  b.  Jan.  2,  1870;  3. 
"John  K.,"  b.  Oct.  29,  1871. 

2.  Mary  Flagg,  b.  Oct.  3,  18 14,  m.  William  Linsted  of  Boston, 
May  19,  1846.  She  had  two  children,  and  d.  at  Lunenburg, 
Nov.  15,  1867. 

(i.)  Mary  Emma,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  16,  184S. 
(2.)  John  Going,  b.  July  23,  1852. 


GENEALOGY. GOING.  425 

VIII.  HANNAH,    b.  June   ii,   1779,  m.  Jonathan  Spaulding   of 
Townsend,  Jan.  i,  1797,  had  seven  children,  and  d.  Sept.  ii,  1857. 

1.  James,  b.  Oct.  26,  1797,  m.  Betsey  Smith,  June,   1831,  r.  New 
York,  N.  Y.  (1862.) 

2.  Ephraim,  b.  Feb.,  1 799,  m.  Orilla  PYank  of  Middlebury,  Vt. 

3.  Jonathan,  b,  June   14,   1803,   m.   Mary  Warner  of  Townsend, 
April  10,  1828,  had  three  children,  and  d.  Dec.  2,  1871. 

(i.)  Alfred,  b.  June  21,  1829,  r.  New  York,  N.  Y.  (1862.) 
(2.)  Sarah  H.,  b.  Oct.  27,  1832. 
(3.)   Gilman  W.,  b.  March  13,  1841. 

4.  Laura,  b.  Sept.,  1805,  d.  Sept.,  1814. 

5.  Esther,  b.  1807,  d.  1809. 

C.  John,  b.  Aug.  2,  1809,  m.  Elizabeth  Kinsman  of  Thetford,  Vt., 

May,  1834. 
7.  Harriet,  b.  Dec.  2,  181 3,  m.  Brooks  Adams,  Oct.  6,  1832. 

IX.  JAMES,  b.  Dec.  27,  1780,  m.  Abigail  Hill  of  Dublin,  N.  H., 
had  eleven  children,  and  d.  April  6,  1839. 

1.  Hannah,  b.  Dec.  24,  1800,  m.  Levi  Howard  of  Amherst,  N.  H., 
r.  Amherst  (1867). 

2.  Abigail,  b.  April,  1802,  was  thrice  m.,  (first)  to Loomes,  m. 

(second) Whilhelm,  m.  (third) Barber,  d.  Jan.  11,  1875. 

3.  James,  b.  March  21,  1805,  m.   Elvira  Wright  of   Hubbardston, 
d.  July  7,  1835. 

4.  Almira,  b.  Jan.  13,  1807,   m.   Andrew   Derby,  Dec.  28,   1829. 
She  has  had  nine  children  : 

(i.)  Almira  Ariatida,  b.  April  23,  183 1,  d.  Sept.  13,  1843. 

(2.)  Andretu  L.,  b.  Jan.  22,  1833,  d.  Dec.  6,  1835. 

(3.)  Emily,  b.  Jan.  31,  1834,  d.  Dec.  24,  1836. 

(4.)   Gilman,  b.  April  22,  1837,  d.  Feb.  7,  1840. 

(5.)   George,  b.  April  i,  1839,  d.  Feb.  10,  1850. 

(6.)   Gilbert  H.,  b.  Aug.   31,  1842,  m.  Aug.  23,   1862,  Sarah  S. 

Lamb  of  Phillipston  ;  children  :  i.  "Florence,"  b.  Feb.  10,  1864, 

d.  Oct.  19,  1866  ;  2.  "James  Henry,"  b.  Oct.  17,  1866,  d.  Aug. 

17,  1867  ;  3.  "Stella,"  b.  April  14,  1867  ;  r.  Fitchburg. 
(7.)  Andrew  J.,  b.  Feb.  26,  1845  ;  m.  Hattie  Brown  of  Bolton, 

May  17,  1870. 
(8.)  James  Polk,  b.  Jan.   8,    1847  ;    ™-   Emma  A.   Proctor   of 

Fitchburg,  Oct.  11,  1872,  and  has  three  children:   i.  "James 

Harry,"    b.    June    i,    1873;     2.  "Otis   Proctor;"    3.  "John 

Andrew  ;"  r.  Jamaica  Plain  (1882). 
(9.)  Frank   G.,  b.  May  13,  1850,  m.  Annie  Fillmore  of  Boston, 

May  17,  1882. 

.5.  Mary  F.,  b.  March  2,  18 10,  m.  Abel  Derby,  Sept.  3,  1833,  had 
one  child  : 
(i.)   Harriet  Emma,  h.  ]di\\.  22,  1842. 

6.  Henry,  b.  Dec.  24,  18 11,  d.  June  2,  1821. 
54 


426  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

7.  Benjamin,  b.  Oct.  2,  1814,  m.  Emma  Bennett,  d.  Jan.  12,  1864. 

8.  Charles,  b.  Jan.  16,  1816,  m.  Hannah  Russell  of  Lowell;    six 
children. 

9.  Nancy,  b.  March  13,  1820,  m.  Nathaniel  Cowden. 

10.  Henry,  b.  Dec.  10,  1821. 

11.  George,  b.  July  5,  1824,  twice  m.,  (first)   to  Almina   Giles  of 
Lowell,  m.  (second)  Hattie  Sprague  of  Lowell. 


GORDON. 

C5or'90n,  Xati)ani0l,  b.  in  Ireland,  in  the  county  of  Tyrone, 
1700,  m.  Sarah  Martin  and  had  four  children,  John,  James — who  d. 
young, — Samuel  and  Hannah.  Samuel  emigrated  some  years  before 
the  other  members  of  the  family,  but  the  father,  mother,  and  the 
other  two  children  were  landed  at  Boston  about  the  year  1 749.  John 
was  a  brewer  by  trade,  and  went  into  business  in  Boston  with  Samuel 
Adams,  the  great  American  statesmen  and  patriot.  Soon  after  their 
immigration,  the  father  (Nathaniel)  and  Samuel  removed  with  the 
family  to  Dunstable,  where  they  resided  five  years.  About  the  year 
of  the  organization  of  the  town,  the  family  purchased  a  farm  in 
Shirley,  and  came  here,  and  must  have  remained  until  the  year  1770, 
when  Samuel  removed  to  Peterboro',  carrying  with  him  his  father  and 
mother,  and  they  became  residents  of  that  town  for  life.  Nathaniel, 
the  father,  d.  in  1788,  his  wife  d.  in  1781. 

I.  JOHN,  b.  in  Ireland,  in  1729,  m.  Mary  Campbell  of  Townsend, 
Oct.  28,  1762,  had  three  children  b.  at  Shirley.  He  was  one  of 
the  volunteers  to  Cambridge  the  day  after  the  19th  of  April,  1775. 
He  d.  at  Peterboro',  time  of  his  d.  unknown. 

1.  JosiAH,  b.  May  17,  1763. 

2.  Elizabeth,  b.  March  16,  1767. 

3.  Daniel,  b.  Feb.  14,  1769. 

II.  SAMUEL,  b.  in  Ireland,  May  17,  1732,  m.  Eleanor  Mitchel, 
who  was  also  of  Irish  descent,  and  who  came  to  this  country  dur- 
ing the  French  and  English  war,  in  which  her  father  was  killed, 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  family  except  her  mother,  brother,  and  her- 
self, were  carried  off  by  small  pox.  He  (Samuel)  d.  at  Peterboro', 
Dec.  2,  1 81 8.  His  wife,  Eleanor,  d.  there  Nov.  2,  1820.  They 
had  eleven  children  : 

1.  Samuel,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  27,  1765,  m.  Lydia  Ames  of  Han- 
cock, N.  H.,  May  20,  1790.  He  was  a  trader  in  Hancock  for 
a  season,  and  then  removed  to  Charlestown  and  became  pro- 
prietor of  a  hotel.  At  one  time  public  suspicion  rested  on  him 
as  being  concerned  in  the  murder  and  robbery  of  David 
Starrett,  on  Charlestown  bridge,  who  was  a  guest  at  his  hotel, 
and  who  had  mysteriously  disappeared,  his  rifled  trunk  being 


GENEALOGY. GORDON.  427 

found  on  the  bridge  ;  but  who,  after  some  ten  or  twelve  years — 

his  estate  in  the  meanwhile  having  been  settled  in   probate   in 

New  Hampshire — was  found  to  be  living,  in  one  of  the  Western 

states.     Mr.  Gordon  removed  to  Hallowell,  Me.,  and  d.  there, 

June   23,  1853.     His  widow  d.  there  also,  July  5,  1853.     They 

had  eleven  children  : 

(i.)  Samuel,  b.  at  Hancock,  Aug.  7,  1791,  d.  in  infancy, 

(2.)   Yorick   S.,  h.  at   Hancock,  Jan.  9,   1793,  d.  at  Pineville, 

S.  C,  1820. 
(3.)   0/iver  //.,  b.  at  Hancock,  June  27,  1794,  d.  at  Woodside, 

N.  J.,  1869. 

(4.)  Lydia,  b.  at  Hancock,  Dec.  25,  1795,  m. Kimball. 

(5.)  Isabella,  b.  at  Hancock,  June  14,  1798,  m. White. 

(6.)  Eleanor,  b.  at  Hancock,  Jan.  30,  1800,  d.  Sept.  8,  1808. 
(7.)  Elizabeth,  b.   at   Hancock,   Oct.    13,  1805,  m.  Thomas  H. 

Brooks,  d.  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  1871. 
(8.)  Rebecca    C,  b.  at  Hancock,  Feb.  29,   1808,  d.  June    27, 

1808. 
(9.)  Samuel  A.,  b.  at  Hancock,  Oct.  3,  1810,  d.  at  Hallowell, 

Me.,  Feb.  26,  1845. 
(10.)  Sarah  M.,  b.  at  Charlestown,  March  6,   18 13,  m.  Justus 

Hurd,  r.  St.  Louis. 
{11.)  John    Clark,  b.  at  Charlestown,  Oct.    12,    1818,  d.    Oct. 

19,   1818. 

2.  Sally,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  10,  1767,  r.  Charlestown. 

8.  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  23,  1769,  m.  Joseph  Barnes  of 
Sharon,  Sept.  17,  1801. 

4.  HANN.A.H,  b.  at  Peterboro',  N.  H.,  1772,  m.  Stephen  Pierce. 

5.  Nathaniel,  lived  in  New  York,  and  d.  1827,  frozen  to  death. 

(j.  Eleanor,  m.  Capt.  Andrew  Cochran,  U.  S.  A.,  March  11,  1816. 

7.  Jane,  r.  Milford,  N.  H.,  unm. 

•S.  Polly,  m.  Adam  Dickey  of  Milford,  Nov.  7,  1808. 

D.  Nehemiah,  went  to  sea,  and  d.  at  Martha's  Vineyard,  unm. 

10.  John,  b.  at  Peterboro',  Dec.  20,  1790,  m.  Betsey  Smith,  Dec. 
31,  1 8 19,  d.  at  Montebello,  111.,  April  3,  1839.  He  had  two 
children  : 

(1.)  Jonathan  S.,  b.  at  Peterboro',  Oct.  20,  1822,  d.  at  Monte- 
bello, March  27,  1839. 

(2.)  Samuel,  b.  at  Peterboro',  May  3,  1825,  m,  Pamelia  A. 
Alvord,  April  3,  1851,  r.  Hamilton,  111.  He  has  had  six 
children:  i.  "EllaE.,"b.  Oct.  i,  1852;  2.  "John  A.,"  b. 
Aug.  21,  1855  ;  3.  "Alice  A.,"  b.  Jan.  14,  1858  ;  4.  "Agnes 
C,"  b.  Dec.  17,  i860;  5.  "Robert  Smith,"  b.  Dec.  10, 
1866;  6.  "Mabel  B.,"  b.  Dec.  30,  1870. 

11.  Nancy,  m.  Thomas  M.  Dickey,  Jan.  26,  1815,  r.  Amherst, 
N.  H.     See  Smith's  History  of  Peterboro'. 


428  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

GOULD. 

Savage  reports  several  immigrant  families  of  this  name,  among  the 
New  England  settlers  previous  to  1700,  in  his  Genealogical  Dic- 
tionary, One  of  the  earliest  and  most  prominent  of  these  was 
Zaccheus  Gould,  who  was  born  about  the  year  1589,  came  to  America 
about  the  year  1638,  and  settled  at  Ipswich  [Topsfield],  where  he  d. 
in  1679.  He  had  five  children,  of  whom  the  youngest  only  was  a 
son:  John,  b.  June  10,  1635,  ^^^  '^-  Sarah  Baker,  Oct.  12,  1660, 
and  who  d.  Jan.  26,  1709.  He  had  eight  children,  among  whom  was 
Samuel,  b.  March  9,  1669,  m.  Margaret  Stone,  April  20,  1697,  r.  at 
Boxford,  and  d.  1724,  had  nine  children,  among  whom  was 

iSfOUltl,  Jonati)an/  (Samuel,^  John,2  Zaccheus,')  b.  Aug.  25, 
1709,  m.  Lydia  Smith,  pub.  May  3,  1730.  He  lived  in  what  became 
the  town  of  Shirley,  as  early  as  1747,  as  he  was  one  of  the  petitioners 
of  that  year  for  the  establishment  of  the  new  town,  and  he  d.  in 
Shirley,  Oct.  7,  1758;  Lydia,  his  wife,  d.  Sept.  28,  1758.  He  had 
seven  children  : 

I.     JONATHAN,  b.  July  24,  1731,  d.  1758. 

n.     LYDIA,  b.  Dec.  21,  1732,  m.  Amos  Atherton,  May  4,  1758. 

III.  MARY,  b.  Jan.  i,  1735,  m.  Obadiah  Sawtell,  pub.  May  26, 
1756,  d.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  14,  1773. 

IV.  MARGARET,  b.  April  16,  1737. 

V.  SAMUEL,  baptized  Dec.  23,  1739,  m.  Elizabeth  Farwell  of 
Shirley,  and  after  a  residence  of  some  six  years  in  Shirley,  removed 
to  Lunenburg.     He  had  six  children  : 

1.  Betty,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  29,  1769. 

2.  Lydia,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  24,  1770. 

3.  Sarah,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  23,  1772,  d.  same  day. 

4.  Molly,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  28,  1776. 

5.  Phinehas,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Oct.  25,  1778. 
G.  Hannah,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  March  11,  1781. 

VI.  ZACCHEUS,  baptized  April  25,  1742. 

VII.  DANIEL,  baptized  May  27,  1744. 

CEOUltJ,  iJWlOStS,  son  of  Samuel  and  Margaret  Gould,  and 
brother  of  Jonathan,  (Moses,^  Samuel,''  John,-  Zaccheus,')  b.  July, 
i732,m.  Submit,  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Hannah  [Sawtell]  Holden, 
Sept.   13,   1759,  had  two  children: 

I.  NEHEMIAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  27,  1760. 

II.  MOSES,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  i,  1761. 

CSrOUllJ,  ISflllitI, — probably  a  kinsman  of  those  that  have  been 
recorded,  and  a  descendant  of  Zaccheus,  of  Topsfield,  though  the 
line  of  descent  does  not  clearly  appear, — lived  in  what  became 
Shirley,  in  1747,  and  signed  the  petition   for  a  separate  town.     One 


GENEALOGY. GOULD-HALL.  429 

of  this  name,  and  probably  David  Gould  of  Shirley,  lived  in  Tops- 
field  first,  and  afterward  in  Lunenburg,  and  was  a  large  landholder 
there;  m.  Abigail  Dodge  of  Beverley,  Aug.  to,  1726,  and  had  nine 
children  : 

I.  ABIGAIL,  b.  at  Topsfield,  Feb.  8,  1727. 

II.  REBECCA,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  March  25,  1728. 

III.  SOLOMON,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Dec.  15,  1730. 

IV.  JOSEPH,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Jan.  18,  1732. 

V.  EDMUND,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Jan.  18,  1735. 

VI.  SARAH,  b.  Sept.,  i  736,  m.  Solomon  Rood  of  Amherst,  Feb. 
20,  1759. 

VII.  NOAH,  baptized  Aug.  21,  1737. 

VIII.  JOHN,  baptized  Aug.  5,  1739,  m.  Mary  Barrett,  d.  June  26, 
1768. 

IX.  DANIEL,  b.  Dec.  8,-  1745. 

No  descendants  of  the  Gould  families  are  supposed  now  to  be  in 
this  town  or  vicinity. 

GRIFFIN. 

^ClCKH,  <^USclllUa,  came  from  Gloucester  to  dwell  in  Shir- 
ley, with  Mr.  Stephen  Holden,  in  April,  A.  D.  1776.  Entered 
by  desire  of  Stephen  Holden.  Obadiah  Sawtell."     (See  Shirley 

Town  Records,  page  151,  vol.  i.) 


HALL. 


This  is  a  very  common  New  England  name,  and  represents 
families  that  descended  from  different  immigrant  originals,  who  knew 
but  little  of  common  relationship  on  this  continent.  The  first  that 
appears  on  the  records  of  Shirley  is 

IJ^all,  JJOSltli),  who,  with  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  and  three  child- 
ren, came  to  reside  in  Shirley  during  the  latter  part  of  the  last 
century.  They  were  first  settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  George 
Farnsworth.  At  a  subsequent  period  Mr.  Hall  and  wife  lived  in  the 
family  of  their  son — who  occupied  a  farm  near  the  school-house  in 
district  No.  5 — where  they  both  died.  Elizabeth  Hall  d.  Feb.  8, 
1814,  aged  sixty-eight  years.  Josiah  Hall  d.  Dec.  18,  1823,  aged 
seventy-seven  years.     Their  children  were 

I.  BETSEY,  b.  1774,  m.  .\bel  Hartwell  of  Shirley,  Feb.  6,  1801, 
d.  March  26,  1848. 

II.  ISAAC,  b.  at  Shrewsbury,  Oct.  27,  1779,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Persis  Sargent  of  Chelsea,  Jan.  7,  1801  ;  she  d.  Dec.  27,  1836; 
m.  (second)  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Barber  of  Boston ;  had  twelve  children, 
d.  March  24,  1856. 


430  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

1.  Eliza  H.,  b.  at  Harvard,  Oct.  2,  1801,  m.  Jonathan  B.  Red- 
man, Aug.  7,  1836  ;  she  has  had  six  children  (1857). 

2.  Olive,  b.  at  Groton,  March  4,  1803,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Simon  Gilson  Page  of  Shirley,  pub.  Nov.  25,  1830;  he  d.  Feb. 
19,  1839  ;  m.  (second)  Adam  Howe  of  Sudbury,  d.  at  Sudbury, 
Feb.  27,  1868,  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  A f a///da,  h.  at  Shirley,  March  11,  1835,  m.  Addison  Par- 
menter  of  Sudbury,  March  11,  1858,  r.  Sudbury  (1882),  had 
two  children  :  i.  "Wilbur  Addison,"  b.  at  Sudbury,  May  i, 
i860;  2.  "George  E.,"  b.  at  Sudbury,  Sept.  14,  1864,  d. 
Dec.  8,  1864. 

3.  Nancy,  b.  Feb.  27,  1805,  r.  Lowell,  unm.  (1857.) 

4.  Isaac,  b.  Feb.  22,  1807,  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Sarah  W, 
Waters,  Nov.  29,  1832;  she  d.  June  4,  1858;  m.  (second) 
Lucinda  Torrey  of  Groton,  Oct.  7,  1858,  d.  at  Hudson,  Feb.  25, 
1878  ;  had  children. 

5.  Richard,  b.  March  18,   1809,  m.  Sarah  Ann  Clark  of  Tewks- 
bury,  Oct.  16,  1834,  had  two  children,  and  d.  Oct.  13,  1856. 
(i.)  Richard  Webster,  b.  1835,  d.  June  20,  1856. 

(2.)  Mary  ElizabetJi,  baptized  July  10,  1838. 

G.  Mehitable  S.,  b.  Aug.  13,  181 1,  m.  Wilham  C.  Graham, 
April  2,  1837,  had  six  children  (1857). 

7.  Sarah  H.,  b.  Dec.  4,  1813,  m.  Josiah  W.  Carney,  Dec.  25, 
1843,  ^-  J^'"*'  1 7'  1866. 

H.  Persis,  b.  March  16,  18 16,  m.  Alvin  W.  Phillips,  Oct.  14,  1839. 

9.  Andrew,  b.  July  2,  1818,  m.  Lucretia  Andrews,  who  d.  Dec.  31, 
1870  ;  had  two  children  : 

(i.)  James  Andrew,  b.  Aug.  23,  1848. 
(2.)    William  P.,  b.  April  18,  1858. 

10.  Mary  B,  b.  May  19,  1820,  m.  David  F.  Lord,  Jan.  2,  1842, 
had  eight  children  (1857). 

n.  Rebecca,  b.  March  29,  1824,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Stephen 
Purington  of  Charlestown,  Sept.  6,  1846,  had  two  children  : 
(i.)  Anne,  b.  June  10,  1847,  d.  May  28,  1855. 
(2.)  Andre7v,  b.  Feb.  28,  1850,  d.  April  9,  1853. 

Rebecca,  on  becoming  a  widow,  joined  the  Shakers  in  Shirley ; 
and,  after  a  trial  of  four  or  five  years — during  which  she 
abounded  in  zeal  for  the  new  sect,  declaring  its  members  the 
only  elect  of  the  earth,  and  all  others  heretics  against  reason — 
she  became  enamored  of  one  of  the  brethren — William 
Smith — whom  she  m.  April  29,  1861,  and  returned  to  what  she 
had  deemed  "the  beggarly  elements  of  the  world;"  r.  Groton 
(1877). 

12.   Harriet  Eleanor,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  13,  1839. 
HL     LUCY,  b.  July  3,  1789. 


GENEALOGY. HARPER-HARRINGTON.  431 

HARPER. 

This  name  does  not  frequently  occur  in  the  colonial  records  of 
New  England.  Farmer  speaks  of  Joseph  Harper  who  lived  in 
Braintree  at  an  early  period,  and  Savage  says  that  Robert  Harper 
lived  at  Sandwich,  a  Quaker,  who  in  1659  was  sentenced  at  Boston 
to  receive  fifteen  stripes.  From  this  original  descended,  probably, 
three  persons  of  the  name  who  lived  in  Rindge,  N.  H.,  previous  to 
the  Revolution,  Daniel,  Samuel  and  Thomas,  one  of  whom 

IJ^arpCr,  BaUlCl,  had  a  home  in  Shirley  at  two  distinct 
periods.  He  was  a  roving  body,  his  name  being  found  on  the 
records  of  different  towns.  He  m.  Rachel,  daughter  of  James  and 
Rachel  Colman  of  Lunenburg,  Nov.  23,  1758,  and  removed  to  Ash- 
burnham,  where  he  must  have  remained  four  years  ;  he  then  went  to 
Rindge  for  a  short  time,  and  then  came  to  Shirley  the  first  time  ; 
after  a  few  years  he  removed  to  Littleton,  where  he  remained  until 
May  25,  1772,  when  he  returned  to  Shirley,  and  in  1781  he  is 
reported  in  Stearns'  History  of  Rindge  to  be  from  March  to  Decem- 
ber of  that  year,  in  the  first  New  Hampshire  battalion  ;  it  may  there- 
fore be  assumed  that  he  wandered  there  from  Shirley,  when  his 
•  record  disappears.     His  children  were 

L     RACHEL,  b.  at  Ashburnham,  April  1,  1761. 

H.     JAMES  COLMAN,  b.  at  Ashburnham,  March  10,  1762. 

in.     DANIEL,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  10,  1766. 

IV.  MARY,  h:  at  Littleton,  Feb.  27,  1770. 

V.  AARON,  b.  at  Litdeton,  Jan.  29,  1772,  d.  at  Shirley,  March  17, 

1776. 

VI.  ABIGAIL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.    11,    1775,   d.   in   Shirley,   Feb. 
22,  1777. 

VII.  EZEKIEL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  18,  1778. 


HARRINGTON. 

This  name  is  of  very  frequent  occurrence  in  the  towns  of  New 
England,  and  it  is  presumed  that  those  who  bear  it  are  chiefly  the 
descendants  of  Robert  Harrington,  who  was  settled  at  Watertown  as 
early  as  1642.  Some  of  his  posterity,  or  kindred,  were  located  in 
Lexington,  and  it  is  believed  that  those  of  the  name  who  found 
homes  in  Shirley  wandered  here  from  that  town. 

Mr.  Hudson,  in  his  History  of  Lexington,  gives  the  names  and 
birth-dates  of  three  brothers  of  the  name,  which  correspond  with 
three  that  lived  here  a  few  years  past  the  middle  of  the  last  century. 


432  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

If  these  parties  were  identical,  they  were  the  sons  of  Richard  Harring- 
ton of  Lexington,  who  was  of  the  fourth  generation  from  George, 
who  was  supposed  to  be  a  son  or  brother  of  Robert,  the  immigrant 
of  1642.     The  eldest  was 

il^arin'nflton,  ^i)trtrtrcUS,  b.  Sept.  9,  1736,  m.  Thankful 
Dodge  of  Lunenburg,  April  6,  1758,  was  at  the  time  or  earlier  a  resi- 
dent of  Shirley.  He  was  a  blacksmith,  and  lived  in  the  South  Village, 
where  he  pursued  his  calling.     He  had  four  children  b.  at  Shirley  : 

L     AMML  b.  Sept.  10,  1760. 

n.     ABIGAIL,  b.  Sept.  10,  1760,  m.   Levi  Farnsworth,  pub.  Sept. 
6,  1782. 

IIL     RUHAMA,  b.  Sept.  5,  1762. 

IV.     VASHTI,  b.  Jan.  28,  1767. 

JMHtVinQtOXly  Simeon,  b.  July  S,  1750,  m.  Hannah  Holden 
of  Shirley,  pub.  June  29,  1776.  He  lived  in  the  north  part  of  the 
town,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  William  Neat.  He  was  one  of  the 
volunteers  who  marched  to  Cambridge  on  the  alarm  of  the  nineteenth 
of  April,  1775  ;  he  also  enlisted  July  15,  in  the  company  of  Captain 
Robert  Longley,  for  a  term  of  eight  months  ;  farther  his  record  can- 
not be  traced. 

^acrittflton,  Scti),  b.  Oct.  30,  1752.  it  is  presumed  that 
he  followed  his  brothers  to  their  homes  in  Shirley,  and  there  is  no 
evidence  that  he  was  married  or  had  here  a  home  of  his  own.  He 
was  not,  however,  without  his  uses,  being  one  of  the  volunteers  to 
Cambridge  on  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of  April,  1775.  He  joined  the 
eight  months  men  from  Shirley  on  the  26th  of  the  same  month  and 
year.  He  afterwards  enlisted  into  the  Continental  army  for  three 
years,  in  1777,  and  was  in  some  of  the  hardest  fought  battles  of  the 
Revolution  ;  at  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  at  Monmouth  and  York- 
town.  Beyond  his  connection  with  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  his 
career  is  unknown. 


HARRIS. 


The  ancestor  of  the  family  of  this  name  first  known  in  Shirley  was 
Robert  Harris,  who  (according  to  Bond's  History  of  Watertown,)  was 
m.  in  Roxbury,  to  Elizabeth  Boughey,  June  21,  1642,  and  had  four 
children.  Daniel,  the  third  of  these  children,  was  b.  May  14,  1652, 
m.  Joanna  Brown,  June  14,  1682,  had  twelve  children,  and  d.  Dec. 
15)  1733-  Nathaniel,  the  fifth  of  his  children  in  the  order  of  age, 
was  b.  May  2,  1692,  m.  Hannah  Fullam,  daughter  of  Col.  Francis 
Fullam  of  Weston,  had  ten  children,  and  d.  May  13,  1761.  His 
second  son  was 

Jk^nVViUy  jFranCllS,  b.  at  Watertown,  Oct.  3,  1 721.  He 
settled  in  that  part  of  Ciroton  which  became  the  town  of  Shirley.     In 


GENEALOGY. HARRIS.  433 

1747  he  was  one  of  the  petitioners  for  the  incorporation  of  Shirley, 
and  took  a  very  active  part  in  the  work  of  its  organization  and  in  its 
subsequent  pubhc  duties.  He  was  eleven  times  elected  to  the  office 
of  selectman,  was  one  year  clerk  of  the  town,  and  one  year  town 
treasurer.  He  was  the  delegate  of  the  town  in  the  first  and  second 
sessions  of  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Massachusetts,  convened  at 
Boston  at  the  commencement  of  the  American  Revolution.  He 
held  the  commission  of  a  justice  of  the  peace  at  a  time  when  there 
was  a  service  as  well  as  an  honor  connected  with  the  trust.  He 
built  the  first  mills  on  the  privilege  occupied  by  the  late  Jonathan 
Kilburn  ;  and  was,  in  all  his  movements,  public  and  domestic,  an 
orderly  and  industrious  man,  much,  and  deservedly,  respected  by  his 
fellow-townsmen,  whose  interests  he  as  faithfully  served  as  he  did  his 
own,  to  the  close  of  his  life. 

When  Mr.  Harris  became  a  resident  of  Shirley,  his  family  consisted 
of  his  wife,  Susanna,  and  two  daughters.  He  died  in  1792,  was 
buried  in  what  is  now  the  old  cemetery,  but  through  the  great  omis- 
sion of  somebody,  no  monument  marks  the  place  where  his  remains 
have  been  laid.     Mr.  Harris  had  nine  children  : 

I.  SUSANNA,  b.  at  Watertown,  Sept.  16,  1744,  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Jonathan  Moors  of  Shirley,  who  d.  July  18,  1765,  m. 
(second)  John  D wight  of  Shirley,  and  d.  Sept.  6,  1816. 

H.  SARAH,  b.  at  Watertown,  Nov.  20,  1747,  d.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  4, 
1756. 

in.  PRISCILLA,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  6,  1749,  m.  James  Dicker- 
son  of  Harvard,  d.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  17,  1842. 

IV.  FRANCIS,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  20,  1752,  d.  Oct.  11,  1756. 

V.  ASA,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Oct.  27,  1754.  He  was  one  of  the  vol- 
unteers on  the  Shirley  muster  roll  on  the  alarm,  April  19,  1775. 
He  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Esther  Williams  of  Lancaster,  pub, 
March  16,  1776;  m.  (second)  Patience  Aldrich  of  Cumberland, 
pub.  May  3,  i  788  ;  had  three  children  : 

1.  Lucy,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  June  20,  1780. 

2.  Daniel,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  May  24,  1782. 

3.  Theophilus,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  June  25,  1785. 

VI.  SARAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  2,  1757,  m.  David  Bennett,  Oct. 
14,  1779,  d.  Nov.  24,  1806. 

VII.  ABIGAIL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  9,  1759,  m.  W^illiam  Williams 
of  Shirley,  pub.  Aug.  9,  1777,  d.  March  13,  1830. 

VIII.  HANNAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  14,  1762,  m.  Solomon 
Pratt,  pub.  Aug.  i,  1782,  d.  Sept.  6,  1838. 

IX.  FRANCIS,  b.  June  21,  1764,  m.  Eunice  Holden  of  Shirley, 
Jan.  II,  1789,  had  six  children,  and  d.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  16,  1837. 


434  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

1.  Polly,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  i6,  1789. 

2.  Eunice,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  2,  1792. 

3.  Susanna,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  21,  1794. 

4.  Bradley,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  24,  1797. 

5.  Francis,  b.  at  Shirley,   May  23,  1801,   m.   Elizabeth   Page  of 
Shirley,  Nov.  18,  1833,  had  eight  children,  d.  May  21,  i860, 
(i.)  Mary  L,,  b.  July  30,  1835,  m.  Amos  W.  Farrar,  April   10, 

1857,  had  three  children,  r.  Shirley  (1882).  i.  "John 
Wood,"  b.  May  30,  1858;  2.  "Henry  Waters,"  b.  Oct.  23, 
1859;  3.  "George,"  b.  Nov.  4,  1862. 

(2.)  Susan  C,  b.  Aug.  21,  1837,  m.  Oilman  F.  Moor,  r.  Leom- 
inster (1876). 

(3.)  Priscilla  L.,  b.  Sept.  4,  1839,  m.  Charles  H.  Cowdrey  of 
Lunenburg,  June  19,  1858,  had  four  children,  r.  Fitchburg 
(1882).  I.  "Elmous  H.,"  b.  Nov.  12,  1859,  m.  Eldora  E. 
Haven  of  Lunenburg,  Nov.  i,  1882,  r.  Fitchburg;  2.  "Addie 
O.,"  b.  Aug.  27,  1861,  d.  Dec.  19,  1862  ;  3.  "Flora  J.,"  b. 
June  25,  1865  ;  4.  "Charles  F.,"  b.  May  i,  1870. 

(4.)  Sophia  L.,  b.  Sept.  26,  184 1,  m.  Oeorge  Spencer  of  Burke, 
N.  Y.,  r.  Constable,  N.  Y. 

(5.)  Francis  William,  b.  July  25,  1843,  has  been  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Emma  Wyman  of  Townsend,  Dec,  1873  ;  m. 
(second)  Lizzie  Gibbert,  Dec.  28,  1875,  r.  Jersey  City,  N.  J. 
(1876.) 

(6.)  Lydia  Caroline,  b.  May  26,  1846,  m.  Henry  H.  Wyman  of 
Townsend,  June  13,  1864,  had  two  children:  i.  "Essa  E.," 
b.  July  3,  1867  ;  2.  "William  H.,"  b.  June  20,  1870, 

(7.)  Sarah  Jane,  b.  Aug.  9,  1848,  d.  Jan.  16,  1849. 

(8.)   George  G.,  b.  July  7,  1850,  d.  at  Lunenburg,  i860. 

6.  Sophia,  b.  Sept.  27,  1804. 

fl^arriS,  tISrat!)aniCl,  a  brother  of  Francis,  Sen.,  son  of 
Nathaniel,  (Nathaniel  Nathaniel,''  Daniel,-  Robert,^)  b.  at  Water- 
town,  1727,  m.  Anna  Mead  of  Watertown,  June  2,  1748,  lived  in 
Shirley  at  the  time  of  the  town  organization,  1753,  and  was  at  that 
time  appointed  one  of  the  selectmen.  He  returned  to  Watertown, 
however,  where  he  remained  until  1762,  when  he  went  to  Medford, 
but  resided  at  Newton  in  1765.     He  had  three  children  : 

L     FULLAM,  b.  at  Oroton  (afterwards  Shirley)  May  4,  1750. 

n.     JANE,  b.  at  Oroton  (Shirley)  Jan.  i,  1752. 

HL     NATHANIEL,    b.  at  Shirley,   bap.   at  Watertown,  June   25, 
1758. 

?i^atriS,  JOijn,  m.  Beulah  Corey,  Oct.  19,  1750,  had  one 
child : 

L     EMMA,  b.  July  22,  1757. 


GENEALOGY. HARTWELL.  435 

HARTWELL. 

Early  in  the  last  century  there  were  several  families  of  this  name 
located  in  Groton ;  whence  they  came  does  not  appear  in  Mr. 
Butler's  history.  Mr.  Savage  dates  the  earliest  settler  of  this  name 
in  the  country  at  1636; — William  Hartvvell,  a  resident  of  Concord, 
(now  Lincoln,)  tradition  says,  emigrated  from  Kent;  and  he  is 
probably  the  ancestor  of  the  Groton  settlers  alluded  to.  One  of  the 
eldest  of  these  was 

l^attlDCll,  JJtlinCS,  who  must  have  been  one  of  the  earliest 
residents  of  that  part  of  Groton  now  kno\Vh  as  Shirley.  He  lived  in 
an  easterly  section  of  the  town,  on  a  farm  now  owned  by  a  descendant 
of  the  fourth  generation — Sumner  Stuart.  He  occupied  the  soil 
on  which  he  lived  and  died,  long  before  the  town  had  a  corporate 
existence,  yet  his  name  does  not  appear  on  the  list  of  petitioners  for 
an  independent  organization.  He  m.  Jemima  Frost  of  Groton,  Feb. 
22,  1737,  had  seven  children,  all  b.  at  Groton,  afterward  Shirley. 

I,  JEMIMA,  b.  March  27,  1741.  She  was  never  married,  but  had 
two  illegitimate  children,  namely,  Henry  Farwell  and  Simeon  Fisk. 
The  iirst  of  these  married  and  had  a  large  family  of  children,  all  of 
whom,  with  father  and  mother,  were  inmates  of  the  Shirley  alms- 
house for  several  years.  Jemima  lived  a  wandering  and  scan- 
dalous life,  until  in  old  age  she  became  a  town  pauper,  and  d, 
March  i,  181 9. 

n.     MOLLY,  b.  March  19,  1743. 

HL  AMASA,  b.  Feb.  28,  1745,  m.  Lydia  Moors  of  Groton,  had 
seven  children  : 

1.  Lydia,  b.  Jan.  28,  1774,  m.  Abner  Pierce,  March  19,  1794,  had 
five  children  : 

(i.)  Asenath,  b.  Oct.  7,  1794,  m.  Abel  Page  of  Harvard. 

(2.)  Lydia,  b.  July  31,  1797,  m.  Samuel  Payson  of  Roxbufy,  d. 

Dec.  26,  1842. 
(3.)  Rhoda,  b.  March  12,  1800,  m.  John  Balcom,  pub.  July  20, 

1820. 
(4.)  Mary,  b.  July  8,  1804,  m.   Reuben   Hartvvell,  pub.   March 

25,  1829. 
(5.)  Lucinda,  m.  Lewis  Tainter,  had  four  children,  r.  Methuen 

(1858). 

2.  Abel,  b.  Feb.  9,  1776,  m.  Eliza,  sometimes  called  Betsey, 
daughter  of  Josiah  and  Elizabeth  Hall  of  Shirley,  Feb.  6,  1801, 
had  two  children,  and  d.  Jan.  17,  1836. 

(i.)  Eliza,  b.  Oct.  12,  18 10,  m.  Levi  Priest  of  Groton,  Nov.  29, 

1832. 
(2.)  Maria,  d.  May  8,  1835. 

3.  Emma,  b.  Feb.  16,  1778,  m.  John  Williams,  May  29,  1800,  d. 
March  21,  18 18. 


436  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

4.  Lucy,  b.  April  5,  1780,  m.  Jeremiah  Stuart,  June  18,  1807. 
She  d.  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  Jan,  9,  1859,  had  nine  children  : 

(i.)  Mary,  b.  Jan.  17,  1808,  m.  Harvey  Prescott,  Feb.  14, 
1832,  r.  West  Boylston  (1876),  had  two  children:  i.  "Mary 
Jane,"  b.  Sept.  13,  1834;  2.  "Julia  Mandana,"  b.  Nov.  27, 
1842. 

(2.)  Eliza,  b.  March  30,  1809,  m.  Philemon  Holden,  April  5, 
1832,  d.  July  30,  1862. 

(3.)  Asetiath,  b.  Feb.,  18 10,  m.  WiUiam  Sargent  of  Shrewsbury, 
Dec.  18,  1849,  d.  Nov.  6,  1863. 

(4.)  Jeremiah,  b.  Jan.  i,  181 1,  m.  Electa  D.  Williams  of  Winch- 
endon,  Nov.  7,  i860,  d.  at  Lunenburg,  March  8,  1882,  had 
three  children:  i.  "Mary  Francis,"  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Oct.  9, 
1861  ;  2.  "Flora  M.,"  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Aug.  24,  1865,  d. 
Oct.  10,  1865  ;  3.  "Charles  S.,"  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Oct.  3, 
1866,  d.  Nov.  8,  1866. 

(5,)  Sumner,  b.  Oct.  18,  1814,  m.  Harriet  Knowles  of  New- 
port, R.  I.,  r.  Newport  (1877),  had  three  children. 

(6.)  Lucy,  b.  Nov.  28,  18 15,  m,  William  Sargent  of  Shrewsbury, 
Aug.  8,  1839,  d.  June  17,  1849. 

(7.)  Ei7ima,  b.  Oct.  20,  181 7,  d.  July  3,  1846. 

(8.)  Sarah,  b.  Feb.  18,  182 1,  m.  Calvin  Farnsworth  of  Shirley, 
Jan.  13,  1855,  r.  Shirley  (1882). 

(9.)  Edson,  b.  April  14,  1822. 

5.  Amasa,  b.  March  26,  178-,  m.  Abigail  Blood  of  Shirley,  April 
I,  1802.  In  his  early  married  life  he  owned  a  farm  in  an 
easterly  section  of  the  town,  which  proved  a  comfortable  home, 
had  his  habits  allowed  him  to  retain  it ;  but  intemperance, 
joined  with  thriftlessness,  claimed  him  as  their  victim,  so  that  his 
latter  were  his  worst  days.  On  the  night  of  Sept.  21,  1848,  he 
fell  from  a  carriage  in  which  he  was  riding,  and  his  neck  was 
broken.     He  had  eight  children  : 

(i.)  Timothy  Moors,  b.  July  15,  1802,  m.  Mary  Dudley  of 
Harvard,  Jan.  4,  1822,  d.  at  Rome,  N.  Y.,  1840;  his  widow 
d.  at  Stephenswell,  Wis.,  June  15,  1873. 

(2.)  David,  b.  July  18,  1805,  a  deaf  mute,  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Phebe  Lawton  of  Shirley,  April  20,  1834;  she  d.  Sept.  22, 
1853  ;  m.,  (second)  Phebe  Ann  Bailey  of  Lancaster,  N.  Y., 
Sept.  21,  1856,  r.  Shirley  (1882),  had  six  children  :  i.  "Maria 
/\manda,"  b.  July  11,  1837,  d.  May  28,  1853;  2.  "Sarah 
Abigail,"  b.  June  i,  1839,  ^-  May  26,  1857;  3.  "Albert 
Lawton,"  b.  Nov.  30,  1841:  4.  "George  E.,"  b.  May  9, 
1845;  5.  "Samuel  Barrett,"  b.  May  13,  1847,  d.  Dec.  20, 
1856  ;  6.  "Stillman  Franklin,"  b.  Feb.  23,  1850,  d.  March  17, 
1851. 

(3.)  Amasa,  b.  Jan.  29,  1807,  m.  Mary  P.  Patch  of  Hollis, 
N.  H.,  Dec.  9,  1830,  r.  Pepperell  (1877),  had  four  children: 

1.  "Henry,"  b.  May  i,  1832,  m.  Lizzie  Reed,  Oct.  13,  1861  ; 

2.  "George  G.,"  b.  May  7,  1833,  m.  Mary  J.  Dow,  Feb.   10, 
1858;  3.  "William  B.,"  b.  Sept.  5,  1834,  m.  Anna  M.  Vose, 


GENEALOGY. HARTWELL.  437 

April  i8,  1857;  4.  "Albert,"  b.  Dec.  12,  1840,  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Isabel  F.  VVardvvell,  1862,  111.  (second)  Helen  Cum- 
mings. 

(4.)  Lowell,  b.  July  13,  1809,  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Harriet  Worces- 
ter of  Lancaster,  Oct.  5,  1835,  ™-  (second)  Jane  Wyman  of 
Townsend,  d.  Oct.  17,  1856. 

(5.)   Thomas,  b.  July  13,  181 1,  d.  April  10,  1868. 

(6.)  Abigail,  b.  Sept.  21,  1813,  d.  Jan.  3,  1824. 

(7.)   Otis,  b.  Dec.  3,  1814,  d.  Feb.  5,  1850. 

(8.)  James,  b.  May  22,  181 7,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Mary  Ann 
Bolton,  July  2,  1839,  who  d.  Aug.  11,  1871  ;  m.  (second) 
Elvira  E.  Clark  of  Clinton,  Nov.  21,  1871,  r.  Groton  (1882), 
had  eleven  children  :  i.  "James  Adams,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan. 
17,  184 1,  m.  Hannah  Holden  of  Shirley,  Aug.  20,  1862,  d.  in 
the  army  at  the  war  of  the  Rebellion;  2.  " Emeline  F.,"  b. 
at  Groton,  June  22,  1843,  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Amos  L.  Ames 
of  Groton,  May  11,  1861,  m.  (second)  Charles  C.  Duren  of 
Groton,  June  21,  187 1  ;  3.  "Lucy  Ann,"  b.  at  Groton,  Nov. 
8,  1845,  '"'''•  Elbridge  Gerry  White  of  Shirley,  June  26,  1861  ; 
4.  "Susan  W.,"  b.  Dec.  8,  1847,  d.  1876;  5.  "Thomas  E.," 
b.  at  Groton,  Aug.  25,  1849,  m.  Mary  M.  Coggswell  of  Con- 
cord, May  2,  1870,  d.  at  Clinton,  1876  ;  6.  "Abbot  A.,"  b.  at 
Groton,  July  13,  1853;  7.  "  Hannah  Augusta,"  b»  at  Groton, 
June  6,  1854,  m.  George  S.  Joseph  of  Fitchburg,  July  17, 
1872;  8.  "George  Henry,"  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  14,  1856,  m. 
Josephine  M.  Nutting  of  Groton,  Sept.  8,  1875  J  9-  "Charles 
F.,"  b.  at  Groton,  March  9,  1859  ;  10.  "Sarah  Elizabeth,"  b. 
at  Groton,  July  15,  1861  ;  11.  "Frank  Elmer,"  b.  at  Groton, 
April  21,  1869. 

(J.  Betsey,   b.  at    Shirley,  Jan.    i,    1788,   m.    Reuben    Balcom   of 

Sudbury,  Nov.  27,  1806  ;  she  d.  at  Shirley,  July  5,    1864;    had 

eleven  children  : 

(i.)  Amasa  Hartivell,  b.  Feb.  i,  1808,  m.  Margaret  B.  Chap- 
man of  Tewksbury,  May  8,  1826,  d.  Jan.  7,  1847,  ^^^  ten 
children:  i."  Charles  Hartvvell,"  b.  Dec,  1827,  m.  Margaret 
Moses  of  Lancaster;  2.  "Henry  Thaddeus,"  b.  May  27, 
1830,    m.    Sarah    Farmer   of  Shirley,  pub.   July  4,    1853,  r. 

'  Shirley  (1882);  3.  "Margaret  Ann,"  b.  May  20,  1834,  m. 
Joseph  Abel  Farnsworth  of  Shirley,  June  13,  1851,  r.  Shirley 
(1882);  4.  "A  child,"  b.  Aug.,  1835,  d.  same  day;  5. 
"Horace  Adams,"  b.  Sept.  7,  1836;  6.  "Prudence  Jane," 
b.  Oct.  5,  1837.  d.  Aug.  22,  1859  ;  7.  "Mary  Maria,"  b.  Aug. 
16,  1840;  8.  "Oliver  Flint,"  b.  Sept.  30,  1842  ;  9.  "Eliza," 
b.  March  20,  1844  ;   10.  "  Perley,"  b.  Jan.  3,  1847. 

(2.)  Adaline,  b.  1809,  m.  John  Chapman  of  Tewksbury,  had 
three  children  :  i.  "John  M.,"  b.  at  Groton,  May  25,  1843, 
d.  at  Tewksbury,  Dec.  i,  1875;  2.  "Charles  Henry,"  b.  at 
Groton,  July  27,  1846,  m.  Minerva  Kittridge  of  Dracut,  May 
30,  1866;  3.  "George  Franklin,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  5,  1849, 
m.  Mary  E.  Jewett  of  Dracut,  April  27,  1870. 


438  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(3.)  Thaddeus,  b.  Nov.  4,  181 1,  thrice  m.,  (first)  to  Rebecca 
Frothingham,  Jan.,  1-835  )  ^^e  d.  May  14,  1845  j  ^-  (second) 
"Mrs.  Eliza  G.  Puffer  of  Tewksbury,  May  14,  1846  ;  she  d. 
July  14,  1857;  m.  (third)  Harriet  Sawtell,  of  Shirley,  Nov. 
28,  1858,  r.  Shirley  (1882),  has  had  four  children:  i.  "Re- 
becca Jane,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  21,  1835,  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
EH  Whitney  of  Upton,  March  24,  1858,  divorced  Nov.  7, 
1872,  m.  (second)  Charles  H.  Sargent  of  Boxboro',  Dec.  10, 
1874,  has  had  one  child,  Willie,  b.  Feb.  5,  1859;  2.  "Eliza 
Ann,"  b.  April  10,  18 — ,  twice  m.,  (first)  to  William  Sawtell  of 
Shirley,  May,  17,  1863,  he  d.  a  soldier  of  the  Federal  army, 
March  30,  1865,  m.  (second)  Charles  W.  Lawrence,  Nov.  28, 
1867,  r.  Shirley  (1882)  ;  3.  "A  son,"  b.  Dec.  20,  1844,  d.  Jan. 
10,  1845  ;  4.  "Charles  T.,"  b.  Sept.  24,  1847,  d.  Nov.  14, 
1849. 

(4.)  Reuben,  b.  Jan.  13,  181 3,  m.  Hannah  Hunt  of  Hingham. 

(5.)  Horace  Longley,  b.  Jan.  23,  1815,  m.  Lucy  A.  Kibling  of 
Ashburnham. 

(6.)  -Elizabeth,  b.  Oct.  4,  181 6,  m.  Alvin  Holden  of  Shirley, 
Jan.  I,  1842. 

(7.)  John,  b.  May  16,  181 8,  m.  Sarah  Kemp  of  Groton. 

(8.)  Lydia,  b.  June  26,  1820,  thrice  m.,  (first)  to  Albert  S. 
Ken-fp  of  Groton,  who  d.  Feb.  4,  1849  j  i""-  (second)  Charles 
Sherman,  Jan.  14,  1852  ;  he  d.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  12,  1868  ;  m. 
(third)  FrankHn  Chapman,  r.  Shirley  (1876).  She  had  three 
children:  i.  "Helen,"  b.  at  Groton,  Nov.  19,  1842,  m. 
George  Hammond  of  West  Union,  Fayette  county,  Iowa, 
Oct.  7,  1865  ;  2.  "Mary  E.,"  b.  at  Groton,  Nov.  19,  1842,  d. 
at  Groton,  Jan.  13,  1847  ;  3.  "Albert,"  b.  at  East  Troy,  Wal- 
worth county,  Wis.,  Sept.  26,  1854,  m.  Harriet  L.  Kittridge  of 
Leominster,  Nov.  27,  1873. 

(9.)  Abel,  b.  Dec.  i,  1825,  m.  Sarah  E.  Stevens,  Dec,  1848,  r. 
Gardner  (i860). 

(10.)  Hannah  Maria,  b.  Dec.  20,  1830,  m.  Nahum  Hersom, 
Sept.  13,  1852,  r.  Shirley  (1882),  had  three  children:  i. 
"Ellen  Maria,"  b.  Aug.  8,  1854;  2.  "Mary  Ann,"  b.  Dec.  3, 
1856,  d.  Aug.  7,  1859  ;  3.  "Arthur  Nahum,"  March  27,  1859. 

(11.)  Mary  Ann,  b.  Oct.  22,  1833,  d.  Sept.  27,  1847. 

7.  Phila,  b.  Sept.  27,  1794,  m.  William  Williams,  Nov.   13,   181 7, 
d.  Sept.  21,  1847. 

IV.  SUSANNA,  b.  April  15,  1748,  m.  David  Pratt  of  Groton, 
pub.  Dec.  28,  1 771. 

V.  JONATHAN,  b.  April  20,  1750,  m.  Polly  Boynton  of  Lunen- 
burg, pub.  April  6,  1775,  d.  Jan.  26,  1814;  his  widow  (Polly)  d. 
Sept,  30,  1835  ;  he  had  ten  children  : 

1,  Polly,  b.  Oct.   25,   1776,  m.  John  Proctor  of  Townsend,  had 
two  children,  and  d.  Jan.  17,  1855. 


GENEALOGY. HARTWELL.  439 

2.  Jonathan,  b.  July  30,  1778,  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Esther  Warren 
of  Tovvnsend ;  she  d.  ;  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Mary  Blood ;  d.  Feb. 
21,  1844. 

3.  Thomas,  b.  May  28,  1780. 

4.  Jeremiah,  b.  Nov.  2,  1782,  d.  March  19,  1854. 

5.  Edmund,  b.  Jan.  11,  1784,  m.  Olive  Lovell  of  West  Boylston. 

6.  Levi,  b.  1789. 

7.  Luther,  b.  Jan.  14,  1791,  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Sarah  Gushing  of 
Townsend,  May  16,  181 1;  she  d. ;  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Delilah 
Holden  of  Shirley,  Sept.  10,  1840;  had  eleven  children,  and.  d. 
Oct.  15,  1867. 

(i.)  Mary  Ann,  b.  Oct.  2,  181 1,  m.  Richard  Pierce  of  Towns- 
end,  Jan.  8,  1831,  r.  Pepperell  (1882). 

(2.)  Almira  Woods,  b.  July  10,  1813,  ni.  Lewis  Blood  of 
Groton,  Sept.,  1834  ;  she  has  had  six  children  :  i.  "Gharles," 
b.  Sept.  8,  1835  ;  2.  "Mary  Jane,"  b.  May,  1837  ;  3.  "Har- 
riet Augusta,"  b.  March  20,  1839;  4.  "  Eldora  Francis,"  b, 
Feb.  19,  1845  ;  5.  "Glara  Elizabeth,"  b.  Sept.  20,  1847;  6. 
"Sarah  Adelaide,"  b.  March  21,  1850. 

(3.)  Luther,  b.  Oct.  21,  18 15,  m.  Roxanna  Farnsworth  of 
Groton,  Oct.  9,  1836,  had  two  children,  and  d.  at  Pepperell, 
suddenly,  of  small  pox,  Jan.  5,  1840.  i.  "Sarah  Maria,"  b. 
March  7,  1838,  m.  Rev.  F.  F.  Emerson,  June  9,  1869,  settled 
in  Amherst  (1882)  ;  2.  "  Hattie  Andrews,"  b.  Dec.  9,  1839, 
m.  John  H.  Taylor,  M.  D.,  of  Holly,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  13,  1870,  r. 
Holly  (1882). 

(4.)  Horace  G.,  b.  April  26,  181 7,  m.  Emeline  Lord  of  Pep- 
perell, 1855,  r.  Pepperell  (1876). 

(5.)   Calvin,  b.  April,  1819,  r.  Pittsburg,  Pa.  (i860.) 

(6.)  Sally,  b.  May  25,  1821,  d.  Sept.  16,  1825, 

(7.)  Almond,  b.  June  30,  1823,  d.  Sept.  11,  1825. 

(8.)  Alfred,  b.  June  30,  1823,  r.  Worcester  (i860). 

(9.)   Thomas  Jefferson,  b.  Sept.  28,  1825. 

(10.)  Harrison  Jerome,  b.  Nov.  16,  1828,  m.  Harriet  Gerrish 
of  Townsend,  Nov.  25,  1852,  r.  Philadelphia,  Pa.  (1877.) 

(11.)  Sarah  Jane,  b.  June  22,  1831,  m.  Joseph  Billings  of  Lun- 
enburg, Dec.  14,  1852,  has  had  one  child  :  i.  "Nelly  A.,"  b, 
Dec.  8,  1853,  m.  Leonard  A.  Buck  of  Ayer,  r.  at  Ayer  (1882). 

H.  Eliab,  b.  1793,  d.  Aug.  24,  1826. 

9.  Leonard,  b.  Aug,  2,  1795,  "''•  Abigail  Pierce  of  Lunenburg, 
Oct.  8,  181 8,  had  ten  children,  and  d.  at  Berlin,  June  11,  1870. 
(i.)  Henrietta  M.,  b.  Dec.  i,  1819,  m.  Marshall  Farraday,  April 

5.  1839- 
(2.)   Chauncy  P.,  b.  May  20,  1821,  m.  Mary  A.  Carter,  June  4, 

1844. 
(3.)  Liicy  Ann,  b.  Aug.   3,    1822,  m.    Daniel  Garter,   April   8, 


440  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(4.)   George  Emerson,  b.  March    24,    1S24,   m.    Eliza   Closkey, 

April  22,  1849. 
(5.)  Loiiiza  Abigail,  b.  July  2,  1827,  m.   Edward  Green,  March 

5,  1848,  d.  Feb.  2,  1870. 
(6.)  Emily  Pollard,  b.  at  Lancaster,  June   27,  1829,  m.  Edwin 

Sawyer,  Jan.  23,  1848. 
(7.)    Charles  Henry,  h.dX  Berlin,   Jan.    28,    1831,   ni.    Elizabeth 

Fuller,  April  10,  1853. 
(8.)  Mary  Jane,    b.    at    Berlin,    June    15,    1833,   m.    Pliny   B. 

Southw'ick,  Oct.,  1850,  d.  April  4,  1867. 
(9.)  Daniel  Pollard,  b.  at  Berlin,  May  13,  1835,  twice  m.,  (first) 

to  Susan  K.  Moors,  Nov.  i,  1854;  she  d. ;  m.  (second)  Ellen 

Wheeler,  March  31,  1864. 
(10.)  Betsey,  m.  Lewis  Styles,  r.  Amherst,  N.  H. 

VL  ELIZABETH,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  3,  1753,  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Diggins  ;  m.  (second)  Moses  Ritter,  Dec.  8,  1791. 

VIL  SARAH,  b.  Nov.  21,  1756,  m.  Thomas  Killicute  of  Groton, 
pub.  Jan.  17,  1778. 

J^artUJCU,  33CU|aintn,  became  a  resident  of  Shirley  about 
the  year  1781,  m.  Marial  Nichols  of  Leominster,  his  native  town,  in 
1782.  He  purchased  a  farm  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  south  of  the 
meeting-house  of  the  First  Parish,  which  he  made  his  home  for  life. 
He  had  ten  children,  and  d.  March  17,  1844.  His  widow  d.  Sept. 
23,  1851. 

L  SOPHL\,  b.  Jan.  16,  1783,  m.  Dr.  Luther  Parker  of  Harvard, 
Dec.  26,  1804,  d.  Dec.  27,  1804. 

H.  ABI,  b.  Oct.  9,  1785,  m.  Dr.  Joseph  Mansfield  of  Groton,  Jan., 
1805,  d.  Feb.  8,  1871. 

HL  DESIRE,  b.  March  3,  1788,  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Artemas 
Longley,  pub.  Jan.  5,  1815;  he  d.  July  10,  1824;  m.  (second) 
Moses  Lawrence  of  Ashburnham,  April  2,  1835  ;  d.  May  9,  1871. 

IV.  MARY  ANN,  b.  Nov.  15,  1788,  m.  Benjamin  Washburn 
Edgarton,  Dec.  9,  1814,  r.  Amherst  (1877). 

V.  MARIA,  b.  Nov.  7,  1792,  d.  Jan.  7,  1797. 

VI.  JEPHTHA,  b.  Feb.  14,  1794,  m.  Betsey  Boynton  of  Groton, 
Dec.  22,  181 9,  d.  Jan.  3,  1862  •  his  widow  d.  Oct.  30,  1872  ;  they 
had  eight  children  : 

1.  Elizabeth,  b.  at  (iroton,  Oct.  17,  1820,  m.  Thomas  C.  Day  of 
Salem,  Dec.  3,  1844  ;  he  d.  Sept.  19,  1872. 

•1.  Martha,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.   23,   1822,   m.   William   DeWitt  of 
Ware,  May  26,  1846. 

:3.  Clarissa  Ann,  b.  April  12,  1824,  d.  Aug.  25,  1825. 

4.  A  Child,  b.  Oct.  25,  1827,  d.  Dec.  9,  1827. 

;').  William  Sumner,  b.  March  13,  1830,  d,  March,  1834. 


GENEALOGY. HARTWELL.  441 

6.  Mary  M.,  b.  May  7,  1834,  m.  Richard  P,  Joy,  Oct.  31,  i860. 
He  d.  April  24,  1876.     She  had  three  children  : 

(i.)  Mary  P.,  b.  Sept.  20,  1861. 
(2.)  y^aines  R.,  b.  Oct.  16,  1863. 
(3.)  Alice  M.,  b.  June  18,  1869. 

7.  Sarah  S.,  b.  May  7,  1834,  d.  1834. 

8.  Adelia,  b.  Jan.  17,  1838,  m.  David  R.  Steeve  of  Groton,  Jan. 
18,  1873. 

VII.  SALLY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  9,  1797,  m.  Thomas  Hazen,  Aug. 
3,  1844,  r.  Shirley  (1882). 

VIII.  BENJAMIN,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  i,  1799,  m.  Sarah  Brooks  of 
Lunenburg,  July  28,  1824,  removed  to  Charleston,  Mich.  While 
on  a  journey  to  New  England,  in  September,  1854,  he  fell  from  a 
boat  and  was  drowned,  near  Lockport. 

IX.  CLARISSA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  3,  1802,  d.  Jan.  i,  1882,  unm. 

X.  MARIA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  20,  1805.  When  her  family  man- 
sion was  vacated  by  the  death  of  father  and  mother,  she  became 
sole  proprietor  of  the  former  home  of  ten  children,  and  lived  there 
alone  until  her  death,  which  occurred  Dec.  9,  1876. 

?i^artU)Cn,  MfUtCn,  a  brother  of  Dr.  Benjamin,  b.  at  Lunen- 
burg, July  4,  1762,  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Abigail  Ruggles,  April  7,  1786  ; 
she  d.  Nov.  15,  1803;  m.  (second)  Abigail  Blanchard  of  Littleton, 
pub.  May  12,  1805  ;  he  d.  Jan.  7,  1838;  his  widow  was  b.  July  27, 
1778,  d.  Oct.  II,  1869.  Mr.  IJartwell  became  a  resident  of  Shirley 
in  1792.  He  owned  a  farm  in  the  north  section  of  the  town,  in 
the  center  of  school  district  No.  6,  which  was  his  home  for  life.  He 
had  fourteen  children  : 

I.  TABITHA,  b.  Feb.  17,  1787,  m.  Nathaniel  Longley,  pub. 
March  13,  1808,  d.  at  Marlboro',  May  25,  1862. 

II.  RELIEF,  b.  May  26,  1789,  m.  Peter  Tarbell,  Feb.  16,  1809, 
had  nine  children,  and  d.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  21,  1867. 

1.  Betsey,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  24,  18 10,  d.  Sept.  30,  1822. 

2.  Lavina,  b.  Feb.  2,  1812,  d,  Sept.  28,  1822. 

3.  Martha,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  i,  181 6,  d.  Sept.  22,  1822. 

4.  Walter,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  i,  1S16,  d.  March  15,  18 16. 

5.  Relief,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  30,  1S19,  m.  John  Stearns  of  Cav- 
endish, Vt.,  June  3,  1846,  r.  Cavendish  (1882). 

6.  Harriet,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  4,  182 1,  d.  Sept.  26,  1822. 

7.  Peter,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  8,  1823,  m.  Mary  D.  Putnam  of 
Fitchburg,  Nov.  30,  1847,  has  had  five  children,  r.  Ayer  (1882). 
(i.)  Abel  Putnam,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  21,  1848,  r.  Ayer  (1882). 

56 


442  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(2.)  John  Richard,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  22,  185 1,  d.  at  Ayer,  July 

16,  1868. 
(3.)  Harriet  Adams,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  4,  1855. 
(4.)  Mary,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  14,  i860. 
(5.)  Agnes  Relief,  b,  at  Shirley,  July  30,  1861,  d.  Sept.  27,  1861. 

8.  Walter,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  29,  1827,  m.  Martha  Adams  of 
Lunenburg,  Dec,  1850,  had  seven  children,  and  d.  at  Groton, 
May  28,  1869. 

(i.)  Martha  Effie,  b.  Jan.   24,    1853,  m.   Lewis   E.  Williams  of 

Shirley,  July  2,  1872,  r.  Groton  (1882). 
(2.)   Charley,   b.  at  Lunenburg,   March    12,   1856,   d.   April   8, 

1857. 
(3.)    Walter  Edgar,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  July  21,  1858. 
(4.)  'Carrie  Relief,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Nov.  3,  i860. 
(5.)  John  Stearns,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Nov.  8,  1862. 
(6.)  Kate  Adams,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Nov.  16,  1864. 
(7.)  H.  Archibald,  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  11,  1867. 

9.  Edmund,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  25,  1831,  d.  May  28,  1873,  unm. 

in.     ABIGAIL,  b.  July  i,  1791,  m.  John   Stearns  of  Ashby,   pub. 
Feb.  24,  1814,  r.  Cavendish,  Vt.  (1876.) 

IV.  ELIZA,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  18,  1793,  d.  Jan.,  1795. 

V.  CATHARINE,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  9,  1795,  m.  Daniel  Adams  of 
Chester,  Vt.,  d.  1846. 

VL     OZIAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  m,  Hannah  Patch  of  Littleton. 

VII.  REUBEN,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  25,  1799,  m.  Mary  Pierce,  pub. 
March  25,  1829,  had  four  children,  and  d.  at  Groton,  March  27, 
1879. 

L  Samuel  P.,  b.  Feb.  15,  1830,  d.  Sept.  18,  1833. 

2.  John  S.,  b.  Sept.  28,  1833,  m.  Mary  Ann  Warren,  March  23, 
1859. 

3.  Nathaniel,  b.  June  14,  1836. 

4.  Zenas,  b.  Feb.  22,  1837,  d.  Sept.,  1847. 

VIII.  JULIA,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  25,  1802,  d.  Feb.  24,  1819. 

IX.  CALVIN,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  5,  1806,  m.  Susan  Hammond  of 
Shirley,  pub.  Nov.  18,  1827,  had  one  child  : 

\.  Susan. 

X.  JAMES  SULLIVAN,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  27,  1S08,  d.  Aug.  28, 
1849,  unm. 

XL  NATHANIEL,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  10,  1810,  m.  Abigail  J.  Ran- 
dall, Sept.  2,  1 83 1,  owned  and  lived  on  the  farm  known  as  the 
Atherton  place,  was  an  industrious  and  useful  citizen,  was  a  select- 
man of  the  town  in  the  years  1862,  1863,  1864,  and  1877.  He  d. 
May  10,  of  the  last-named  year.     He  had  nine  children  : 

1.  Dexter,  b.  at  Lowell,  June  19,  1833,  m. 


GENEALOGY. HARTWELL-HASKELL.  443 

2.  James  Albert,  b.  at  Lowell,  Sept.  19,  1834,  d.  Dec.  19,  1834. 

3.  Abbie  Ann,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.    12,   1836,  d.  March   18,    1857, 
unm. 

4.  SAR.4H  Frances,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  19,  1837,  d.  Nov.  14,  1869, 
unm. 

5.  Helen  M.,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  24,  1840,  m.  John  Orr  of  Clinton, 
July  I,  1864,  d.  at  Clinton,  Feb.  7,  1866. 

6.  Susan  H.,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  5,  1842,  d.  Oct.  2,  1842. 

7.  Susan,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  24,  1843,  m.  Henry  Benton  Hildreth 
of  Townsend,  Jan.  22,  1871,  r.  Townsend  (1882). 

8.  Mary  Ann  Josephine,  b.  at   Shirley,   Oct.    11,   1847,  ^-  John 
Wesley  Matthews,  March  6,  1866,  divorced. 

9.  Carrie  Alma,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  14,  1854,  m.  Lewis  Kimball 
of  Littleton,  Sept.  14,  1876. 

Xn.     SOPHIA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  15,  1812,  d.  Feb.  10,  1814. 

XHL     LUCY   ANN,    b.  at  Shirley,   Nov.   19,    1815,   m.    Hezekiah 
Spaulding,  pub.  April  7,  1844,  ^-  Shirley  (1882). 

XIV.     SUSAN,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  23,   181 7,  m.  Ira  B.  Dodge  of 
Wenham,  June  15,  1836,  had  children,  and  d.  Jan.  4,  1862. 


HASKELL. 

The  first  person  of  this  name  mentioned  in  Savage's  Dictionary, 
and  probably  the  first,  if  not  the  only  early  immigrant  to  the  country, 
is  William  Haskell,  who  was  b.  in  161 7,  and  settled  at  Gloucester  in 
1642.  He  m.  Mary  Tybbot,  Nov.  6,  1643.  He  took  a  distin- 
guished place  as  a  citizen  of  Gloucester,  and  had  a  more  numerous 
posterity  than  any  other  settler  in  that  town.  Whether  all  of  the 
name  in  New  England  descended  from  him  cannot  here  be  stated. 
Persons  of  the  name  have  not  been  numerous,  nor  has  there  ever 
yet  appeared  an  extended  genealogy  of  them. 

^dSl^cU,  fi^tntSy  became  a  resident  of  Shirley  a  short  time 
previous  to  the  outbreak  of  the  war  of  Independence,  and  was  thrice 
m.,  (first)  to  Rebecca  Willard,  who  d.  April  8,  1772;  m.  (second) 
Martha  Little  of  Lunenburg,  Dec.  i,  1772;  she  d.  Sept.  28,  1778; 
m.  (third)  Charity  Pratt  of  Hollis,  N.  H.     He  d.  June  10,  1807. 

He  was  an  active  and  energetic  man,  and  was  said  to  have  done 
good  service  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  captain  of  the 
eighty  men  who  marched  to  Cambridge  on  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of 
April,  1775,  which  company  was  enrolled  in  the  regiment  of  Col. 
Prescott.  He  owned  and  occupied  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Shaker  estates,  and  had  ten  children  : 

I.     RELIEF,  m.  Morris  Kelley,  pub.  June  24,  1 780. 


444  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

II.     JOHN,  d.  young. 

HI.     REBECCA,  m.  Reuben  Barrett  of  Lancaster. 

IV.  MERCY,  m.  Edward  Hazen  of  Shirley. 

V.  PRUDENCE,  b.  April  i,  1772. 

VI.  HULDAH. 

VII.  MARTHA,  b.  March  20,  1774,  m.  Paul  Willard  of  Lancaster, 
and  had  seven  children  : 

1.  Dexter,  b.  April  28,  1793,  d.  July  6,  1810. 

2.  Paul,  b.  Aug.  4,  1795.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, 181  7,  read  law  with  Hon.  Calvin  Willard  of  Fitchburg, 
and  in  the  office  of  Hon.  Leonard  M.  Parker  of  Charlestown. 
Mr.  Willard  was  established  in  law  practice,  lived  in  Charlestown, 
was  admitted  a  member  of  the  Middlesex  bar,  in  1821,  and  sus- 
tained the  reputation  of  an  able  lawyer.  He  was  for  seven 
years  clerk  of  the  upper  branch  of  the  Massachusetts  legislature, 
was  for  a  time  a  member  of  the  Charlestown  city  government, 
and  was  regarded  a  judicious  and  impartial  officer.  Being  well 
read  in  the  lore  of  his  profession,  he  took  a  favorable  stand  with 
his  associates  of  the  bar,  and  was  generally  regarded  an  able 
and  reliable  counsellor.  In  his  manners  he  was  urbane,  cour- 
teous to  strangers,  and  hospitable  to  the  poor.  He  m.  Harriet 
Whitney  of  Lancaster,  Oct.  12,  1821,  and  d.  March,  1856. 

3.  Walter,  b.  June  7,  1797,  became  a  member  of  the  Shaker 
communion,  belonged  to  a  family  of  that  order  in  Shirley,  and 
was  ever  a  strict  adherent  of  his  chosen  faith.  He  d.,  much 
regretted,  Dec.  19,  187 1. 

4.  Martha,  b.  June  26,  1799,  m.  Aldis  Lovell,  a  counsellor  at  law, 
of  Walpole,  N.  H.,  d.  Aug.  12,  185 1. 

5.  Mary,  b.  Sept.  4,  1801,  d.  Oct.  4,  1803. 

6.  Lucia,  b.  July  30,  1803,  d.  Nov.  14,  1814. 

7.  Henry,  b.  Jan.  10,  1807,  d.  Aug.  25,  1825. 

VIII.  JANE,  b.  Feb.  4,  1776,  d.  July  30,  1777. 

IX.  HENRY,  b.  Feb.  4,  1777,  d.  May,  1778. 

X.  ISRAEL. 

There  were  two  other  men  named  Haskell  who  lived  in  Shirley  at 
the  period  of  the  war  of  Independence.  One  of  them,  Benjamin, 
was  with  the  volunteers  that  went  to  Cambridge  on  the  alarm  of 
April  19,  1775,  and  was  also  one  of  the  eight-months  men,  joining 
the  army  May  2,  1775.  The  other,  John,  enlisted  for  a  service  of 
three  years,  Dec.  2,  1777.  Whether  either  or  both  were  kinsmen  of 
Capt.  Henry  Haskell  cannot  here  be  stated. 


GENEALOGY. HASTENELEVEN-HAZEN.  445 

HASTENELEVEN. 

This  singular  name  may  be  found  entered  upon  the  records  of 
marriage  publications,  but  has  no  other  registry,  nor  is  it  traditionally 
known  to  the  present  generation. 

"There  is  marriage  intended  (between)  Francis  Hasteneleven  of 
Shirley  and  Phebe  Wood  of  Lunenburg. 

"Dec.  19,  1790." 


HAYDEN. 

fJ^^V^XitViy  ^al0tl,  and  Abigail,  his  wife,  lived  in  Shirley  about 
the  middle  of  the  last  century,  and  left  upon  the  records  of  the  town 
the  following  imperfect  family  registry  : 

I.     ABIGAIL,  b.  March  20, . 


II.  SARAH,  b.  Jan.  n,  175-. 

III.  JOHN,  b.  in  Shirley,  Nov., . 

IV.  CALEB,  b.  in  Shirley,  Jan.  19,  1755. 


HAYES. 


Genealogists  have  said  that  all  of  this  name  in  New  England  are 
descendants  of  John  Hayes,  who,  it  is  supposed,  emigrated  from 
Scotland  about  1680,  and  settled  at  Dover.  One  of  the  third  or 
fourth  generation  from  John, 

Ji^aStU,  2123.llliam,  found  his  way  to  Shirley  about  the  middle 
of  the  last  century,  and  with  his  wife,  Alice,  resided  here  for  a  time. 
The  birth  of  one  daughter  appears  upon  the  town  records  : 

I.     JOANNA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  11,  1753. 

The  subsec}uent  history  of  the  family  is  unknown  to  the  compiler 
of  this  register. 


HAZEN. 


Rev.  Henry  Allen  Hazen  has  recently  published  a  brief  genealogy 
of  the  first  family  of  his  name  in  New  England.  He  says ,"  Edward 
Hazen  was  the  immigrant  ancestor.  The  first  mention  of  his  name 
which  has  been  found,  occurs  in  the  records  of  Rowley.  The  record 
says,  'Elizabeth,  wife  of  Edward  Hassen,  was  buryed  Sept.  18, 
1649.'     He  married  for  a  second  wife,  Hannah,  daughter  of  Thomas 


446  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

and  Hannah  Grout,  March,  1650,  and  had  eleven  children,  all  of 
whom  were  born  at  Rowley;  he  was  buried  in  Rowley,  July  22, 
1683;  his  second  wife  died  Feb.,  1715.  Mr.  Hazen  was  a  man  of 
substance  and  influence  in  the  town,  was  selectman  in  1650,  1651, 
1654,   1660,   1661,    1665,  and   1668." 

Edward,^  (Edward,')  the  fifth  of  the  family,  in  the  order  of  age, 
was  b.  Sept.  10,  1660,  and  d.  1748.  He  m.  Jane,  daughter  of  John 
and  Jane  Pickard,  who  survived  him.  He  had  eight  children,  of 
whom 

ii^affn,  Samuel,  (Edward,^  Edward,^)  the  fifth  in  age,  was 
b.  July  20,  1699,  m.  Sarah  Harriman  of  Rowley,  Oct.  i,  1723. 
He  remained  there  until  1736,  when  he  became  a  resident  of  Groton. 
In  1 749,  he  purchased  a  farm  in  what  was  then  called  "  Stow  Leg,"  a 
small  strip  of  territory  soon  after  annexed  to  Shirley,  and  forming  its 
entire  southern  boundary.  This  estate,  after  many  changes  and  im- 
provements, remains  in  the  possession  of  the  fourth  and  fifth  gen- 
erations. He  was  not  in  town  at  the  time  the  petition  for  a  separation 
from  Groton  was  presented,  in  1747,  but  he  was  chosen  a  selectman 
in  1753,  when  the  town  was  organized.  He  was  elected  to  the  same 
office  in  after  years,  and  faithfully  discharged  his  official  duties  when- 
ever called  to  act  in  a  public  capacity.  Few  families  pass  through 
four  generations,  like  the  Hazens  of  Shirley,  maintaining  such  general 
good  character  and  sustaining  such  unvariable  thrift.  A  patient  and 
honest  industry,  and  a  consistent  economy,  are  usually  at  the  founda- 
tion of  such  success. 

Sarah,  wife  of  Samuel  Hazen,  d.  Aug.  i,  1794.  He  d.  Sept.  20, 
1790.     They  had  eight  children  : 

I.  EDWARD,  b.  at  Rowley,  May  26,  i  724,  d.  at  Rowley,  Jan.  10, 
1736. 

H.  SAMUEL,  b.  at  Rowley,  Jan.  31,  1726,  d.  at  Rowley,  Nov.  25. 
1736. 

HL  MARGARET,  b.  at  Rowley,  Jan.  23,  1729,  d.  at  Rowley,  Dec. 
24,  1736. 

IV.  SARAH,  b.  at  Rowley,  April  9,  1731,  d.  at  Rowley,  Dec.  20, 
1736. 

V.  BENJAMIN,  b.  at  Rowley,  April  22,  1734,  d.  at  Rowley,  Jan. 
6,  1736. 

VI.  EDWARD,  b.  at  Groton,  May  2,  1738,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Sarah  Willard  of  Lancaster,  Jan.  10,  1758;  she  d.,  and  he  m. 
(second)  Mrs.  (Dodge)  Bathrick  of  Lunenburg.  Mr.  Hazen 
resided  in  Shirley  until  about  1769,  when  he  removed  to  Svvanzey, 
N.  H. ;  but  in  1794  he  removed  to  Little  Falls,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
d.  in  1796.     He  had  fourteen  children  : 

1.  Benjamin,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  i,  1758.     He  was  a  pyhsician,  and 
studied  his  profession  with  Dr.  Isaiah  Parker  of   Harvard,  m. 


^"at,  W.  p.  Allen.  G*^- 


SUEL  HAZEN. 


GENEALOGY. HAZEN.  447 

Eliza  Gates  of  Harvard,  Jan.  23,  1783,  and  removed  to  Otter 
Creek,  N.  H.,  where  he  estabUshed  a  home  for  himself  and 
family. 

2.  Sarah,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  21,  1760,  d.  March  16,  1760. 

3.  Edward,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  21,  1761,  m.  Mercy  Haskell  of 
Shirley,  left  town  with  his  family,  and  secured  a  residence  in 
some  town  in  Vermont. 

4.  Paul  WiLLARD,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  21,  1763,  m.  Amy  Harrington. 

5.  Silas,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  13,  1765. 

6.  William,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  7,  1767,  m.  Sally  Bathrick  of  Lun- 
enburg. 

7.  Samuel,  b.  at  Swanzey,  N.  H.,  1769. 

8.  Jesse,  b.  at  Swanzey,  d.  in  early  manhood. 

9.  Nathaniel,  b.  at  Swanzey,  1772. 

10.  Mary,  b.  at  Swanzey,  Dec.  8,  1773,  m.  Joseph  Rugg  of 
Lancaster,  Nov.,  1792,  d.  at  Gardner,  June  14,  1867. 

11.  John,  b.  at  Swanzey,  March  i-j,  1786,  m.  Polly  Blodgett  of 
Copenhagen,  N.  Y.,  1814,  d.  Nov.  21,  1838,  had  nine  children, 
and  all  but  one  have  homes  in  Wisconsin  (1878). 

(i.)  Suel.     (2.)  Alonzo.     (3.)    Calvin. 
(4.)  James.,  d.     (5.)  John.     (6.)  Lorenzo. 
(7.)  Sanjord.     (8.)    Chester.     (9.)  Loren. 

12.  Josiah,  b.  at  Swanzey,  Nov.  24,  1787,  m.  Milly  Fish,  d.  Dec. 
I,  18 19,  at  Tidewater,  Md.,  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  Emma. 

13.  Betsey,  b.  at  Swanzey,  March  15,  1791,  m.  Josiah  Perry,  d.  at 
Little  Falls,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  4,  18 14,  had  two  children  : 

(i.)  Julia.     (2.)  Betsey. 

14.  SuEL,  b.  at  Denniston,  Vt.,  April  25,  1793,  m.  Betsey  Graves 
of  Copenhagen,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  7,  1815,  r.  Denmark,  Lewis  Co., 
N.  Y.  (1878.)     He  had  seven  children  : 

(i.)  Joseph  Franklin,  b.  at  Denmark,  April  25,  1818,  d.  June 
22,  1819. 

(2.)  Betsey,  b.  at  Denmark,  June  15,  1820,  m.  Morgan  Lewis  of 
Denmark,  Feb.  19,  1846,  had  six  children  :  i.  "John  M.,"  b. 
March  15,  1847,  'i"'-  Celestia  Robbins ;  2.  "Ledron,"  b.  at 
Copenhagen,  Oct.  3,  1849  ^  3-  "Wilson  Hazen,"  b.  at  Copen- 
hagen, Dec.  24,  1 851;  4.  "Mary  Eugenia,"  b.  March  5, 
1854,  d.  Oct,  7,  1874;  5.  "Bessie  E.,"  b.  Nov.  14,  1859: 
6.  "Emma  A.,"  b.  May  20,  1865. 

(3,)  Lycurgus,  b.  at  Denmark,  May  25,  1823,  m.  Sarah  Quern 
of  Iowa,  r.  Kansas  (1877),  has  had  five  children  :  i.  "Suel ;" 
2.  "NeUie;"  3.  "Abraham  Lincoln;"  4.  "Calvin;"  5. 
"Dorliska." 


448  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(4.)  Matilda,  b.  May  20,  1826,  m.  George  \.  Wilson  of  Rutland 
Hollow,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  5,  1846,  r.  Norwich,  N.  Y.,  has  had  four 
children:  i.  "Mary,"  b.  at  Rutland  Hollow,  Jan.  2,  1847, 
m.  Rev.  Mr.  Peddie,  pastor  of  a  Baptist  church  at  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.  (1877),  has  had  three  children  :  i.  George  Wilson; 
2.  John  Wayland ;  3.  Evelyn  Hope  ;  2  "Emma  A.,"  b.  at 
Rutland  Hollow,  May  8,  1849,  ™- Thompson,  r.  Nor- 
wich, N.  Y.  (1877) ;  3.  "Marcia  B.,"  b.  Sept.  13,  1852;  4. 
"James  E.,"  b.  March  13,  1859. 

(5.)  Solon  M.,  b.  at  Denmark,  Aug.  11,  1829,  m.  Bessey  Varey, 
Dec.  24,  1853,  r.  Blue  Springs,  Neb.  (1877),  has  had  seven 
children;  i.  "Helen;"  2.  "Anna;"  3.  "Grace;"  4.  "Grant;" 
5.  "Bessie;"  6.  "Clarence  W.;"   7.  "Lulu  Pearl." 

(6.)  Sterling  JV.,h.a.t  Denmark,  May  15,  1835,  "''•  Mary  E. 
ShultZ;  April  26,  1858,  r.  Frankfort,  Kansas  (1877),  has  had 
five  children:  i.  "Suel  Mead;"  2.  "Lillie  Maud;"  3. 
"WyattBush;"  4.  "Ida."  5.  " ." 

(7.)  Helen  M.,  b.  at  Denmark,  May  14,  1838,  m.  James  G. 
Potter  of  Copenhagen,  Dec.  5,  1861,  r.  Denmark  (1878),  has 
had  three  children,  all  b.  at  Carthage,  N.  Y.  :  i.  "Henry  S.," 
b.  April  28,  1866;  2.  "Franklin  Hazen,"  July  5,  1869;  3, 
"William  J.  G.,"  b.  Feb.  4,  1872. 

Vn.  EUNICE,  b.  at  Groton,  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Joseph  Farwell  of 
Groton ;  m.  (second)  to  Nathaniel  Willard  of  Lancaster. 

VIII.  SAMUEL,  b.  at  Groton,  May  24,  1 740,  m.  Elizabeth  Little 
of  Lunenburg,  d.  at  Shirley,  May  16,  1815  ;  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  d. 
at  Shirley,  Sept.  11,  1814.  They  had  eight  children,  all  b.  at 
Shirley : 

\.  Sarah,  b.  Oct.  25,  176-,  m.  Asa  Longley  of  Shirley,  pub. 
April  9,  1785,  d.  Aug.  29,  1820. 

2.  Jane,  b.  Oct.  10,  1767,  m.  Hezekiah  Patterson,  pub.  Nov.  20, 
I  791,  d.  April  10,  185 1. 

3.  Elizabeth,  b.  April  8,  1770,  m.  Matthew  Clark,  Oct.  24,  1788, 
d.  at  Shirley,  March  15,  1853  ;  her  husband  d.  Oct.  5,  1850. 
They  had  five  children  : 

(i.)  ^//s^z/^d'///,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.   25,   1788,   m.   Dr.  Theodore 

Mead,  pub.  Aug.  9,  1807,  lived  in   Franconia,  N.  Y.,  where 

she  had  a  family,  d.  April  2,  1830. 
(2.)    Visa,   b.   at   Harvard,   April  4,   1792,  twice    m.,    (first)   to 

Abidah  Knight  of  Harvard,  April  10,  1823;   m.  (second)  Dr. 

Nathaniel    Pierce  of   Ashburnham,   Oct.    16,    1844;    r.   Ash- 

burnham,  a  widow  (1882). 
(3.)   Thomas  Hazen,  h.  aX.  Harvard,  March    11,    1798,   m.   Eliza 

Phelps  of  Shirley,  April  26,  1827,  d.  Oct.  26,  1856. 

Mr.  Clark  was  a  most  useful  and  highly  esteemed  citizen, 

an    honest    man,    bearing   the    credentials    of   his    character, 


""■^''^V.nt,  W.P.Ai,i.B«.Gat<it^ 


THOMAS  H.  CLARK. 


SAMUEL  HAZEN. 


GENEALOGY.— ^HAZEN.  '  449 

through  all  his  ways  and  works  ;  a  farmer  in  the  true  sense  of 
that    term.       He    cultivated    his    grounds,  not   so    much  to 

secure  a  present  har- 
vest as  to  make  them 
j^      /       effectively    productive 

a^c/lj     (y€^i/r^ from     year    to    year; 

^  and  at  the  time  of  his 

death  he  had  one  of  the  most  fruitful  and  remunerative  estates 
within  the  limits  of  the  town.  He  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
a  selectman  of  the  town  on  one  or  two  occasions,  and  repre- 
sented his  fellow-citizens  in  one  state  legislature.  In  public 
and  in  private  life  he  was  the  same  stable  and  consistent, 
effective  man  ;  his  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond,  and  no 
promise  was  given  that  could  not  be  fulfilled,  no  pledge  that 
could  not  be  redeemed.  He  was  a  professor  of  the  Christian 
religion,  and  honored  his  faith,  not  by  an  abundance  of 
words — for  he  was  modest  and  retiring — but  by  the  silent 
operation  of  a  well-ordered  life.  At  his  death  his  fellow- 
citizens  seemed  ready  with  one  accord  to  adopt  the  language 
of  the  weeping  prophet :  "All  ye  that  are  around  him  bemoan 
him  ;  and  all  ye  that  know  his  name  say,  how  is  the  strong 
staff  broken  and  the  beautiful  rod." 

His  amiable  and  highly  respected  widow,  Eliza  Clark, 
survived  until  Jan.  24,  1876,  when  she  joined  her  husband  in 
the  promised  land.  They  had  one  child:  1.  "Thomas,"  b. 
Feb.  7,  1829,  m.  Martha  A.  Hazen  of  Shirley,  Oct.  21,  1853, 
and  d.  in  the  very  prime  of  his  life  and  usefulness,  June  9, 
1862;  had  two  children:  i.  Lillian,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  i, 
1855  ;  2.  Thomas  H.,  b.  July  14,  1859. 
(4.)  Samuel  Hazcn,  b.  at  Harvard,  March  6,  1802,  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Hannah  Gates  of  Charlestown,  Jan.  14,  1842  ;  she 
d.  Nov.  8,  1858;  m.  (second)  Lucy  Penniman  Gates,  a  sister 
of  his  former  wife,  June  16,  1864  ;  she  d.  at  Shirley.  He  has 
had  two  children:  i.  "Elizabeth  J.,"  b.  Oct.  4,  1844,  m. 
James  G.  Dickerson  of  Harvard,  Dec.  6,  1865,  d.  Jan.  10, 
1872;  2.  "Samuel,"  b.  Jan.  18,  1847,  r.  Shirley  with  his 
father,  who  is  a  widower  (1882). 
(5.)  Hezekia/i,  b.  at  Shirley,  1809,  d.  Nov.  8,  1833. 

Samuel,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.    16,   1772,  m.   Love,  daughter  of 
James  and  Sarah  (Dickerson)  Parker  of  Shirley,  April  7,  1796,  d. 
Dec.  30  ;  18 10,  had  six  children  : 
(i.)  Samuel,  b.  at  Shirley,  June   19,  1797,  m.  Betsey  Pollard  of 

Groton,   Feb.   16,   1837,   d.   at   Shirley,    Oct.   27,    1880;    his 

widow  r.  Shirley  (1882). 
(2.)  Ma>^y  Ann,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  30,   i  799,  m.  Dr.  Augustus 

Granville   Parker,    who    d.    June    19,    1843;    she    had    one 

57 


450  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

child:  I.  "Stillman  Samuel  Hazen,"  b.  at  Shirley,  June 
27,  1 82 1.  He  was  a  very  promising  young  man,  and,  in 
accordance  with  the  desire  and  encouragement  of  his 
parents,  who  spared  neither  effort  nor  expense  to  effect  the 
object,  he  was  striving  to  obtain  an  education  that  would 
fit  him  for  the  highest  walks  of  professional  service,  but  was 
overtaken  by  consumption,  and  after  a  painful  ^d  lingering 
sickness,  departed  this  life  Jan.  18,  1841,  in  the  city  of 
St.  Mary's,  Florida,  whither  he  had  gone  for  the  benefit  of  his 
health.     His  widowed  mother  r.  in  Shirley  (1882). 

(3.)  Abigail  Parker,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  24,  1802,  m.  Wonder 
Ware,  Nov.  21,  1819,  lived  at  Westminster,  and  had  four 
children,  all  born  at  Westminster:  i.  "Abigail,"  b.  June  29, 
1822,  m.  Joseph  Forbush  of  Westminster,  June  16,  1843,  d. 
Dec.  13,  1867;  2.  "Mary  Ann,"  b.  March  8,  1825,  r.  West- 
minster (1882),  unm. ;  3.  "Sarah  Hazen,"  b.  Oct.  26,  1828, 
m.  Jerome  Whitman  of  Westminster,  Jan.  25,  185 1,  r.  West- 
minster (1882);  4.  "George  W.,"  b.  June  30,  1836,  m. 
Theodosia  Beardley,  May  30,  1859. 

(4.)  Love,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  11,  1804,  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Samuel 
Sprague  of  Harvard,  Dec.  11,  1828,  m.  (second)  Benjamin 
Wyman  of  Westminster,  Aug.  27,  1843,  has  had  three  children  : 
I.  "Samuel  Hazen,"  b.  at  Shirley,  March  22,  1831,  m.  Ann 
M.  Miles  of  Westminster,  Jan.  16,  1856,  has  had  five  children  : 
I.  Love  Maria,  b.  Dec.  10,  1856  ;  2.  Nelson  S.,  b.  Dec.  10, 
1861  ;  3.  Hattie  Sophia;  4.  Theodosia  Miles;  5.  Lydia 
Gertrude,  b.  Feb.  13,  1878,  r.  Westminster  (1882)  ;  2.  "Mary 
Ann  Parker,"  b.  at  Westminster,  Aug.  19,  1844,  r.  Westmin- 
ster (1882),  unm.  ;  3.  "Sarah  Jane,"  b.  at  Westminster,  Sept. 
15,  1848,  r.  Westminster  (1882),  unm. 

(5.)  Henrietta  Whitney,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  16,  1807,  m. 
Franklin  Wyman  of  Westminster,  Dec.  3,  1839,  d.  June  26, 
i860,  had  three  children  :  i.  "Augustus  Granville  Parker,"  b. 
at  Westminster,  June  17,  1843,  d.  Oct.  28,  1849  ;  2.  "Charles 
Franklin,"  b.  at  Westminster,  April  16,  185 1,  d.  Dec.  13, 
1853  ;  3.  "Charles  F.,"  b.  April  16,  1853. 

(6.)   Sarah  Parker,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  i,  181  i,m.  Israel  Longley 
of  Shirley,  May  29,  1836,  is  a  widow,  r.  Shirley  (1882). 
5.  Thomas,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  11,  1775,  twice  m.  (first)  to  Anna 

Crocker  of  Harvard,  pub.  April  29,  1798  ;  she  d.  Dec.  2,  1843  5 

he  m.    (second)  Sally, 

^^^^  5— 7/<?'  daughter    of    Dr.    Ben- 

C>/^/i  ^J='>->a  ^    "-^^/a/:^  ]M\ri\\  Hartwell  of  Shir- 

/      ^  cy^2>^     ley,   Nov.  2,   1856,  had 

'^^  six    children,     all    b.   in 

Shirley  : 

(i.)  Anna  //.,  b.  June  8,  1800,  m.  Dr.  Nathaniel  Kingsbury  of 
Temple,  N.  H.,  Nov.  17,  1840,  d.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  7,  1S62. 

(2.)  Thomas  Little,  b.  Jan.  22,  1802,  m.  Mary  Pollard  of  Groton, 
May  12,  1842,  had  three  children,  and  d.  Sept.  .18,  1847.      ^- 


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GENEALOGY. HAZEN.  451 

"Thomas  Little,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  i8,  1843,  m.  Julia  M. 
Page  of  Shirley,  Nov.  17,  1867,  had  one  child:  i.  Mabel 
Gibson,  b.  July  27,  1872,  r.  Shirley  (1882);  2.  "Samuel,"  b. 
at  Shirley,  May  18,  1844,  m.  Julia  A.  Lawrence,  Nov.  2,  1875, 
has  had  one  child:  i.  Mary  E.,  b.  Sept.  27,  1876,  r.  Shirley 
(1882);  3.  "Jacob  Pollard,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  9,  1845,  m. 
Kate  Eliza  Bancroft,  daughter  of  Hon.  E.  D.  Bancroft  of 
Ayer,  Nov.  14,  1875,  r.  Shirley  (1882). 

(3.)  Joseph,  b.  Dec.  15,  1804,  m.  Ann,  daughter  of  Stephen 
Longley,  Esq.,  of  Shirley,  r.  Shirley  (1882),  has  had  six 
children,  all  b.  in  Shirley  :   i.  "Thomas  J.,"  b.  June  27,  1830, 

m.  Sarah  C. 
Farrar,  Mar. 
7,  1855,  had 
five  children, 
and  died  at 
Shirley,  April 

28,  1865  :  I.  Ethel,  b.  July  15,  1856,  d.  Dec.  26,  1870;  2. 
John  Emory  Lyon,  b.  Sept.  16,  1858;  3.  Joseph  Thomas,  b. 
April  23,  i860  ;  4.  Samuel  Farrar,  b.  Dec.  5,  1861  ;  5.  Mary 
B.,  b.  March  31,  1865;  2.  "Ann  Maria,"  b.  May  16,  1832, 
m.  Jerome  Gardner,  Oct.  24,  1850,  r.  Shirley  (1882);  3. 
"Martha,"  b.  April  10,  1834,  m.  Thomas  H.  Clark,  Oct.  11, 
1853,  r.  Shirley  (1882);  4.  "Sarah,"  b.  Feb.  4,  1838,  m.  Dr. 
John  Q.  A.  McColHster,  May  6,  1856,  d.  at  Ayer,  May  5, 
1858,  had  one  child:  i.  Anna,  b.  Aug.  28,  1857,  r.  Shirley 
(1882);  5.  "Herman  Streeter,"  b.  June  13,  1844,  d,  July  14, 
1844  ;  6.  "Herman  S.,"  b,  Aug.  25,  1845,  m-  Elizabeth  Ann 
Chandler,  Nov.  i,  1865,  has  had  one  child:  i.  Ethel,  b.  at 
Shirley,  May  29,  1871,  d.  April  15,  1882. 

(4.)    William,  b.  June  4,  1807,  d.  Aug.  3,  1807. 

(5.)  Samuel,  b.  Sept.  8,  1808,  d.  April  8,  1810.  ' 

(6.)  Luther,  b.  Feb.  7,  1812,  d.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  18,  1845,  unm. 

6.  Margaret,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  8,  1777,  d.  March  7,  1777. 

7.  Peggy  Little,  b.  Feb.  28,  1779,  m-  Josiah  Bailey  of  Lunen- 
burg, March  17,  1796,  d.  March  12,  1857  ;  she  had  ten  children  : 
(i.)   Otis,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Jan.  28,  1798,  m.  Sophia  Marshall, 

d.  at  Nashua,  N.  H.,  May  5,  1842,  had  one  child  :  i.  "Hen- 
rietta." 

(2.)  ^r/^w<?i-,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Jan.  17,  1800,  m.  Clarissa  Bil- 
lings, d.  at  Keene,  N.  H.,  Nov.  7,  1865,  had  three  children: 
I.  "Rufus;"   2.  "Adaline;"  3.   "Lizzie." 

(3.)  Thomas  H.,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Jan.  28,  1802,  m.  Elizabeth 
Boutelle. 

{a-)  Josiah,  b.   at  Lunenburg,   Feb.    27,     1804,    m.    Catharine 

~ ,  d.  at  Reading,  July  5,  1827,  had  four  children:    i. 

"Luther;"  2.  "Margie;"  3.  "Josiah;"  4.  "Lizzie." 

(5.)  Samuel  H.,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Feb.  8,  1806,  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Mary  Hart;  m.  (second)    Mrs.  Sarah   Hart;    d.  at 


452  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Fitchburg,    Oct.    29,    1869,   had   two  children:     i.  "Martha 

A.  W.  ;"   2.  "Mary  E." 
(6.)  Betsey  L.,  b.   at   Lunenburg,  Jan.   3,    1808,   m.  WilHam   A. 

Warren. 
(7.)  John  Z.,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Feb.  3,  18 11,  m.  Mary  Cowden, 

had  two  children:    i.  "George;"    2.  "Charles;"  both  died 

in  the  army. 
{S.)  Joseph,  b.   at   Lunenburg,  Jan.   8,    18 13,   m.   Mary , 

had  four  children  :    i.  "Marietta  ;"   2.  "Martin;"  3.  "Lizzie  ;" 

4.  "George." 
(9.)  Luther,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Sept.  14,  1816,  d.  at  Townsend, 

Feb.  27,  181 7. 
(10.)    Walter,  b.  at  Townsend,  April  18,  1818,  twice  m.,  (first) 

to  Mary  Fisk  ;  she  d.  ;  m.  (second)  a  lady  from  the  South  ; 

had  three  children  :   i.  "Mary;"  2.  "Fannie;"  3.  "Walter." 

8.  Lucy,    b,  at  Shirley,   Feb.   28,   1783,   m.   Jonathan    Burton  of 

Wilton,  N.  H.,  pub.  Feb.  10,  1805,  had  eight  children,   and  d. 

April  II,  1874. 

(i.)  Lucy,  b.  at  Wilton,  Jan.  26,  1806,  d.  Oct.  25,  1828. 

(2.)  Persis,  b.  at  Wilton,  Jan.  16,  1808,  d.  Feb.  28,  1809. 

(3.)  Persis,  b.  at  Wilton,  Dec.  16,  1810,  m.  Rev.  Stephen  A. 
Barnard,  Aug.  29,  1831,  r.  Lansing,  Mich.  (1877),  had  seven 
children  :  i.  "Alfred  Augustine,"  b.  Feb.  3,  1834,  d.  Sept.  24, 
1835;  2.  "Edward  Francis,"  b.  April  21,  1836,  d.  April  4, 
1863  )  3-  "William  Alfred,"  b.  Jan.  16,  1838,  d.  May  2,  1874  ; 
4.  "Ellen  Augusta,"  b.  March  16,  1840.  m.  Charles  A.  J. 
Marsh,  Feb.  3,  1876,  r.  Minneapolis,  Minn.  (1877);  5. 
"Emily  Persis,"  b.  June  25,  1847;  6.  "Mary  Estella,"  b. 
Nov.  8,  1 85 1,  d.  Aug.  31,  1852  ;  7.  "Henry  Burton,"  b.  Oct. 
I,  1853,  d.  Sept.  21,  1855. 

(4.)  Jonathan  Hazen,  whose  name  was  legally  changed  to  Hazen 
J.,  b.  at  Wilton,  N.  H.,  June  2,  1812,  thrice  m.,  (first)  to 
Susan  S.  Bancroft  of  Boston,  May  2,  1836  ;  she  d.  July  23, 
1844  ;  m.  (second)  Harriet  L.  Smith  of  Boston,  Jan.  i,  1846  ; 
she  d.  July  9,  1853  ;  m.  (third)  Eliza  M.  Josselyn  of  Boston. 
Nov.  4,  1854;  he  had  five  children,  all  b.  at  Boston,  and  d. 
April  7,  1880.  I.  "Laura  Frances,"  b.  May  10,  1838;  2. 
"Helen  Louisa,"  b.  Dec.  19,  1841  ;  3.  "Hazen  J.,  Jr.,"  b. 
July  II,  1847;  4.  "George  Smith,"  b.  Nov.  26,  1850;  5. 
"Ida  Maria,"  b.  July  6,  1856. 

(5.)  Samuel,  b.  at  Wilton,  Aug.  22,  18 14,  m.  Elvira  M.  Jones  of 
Marlboro',  N.  H.,  Dec.  5,  1839,  r.  Wilton  (1877),  has  had  five 
children:  i.  "  Henry  W.,"  b.  at  Wilton,  March  19,  1841  :  2. 
"Lucy  M.,"  b.  at  Wilton,  Nov.  27,  1842  ;  3.  "Clarence  F.," 
b.  at  Wilton,  Aug.  31,  1845;  4.  "William  Andrew,"  b.  at 
Wilton,  Nov.  5,  1850;  5.  "Charles  S.,"  b.  at  Wilton,  Aug. 
26,  1852. 

(6)  Elizabeth  Jane,  b.  at  Wilton,  Sept.  22,  18 16,  m.  Rev. 
Charles  Robinson  of  Medfield,  Sept.  i,  1850  ;  she  is  a  widow, 
r.  Groton  (1882),  has  had  one  child:  i.  "Willie  Burton,"  b. 
at  Peterboro',  N.  H.,  April  3,  1854. 


GENEALOGY. HAZEN-HEALD.  453 

(7)  Andretv  Nichols,  b.  at  Wilton,  Feb.   21,    18 18,  r.   Boston 

(1877),  unm. 
(8.)  Maria,  b.  at  Wilton,  Feb.  22,  1820,  d.  at  Wilton,  May  4, 

1849. 

ii^aKU,  ^alcll.  This  name  occurs  in  the  records  of  the  town, 
and  the  presumption  would  be  that  Caleb  was  a  relative  of  the  fami- 
lies given  in  the  preceding  registry  ;  but  the  most  careful  investigation 
fails  to  give  the  most  distant  kinship.  This  is  the  more  strange  on 
account  of  the  uncommonness  of  the  name  in  New  England. 

The  following  are  the  names  and  birth-dates  of  the  children  of 
Caleb  and  Abigail  Hazen,  b.  at  Shirley  : 

I.  ABIGAIL,  b.  March  20,  17 — ;  date  imperfect. 

II.  SARAH,  b.  Jan.  11,  1750. 

III.  JOHN  HOLDEN,  b.  Nov.  2,  1753. 

IV.  CALEB  HOLDEN,  b.  Jan.  17,  1756. 


HEALD. 


This  name  was  sometimes  written  without  a,  and  with  final  e,  as 
Mr.  Savage  says,  and  has  been  pronounced  "Hale,"  oftentimes,  but 
it  truly  stands  by  itself  an  independent  name.  "John  Heald  immi- 
grated from  Berwick,  England,  and  settled  in  Concord  ;  was  a  free- 
man June  2,  1 64 1,  had  eight  children,  and  d.  at  Concord,  May  24, 
1662."  His  eldest  son,  John,  Jr.,  (John,  Jr.,^  John,')  m.  Sarah  Dean, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Dean,  June  10,  1661,  had  four 
children,  and  d.  at  Concord,  June  17,  1689.  His  wife  d.  July  17, 
1689.  John,  the  eldest  son  of  John,  Jr.,  (John,''  John,  Jr.,-  John,') 
was  b.  Sept.  19,  1666,  m.  Mary  Chandler  of  Concord,  daughter  of 
Roger  and  Mary  (Simons)  Chandler,  Dec.  19,  1690,  resided  at  Con- 
cord, had  several  children,  and  d.  Nov.  25,  1721.  His  wife  d.  Aug. 
14,  1759.     His  youngest  son,  Ephraim,  (Ephraim,'' John,'' John,  Jr.,- 

John,')  b.  Feb.  19,  1711,  m.  Eleanor ,  had  children,  and  d.  at 

Townsend.     Among  his  children  was 

ll^raltf,  U0i)n,  (John,'^  Ephraim,-*  John,"'  John,  Jr.,-  John,')  m. 
Mary  Tuttle  of  Littleton,  Nov.,  1764,  and  became  a  resident  of 
Shirley  in  May,  1776.  He  was  settled  on  a  farm  at  the  extreme 
north  section  of  the  town,  the  same  now  occupied  by  Hezekiah 
Spaulding.  He  was  a  man  of  standing  and  influence,  was  appointed 
a  deacon  in  the  church  Sept.  13,  1790,  during  the  ministry  of  Mr.  , 
Whitney.  At  a  subsequent  period,  while  Mr.  Tolman  was  minister, 
the  deacon  became  dissatisfied  with  the  doctrines  of  Mr.  Tolman, 
which  were  of  a  severe  Calvinian  stamp,  and  utterly  at  variance 
with  the  Arminian  faith,  which  had  become  the  accepted  belief  of 
the  worthy  deacon.  He,  therefore, — with  his  daughter,  Eleanor 
Bowers, — took  himself  from  Mr.  Tolman's  church  and  ministry,  and 
they  became  connected  with  the  Methodist  church  at  Lunenburg, 


454  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

where  his  Arminian  ideas  received  cordial  fellowship  and  sympathy. 
He  had  six  children,  and  d.  Sept.  13,  182 1. 

I.  LUCY,  b.  Nov.  25,  1765,  m.  William  Going  of  Shirley,  pub.  Jan. 
8,  1787. 

II.  ABIGAIL,  b.  Dec,  1767,  d.  May  30,  1790. 

III.  RHODA,  b.  Feb.  29,  1769,  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Jonathan  Ather- 
ton  of  Shirley,  March  17,  1793;  m.  (second)  Samuel  Tarbell  of 
Mason,  N.  H.,  Dec.  i,  1814,  d.  Jan.  13,  1854. 

IV.  ESTHER,  b.  July  20,  1771,  m.  James  Snow  of  Mason,  pub. 
April  17,  1808,  d.  July  23,  1853. 

V.  JOHN,  b.  Feb.  28,  1773,  m.  Polly  Gasset  of  Townsend,  pub. 
Oct.  19,  1794,  had  two  children,  and  d.  July  i,  1798. 

1.  Brigham,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  7,  1795,  d.  July  31,  1798. 

2.  Harvey,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  20,  1797. 

VI.  ELEANOR,  b.  Aug.  4,  1775,  m.  Nathaniel  Bowers  of  Towns- 
end,  pub.  Sept.  20,  1802,  had  three  children,  and  d.  at  Lunenburg, 
May  13,  1868. 

1.  Nathaniel,  b.  March  29,  1804,  m.  Eleanor  Allen  of  Saco,  Me., 
Oct.,  1828,  had  two  children,  and  d.  at  Brookline,  N.  H. 

(i.)  /okti  Allen,  b.  June,  1829. 
(2.)  Ellen  Lucy,  b.  Sept.,  1831. 

2.  John  Heald,  b.  May  13,  1806,  d.  Nov.  25,  1821. 

3.  Mary,  b.  Feb.,  1807,  m.  Jonas  Longley,  April,  1840,  had  two 
children  : 

(i.)  Hiram,  b.  Jan.  7,  1841. 
(2.)    Charles,  b.  April  26,  1845. 


HENDERSON. 

Mr.  Savage,  in  his  Genealogical  Dictionary,  mentions  but  one  of 
this  name — William,  of  Dover,  1679.  '^^e  name  is  not  of  frequent 
occurrence  in  the  New  England  towns. 

?l^fntlCrSOn,  STijOmaS,  resided  in  Shirley,  near  the  middle  of 
the  last  century,  and  left  the  birth-dates  of  two  children  upon  its. 
records : 

I.     JOHN,  b.  Nov.  5,  I  751. 

.II.     BETTY,  b.  Oct.  6,  1753. 


HENRY. 

IllCUV^,  liOiJCCt,  and  Eleanor,  his  wife,  lived  on  a  farm  in  the 
extreme  south-western  section  of  the  town  and  of  the  original  terri- 
tory of  Groton,  at  least  ten  miles  from  the   center  of  that  territory. 


GENEALOGY. HENRY-HOLDEN.  455 

The  hill  which  formed  a  portion  of  their  domain,  presents  the  deepest 
and  most  difficult  cut  which  the  workmen  had  to  make  on  the  whole 
line  of  the  Fitchburg  railroad.  The  farm  which  the  Henrys  occupied 
has  become  amalgamated  with  other  estates,  and  its  buildings  are 
abolished,  but  the  hill  still  bears  the  name  of  Mount  Henry. 

As  might  well  be  supposed,  the  original  proprietor  would  be  inter- 
ested in  the  establishment  of  a  new  town,  whereby  his  municipal 
facilities  might  be  enlarged.  His  name,  therefore,  appears  among 
the  signers  to  secure  this  object.  He  had  seven  children,  as  shown 
by  the  records  of  Groton  and  Shirley  ;  but  farther  than  the  first 
generation  their  descent  has  not  been  discovered. 

I,     SARAH,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  lo,  1744. 

n.     ANNA,  b.  at  Groton,  April  3,  1747,  must  have  d.  before  1758. 

HI.     ROBERT,  b.  at  Groton,  April  xo,  1749. 

IV.  ELEANOR,  b.  at  Groton,  May  19,  1751. 

V.  SILAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  28,  1754,  d.  Feb.  23,  1754. 
VL     SILAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  3,  1755. 

VII.     ANNA,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  4,  1758. 


HOLDEN. 

It  vvas  facetiously  said  of  the  town  of  Dracut,  that  one  might 
perambulate  its  entire  territory  and  address  the  first  man  he  met  as 
Coburn  and  the  next  as  Varnum,  and  so  alternate  during  his  whole 
route,  without  incurring  much  danger  of  mistake.  Something  like 
this  might  be  said  of  Shirley,  during  some  periods  of  its  history,  in 
relation  to  the  Holden  and  Longley  families — names  that  have 
had  a  large  representation  among  its  inhabitants. 

Connected  with  the  early  settlers  of  the  town  there  were  seven 
families  bearing  the  name  of  Holden.  At  the  time  of  this  writing 
(1878),  there  are  twelve  households  of  that  name.  And  during  the 
interregnum  of  a  century  and  a  quarter,  there  never  has  been  less 
than  the  number  first  stated,  but  often  more  than  the  second. 

For  the  facts  connected  with  the  origin  of  the  Holden  settlers  in 
town,  the  compiler  is  indebted  to  letters  received  from  John  A. 
Boutelle,  an  accurate  genealogist,  who  recently  died  at  Woburn,  and 
from  Major  Frederic  A.  Holden,  connected  with  the  "Department  of 
the  Interior,"  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  to  the  histories  of  Groton 
and  Watertown.  Though  they  differ  at  some  small  points,  there  is  as 
great  harmony  in  their  independent  accounts  as  could  be  expected 
under  the  circumstances.  The  Holden  settlers  in  Shirley  descended 
from  one  and  the  same  family,  the  head  of  which  was  Richard 
Holden.  He  was  of  English  birth,  and  embarked  at  Ipswich  for 
America,    in  '"the  good  ship"  Frances,  Captain  John    Cutting  (or 


456  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Nutting),  Master.  He  left  England  May  30,  1634.  After  he  arrived 
at  the  land  of  his  adoption,  he  is  known  as  living  first  in  the  town  of 
Ipswich,  Essex  county,  Mass.  This  was  the  year  of  his  immigration, 
and  here  he  was  admitted  freeman,  giving  his  age — twenty-five  years 
— which  makes  the  year  of  his-  birth  1609.  In  Ipswich  he  owned 
real  estate. 

The  same  year  a  younger  brother  immigrated  to  America,  in  the 
ship  Ehzabeth,  and  setded  at  Watertown.     He  was  b.  in   161 1,  was 

twice  m.,  (first)   to   Elizabeth  -. ,   who   d.    1672;    m.   (second) 

Mary  Rutter  of  Sudbury,  had  seven  children,  and  d.  1691. 

In  1640  Richard  Holden  was- m.  to  Martha  Fosdi-:k,  and  in  1644, 
when  he  was  thirty  years  of  age,  he  left  Ipswich  and  removed  to 
Watertown.  Here  he  purchased  an  estate  containing  five  acres, 
which  bordered  upon  land  owned  by  his  brother  Justinian,  where  he 
remained  some  eight  or  nine  years,  when  he  sold  his  property  in 
Watertown  to  Rev.  J.  Sherman  of  that  place,  and  in  1655  his  name 
appears  upon  the  tax-list  of  the  town  of  Woburn. 

The  proprietorship  of  the  territory  which  bore  the  general  name  of 
Groton,  was  established  by  the  "■  Great  and  General  Court  of  Massa- 
chusetts," in  1656-7.  Not  far  from  this  time,  Richard  Holden, 
having  become  a  member  of  this  proprietorship,  with  two  of  his 
sons — Justinian  and  Samuel — who  were  also  proprietors,  removed  to 
said  territory,  and  made  it  his  home  for  life. 

When  this  dom.ain  of  sixty-four  square  miles  was  apportioned  to 
the  grantees,  according  to  their  several  subscriptions  to  the  general 
stock,  Richard  Holden  found  himself  in  the  possession  of  over  nine 
hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of  land,  much  of  which  lay  in  the 
north  and  north-westerly  parts  of  what  is  now  Shirley.  It  appears 
from  ancient  deeds  that  his  landed  estate  began  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Nashua  river,  near  to  Beaver  pond,  and  extended  westward  on 
what  became  the  northern  bound  of  Shirley  and  the  southern  bound 
of  Groton,  and  included  what  is  now  the  farm  of  the  heirs  of  the  late 
Porter  Kittridge. 

Of  this  land  he  deeded  to  his  son  Stephen — the  seconci  of  the 
name  in  his  family — one  hundred  and  eight  acres,  all  of  which,  and 
some  more,  passed,  eventually,  into  the  possession  of  Lieutenant 
Simon  Holden,  who  removed  to  the  territory  and  became  the  first 
resident  occupant  of  what  is  now  known  as  the  Porter  Kittridge 
place.  He  afterward  became  a  large  land-holder,  and  passed  for  a 
rich  man. 

As  farms  were  taken  up  from  time  to  time,  by  Holden  settlers, 
along  the  line  of  the  north  section  of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Shirley, 
reaching  to  Lunenburg  line  on  the  west,  and  down  as  far  south  as 
where  Luke  Holden  now  lives,  it  is  probable  that  much  of  the  terri- 
tory including  these  farms  and  their  surroundings,  when  in  a  wild 
state,  belonged  to  Richard  Holden.'    ' 

The  history  of  Watertown  limits  the  number  of  Richard's  children 
to  nine,  but  Mr.  Boutelle  adds  two  to  this  number,  and  gives  their 
names  as  follows  :  i.  Stephen,  b.  1642,  killed  at  Groton,  while  felling 
a  tree,  1658;  2.  Justinian,  b.  1644;  3.  Martha,  b.  1646  ;  4.  Mary; 
5.  Sarah;  6.  Samuel;   7.  John;  8.  John;  9.  Stephen;   10.  Thomas; 


GENEALOGY. HOLDEN.  457 

II.  Elizabeth.  Richard  Holdeii  d.  at  Groton,  March  i,  1696,  at 
the  house  of  his  son  Stephen,  "aged,  infirm,  and  a  widower."  His 
wife,  Martha,  d.  at  Watertown,  Dec.  6,  1684. 

Stephen  Holden,  the  ninth  child  of  Richard,  had  eleven  children, 
and  d.  at  Groton,  1 715.  Among  the  names  of  his  children  John, 
Stephen,  and  Nehemiah  are  found,  and  from  their  families  came  the 
Holden  settlers  within  the  territory  of  what  was  afterward  Shirley. 
The  first  of  these  settlers  was 

ll^Oltrni,  QtHitiJy*  (John,-'  Stephen,^  Richard,')  b.  at  Groton, 
Feb.  I,  1723,  m.  Abigail ,  and  had  four  children  : 

I.  ABIGAIL,  b.  at  Groton,  March  25,  1748. 

II.  SARAH,  b.  at  Groton,  Jan.  11,  1749. 

III.  JOHN,  b.  at  Groton. 

IV.  CALEB,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  19,  1755. 

Jl^Oltien,  ^mOS/    (John,-  Stephen,-  Richard,')    b.    at    Groton, 

June  16,  1726,  was  twice  m.,   (first)   to   Prudence   ,   Feb.   6, 

1750;  she  d.  Nov.  i,  1762  ;  m.  (second)  Sarah  Blood,  1763;  she  d. 
1800.  He  owned  and  lived  on  a  farm  situated  on  the  north  side  of 
Mulpus  brook,  and  recently  known  as  the  Amos  Day  place.  He  was 
among  the  patriots  of  the  town  during  the  dark  days  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  was  one  of  the  volunteers  called  out  by  the  alarm  of  the 
19th  of  April,  1775.  He  was  also  one  of  the  eight-months  men 
of  the  same  year.     He  had  sixteen  children,  all  born  in  Shirley. 

I.  AMOS,  b.  Sept.  21,  1752,  m.  Lydia  Sloan  of  Mason,  N.  H., 
Sept.,  1778,  was  one  of  the  eighty  volunteers  that  marched  to 
Cambridge  the  day  after  the  Lexington  battle.  He  removed  to 
Mason  about  the  time  of  his  marriage,  where  he  remained  two 
years,  and  had  two  children  ;  he  then  returned  to  Shirley,  but  was 
refused  recognition  as  a  citizen  by  the  selectmen  of  the  town, 
Oct.  4,  1780. 

II.  NATHANIEL,  b.  Jan.  12,  1755,  d.  March  10,  1755. 

III.  PRUDENCE,  b.  March  9,  1756. 

IV.  ABEL,  b.  Sept.  26,  1758;  when  but  a  little  over  sixteen  years 
of  age  he  enlisted  for  eight  months  in  the  war  of  1775,  ^'""^  ^^^s 
in  Captain  Robert  Longley's  company.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Emma  Blood  of  Groton  ;  she  d.,  and  he  m.  (second)  Elizabeth 
Henry  of  Lunenburg,  had  four  children,  and  d.  at  Shirley,  1797. 

1.  Abel,  b.  1785. 

2.  Betsey,  d.  young. 

3.  Jonas,  b.   1795,  ""i-  Nancy   Kimball   of    Fitchburg,   had   eight 
children,  d.  at  Fitchburg,  1878. 

(i.)  Nancy,  b.   18 19,  m.  Jonathan  M.  Whitman    of   Fitchburg, 
d.  at  Fitchburg,  1854,  no  children. 

58 


458  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(2.)  Harriet,  b.  182 1,  m.  J.  Q.  A.  Mellen,  resides  Claremont, 
N.  H.,  has  two  children  :  i.  "Edgar  P.,"  ni.  May  P.  Young, 
has  one  son,  resides  Claremont;  2.  "Ella,"  m.  Baxter  Emer- 
son, r.  Claremont,  has  had  one  child  (died  young). 

(3.)  Mary,  b.  1823,  m.  Frederick  Mellen,  r.  in  Vermont,  a 
widow,  has  had  no  children. 

(4.)  Henry  Jonas,  b.  1825,  m.  Amanda  H.  Kendall  of  Marl- 
boro', N.  H.,  r.  in  Fitchburg  ;  occupation,  millwright ;  he  has 
had  seven  children:  i.  "Willis  Henry,"  b.  June  17,  185  i,  m. 
Dora  R.  Hall  of  Brattleboro',  Vt.,  r.  Hastings,  Dacota  county, 
Minn,,  has  had  two  children:  i.  Henry  Hall,  b.  July  11, 
1880;  2.  Cecil,  b.  Sept.  11,  1881  ;  2.  "Frederick  Augustine," 
b.  July  23,  1853;  3.  "Ida  Amanda,"  b.  June  5,  1855,  m. 
Charles  N.  Ordway  of  Fitchburg,  and  d.  Feb.  2,  1882  ;  had 
one  child:  i.  George  Ernest,  b.  Sept.  7,  1881,  d.  Nov.  7, 
1882;  4.  "Edith  May,"  b.  March  10,  i860,  m.  Eugene 
Dodd  of  Fitchburg,  has  one  child  :  Otho  Eugene,  b.  Feb.  1 1 , 
1881  ;  5.  "Arthur  Lincoln',"  b.  June  i,  1862  ;  6.  "Lulie  Au- 
gusta," b.  Dec.  7,  1867;  7.  "Jonas  Kendall,"  b.  June  23, 
1868,  d.  Sept.  13,  1870. 

(5.)  James,  b.  1827,  m.  Margaret  A.  Coolidge,  and  d.  at  Cam- 
bridge, 1853  ;  no  children. 

(6.)  Elvira,  b.  1829,  m  George  P.  Hildreth  of  Fitchburg,  and 
d.  1864;  had  one  child,  which  d.  in  infancy. 

(7.)  Porter,  b.  1833,  m.  Clara  Stout,  has  fiv^e  children,  and  r.  in 
Belmont,  Allegany  county,  N.  Y. 

(8.)  Joseph,  b.  1836,  m.  Anna  E.  Bates  of  Fitchburg,  has  two 
children,  and  r.  Belmont,  N.  Y. 

4.  William,  was  living  at  some  town  in  Maine,  as  last  known  to 
his  friends  here  (1877). 

V.  LYDIA,  b.  April  18,  1761. 

VI.  JOHN,  b.  May  21,  1765,  m.  Sally  Sanderson  of  Lunenburg, 
pub.  March  13,  1791,  d.  1847. 

VII.  SARAH,  b.  Sept.  10,  1767,  m.  Nathan  Pierce  of  Putney,  Vt., 
d.  at  Shirley,  1849. 

VIII.  EUNICE,  b.  Aug.  12,  1770,  m.  Francis  Harris,  Jan.  11, 
I  782,  d.  1814. 

IX.  ELIZABETH,  b.  Aug.  23,  1772, 

X.  MOSES,  b,  June  6,  1776,  m.  Priscilla  Stearns,  pub,  Nov.  13, 
1803. 

XI.  THOMAS,  b.  April  30,  1778,  was  four  times  married;  when 
about  twenty  years  old  he  removed  his  residence  from  Shirley  to 
Boston ;  m.  (first)  Nancy  Briant,  and  had  one  child,  but  buried 
wife  and  child  in  1802  ;  m.  (second)  Sophia  Briant,  and  had  four 
children  ;  of  these,  three,  viz.,  George,  Thoal\s  and  Oscar,  d. 
between  the  ages  of  twenty  and  thirty  years,  and  Nancy  still  lives 


GENEALOGY. HOLDEN.  459 

(1876)  ;  Sophia,  the  second  wife  of  Thomas  Holden,  d.  in  181 2  ; 
he  m.  (third)  Hannah  Baldwin,  and  had  six  children  ;  of  these,  five 
died  in  infancy";  Henry,  the  one  remaining,  was  b.  May  5,  1817, 
d.  March  12,  1839;  Hannah,  the  third  wife  of  Thomas  d.  1827; 
he  m.  (fourth)  Mary  Jewett,  and  had  one  child,  Sarah,  b.  1831, 
living  in  1856;  he  d.  at  Boston,  1847,  leaving  his  fourth  wife  a 
vyidow,  and  two  daughters. 

XH.  JOEL,  b.  March  13,  1780,  m.  in  18 13,  and  had  four  chil- 
dren ;  he  d.  at  New  Orleans,  Oct.  4,  1821  ;  his  children  were 

1.  Joel  M.,  b.  Nov.  4,  1815. 

2.  William,  b.  181 7,  d.  1818. 

3.  William  S.,  b.  June  9,  18 19,  r.  in  California  (i860). 

4.  Thomas,  b.  May  29,  182 1  ;  he  found  a  home  with  the  Shakers 
in  early  childhood,  and  as  he  grew  up  became  initiated  into  the 
faith  and  polity  of  his  guardians  ;  while  yet  a  young  man  he 
became  a  trusted  leader  and  minister  of  the  order,  was  regarded 
by  the  older  brethren  as  one  who  would  be  an  ornament  in  their 
denomination,  and  exert  an  influence  beneficial  to  the  "  United 
Friends"  beyond  the  limits  of  their  order.  But  the  charms  of  a 
lovelysister,  (who  stood  equally  high  with  himself  in  the  estima- 
tion of  their  community,)  by  her  amiable  and  winning  ways,  so 
wrought  upon  his  heart  as  to  cause  him  to  concentrate  his  affec- 
tions upon  her,  which  movement  was  reciprocated  by  her ;  and 
thus  he  was  led  to  abandon  a  life  which  he  had  firmly  believed 
to  be  the  true  spiritual  state,  for  one  which  he  had  as  faithfully 
looked  upon  as  the  abnormal  condition  of  the  sexes,  viz.,  matri- 
mony !  In  one  day,  therefore,  the  "United  Friends"  were 
called  to  give  up  to  the  world  two  of  their  most  efficient  helpers, 
and,  as  they  had  supposed,  two  of  their  firmest  associates. 
Thomas  Holden  m.  Louisa  B.  Blanchard  ;  he  has  since  died  ; 
his  widow  r.  in  Boston. 

XHL     SEWALL,  b.  Feb.  19,  1782,  d.  at  sea. 

XIV.  HANNAH,  b.  March  14,  1 784  ;  her  destinies  removed  her 
to  Canada  in  early  life.  She  was  twice  married,  (first)  to  A. 
Loomis,  1801  ;  he  d.  in  Canada,  and  she  removed  to  some  town 
in  Vermont,  and  m.  (second)  P.  Adams.     She  had  seven  children  : 

1.  Sally,  who  was  a  resident  of  Harvard  (1867). 

2.  Serinda,  b.  Jan.  17,  181 1,  died  young. 

3.  Alanson,  b.  Nov.  30,  181 2,  r.  somewhere  in  Vermont  (i860). 
■4.  Chloe,  b.  Feb.  14,  181 6,  d.  young. 

5  and  6.  Lucius  and  Lucas,  b.  Aug.  22,  181 8. 
7.  John,  b.  April,  1824,  d.  at  Boston,  1846. 

XV.  EMMA,  b.  March  23,  1786,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  S.  Blanch- 
ard,   and    had    four    children,  when  she   was  separated  from   her 


460  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

family,  her  husband  and  daughters  having  joined  the  Shakers. 
Mr.  Blanchard  became  a  distinguished  actor  in  the  Shaker  com- 
munion, and  died  at  Harvard  in  the  fulness  of  the  faith.  Being 
thus  forsaken  by  husband  and  children,  who  had  taken  vows  of 
celibacy,  Emma  felt  at  liberty  to  renew  her  family  relations  (which 
had  been  broken  much  against  her  will)  with  other  parties.  She 
accordingly  m,  (second)  B.  Winchester,  by  whom  she  had  four 
children.  She  d.  at  Boston,  1847.  The  children  she  had  by  her 
first  marriage  were 

1  and  2.  Louisa  and  Lucy,  b.  Dec.  28,  1807,  both  d.  young. 

3.  Louisa  B.,  b.  Oct.  15,  18 10.  She  was  taken  into  the  Shaker 
communion  with  her  father,  became  a  very  enterprising  and 
useful  Shakeress,  and  was  much  beloved  and  trusted  by  the 
entire  fraternity ;  yet  she  did  not  so  far  renounce  the  world  as  to 
resist  all  its  temptations,  but  became  the  bride  of  her  kinsman, 
Thomas  Holden,  who  was  eleven  years  her  junior  in  age — a  brief 
biography  of  whom  is  given  on  a  previous  page  of  this  record. 
She  is  now  (1882)  a  widow,  r.  Boston. 

4.  Jane,  b.  Nov.,  181 2;  she  became  a  Shakeress  with  her  sister, 
and  was  joined  to  the  community  at  Lebanon,  N.  Y.  ;  she  lived 
there  in  1856. 

XVL     MOODY,  b.  Nov.  5,  1789,  d.  at  sea. 

Amos  Holden,  the  father  of  this  numerous  family,  d.  at  Shirley, 
about  1805. 

f^Oltitn,  Xci)rmial)/  (John,"  Stephen,-'  Richard,')  b.  at 
Groton,  March  12,  1731,  m.  Elizabeth  [Stevens],  and  had  six 
children  : 

L     ELIZABETH  MARY  STEVENS,  b.  at  Louisburg,   Dec,  1758. 

H.     RICHARD  STEVENS,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  14,  1761. 

III.  NEHEMIAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  16,  1763. 

IV.  OLIVER,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  18,  1765,  removed  to  Charles- 
town  in  1 788.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  but  afterwards  kept 
a  music  store,  and  was  highly  gifted  as  a  musical  composer.  He 
was  the  author  of  "American  Harmony,"  1793,  and  "Union  Har- 
mony," collections  of  sacred  music.  In  company  with  two  others, 
he  composed  the  "Massachusetts  Compiler,"  1795.  He  also  pre- 
pared the  Worcester  collection  of  "Sacred  Harmony."  But  what 
has  most  distinguished  him,  and  that  for  which  he  will  be  longest 
known  and  remembered,  is  the  composition  of  that  divine  tune, 
"Coronation."     He  died  at  Charlestown,  Sept.  4,  1844. 

V.  MIRIAM  WHITNEY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  20,  1768. 

VI.  DANIEL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  28,  1771. 

The  record  now  brings  us  to  another  branch  of  the  Richard 
Holden  family,  that  of  Stephen,  who  was  the  seventh  son  of  Richard. 


GENEALOGY. HOLDEN.  461 

Stephen  had  seven  children,  among  whom  were  Stephen,  Philemon, 
Simon  and  Nathaniel.  To  pursue  the  record  according  to  seniority, 
we  must  begin  with 

li^Oltrcn,  StCpl)Cn/  (Stephen,''  Stephen,-  Richard,^)  b.  at 
Groton,  June  ii,  1720.  Stephen  and  Hannah  Holden  were  his 
parents.  He  m.  Sarah  Wheelock  of  Lunenburg,  and  settled  on  a 
farm  adjoining  the  estate  of  the  present  Luke  Holden.  His  dwelling 
— first  a  log  cabin,  afterward  a  framed  house — stood  a  few  rods  north 
of  Luke  Holden's  barn.  He  had  seven  children,  and  d.  at  Shirley 
(1776). 

L  SARAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  24,  1741,  m.  Lemuel  Woods  of 
Shirley,  1 769  ;  she  lived  and  died  in  Pepperell. 

IL     FRANCIS,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  6,  1 743. 

n/HL  STEPHEN,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  16,  1744,  m.  Martha  VVason. 
He  was  one  of  the  volunteers  from  Shirley  on  the  alarm  of  April 
^9'  1775?  ^^d  ^v^s  one  of  the  eight-months  men  the  same  year. 
He  had  ten  children  while  he  lived  in  Shirley  ;  he  then  removed  to 
some  parts  unknown.     His  children  were 

1.  Martha,  b.  March  13,   1771,  m.  Josiah   Shipley  of  Pepperell, 
Dec.  31,  1793. 

2.  Stephen,  b.  June  6,  1773,  d.  Jan.  28,  1776. 

3.  Susanna,  b.  March  26,  1775  ;  she  was  removed  from  town  in 
early  life. 

4.  Stephen,  b.  April  7,  1777. 

5.  John,  b.  June  9,  1779. 
G,  Sarah,  b.  June  17,  1781. 

7.  Thomas,  b.  March  25,  1783,  d.  April  17,  1783. 

8.  Lucy,  b.  July  7,  1784. 

9.  Elizabeth,  b.  July  17,  1786. 

10.  Emma,  b.  Sept.  6,  1789. 

IV.  CHARLES,  b.  in  Shirley,  July  17,  1747. 

V.  ZACHARIAH,  b.  in  Shirley,  April  3,  1750,  m.  Rebecca  Martin 
of  Derryfield,  pub.  Feb.  8,  1776.  He  was  one  of  the  band  of 
eighty  that  volunteered  at  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775;  he  also 
enlisted  into  the  regular  service  for  eight  months,  April  26,  1775. 

VI.  SAVVTELL,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  13,  1752;  he  was  one  of  the 
volunteers  from  Shirley  at  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775  ;  m.  Hannah 
Cook  of  Groton,  pub.  Dec.  16,  1778,  and  probably  removed  to 
Woodbury,  Vt.,  between  1793  and  1796.     He  had  eight  children  : 

I.  Beulah    Bancroft,    b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.   9,   1781,  m.    Charles 
Warren,  May  6,  1802. 


462  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

2.  Julius  Sawtell,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  13,  1783. 

3.  Polly  Golding,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  20,  1785. 

4.  Arethusa,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  7,  1787. 

5.  Hannibal  Carthage,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  20,  1 789. 

6.  Lydia  Prescott,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  24,  1791. 

7.  OcTAVius  Augustus,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  15,  1793. 

8.  GusTAVus  Augustus,  b.  at  Woodbury,  North  District,  Vt.,  June 
15,  1796. 

VII.  ANNE,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  15,  1761,  m.  John  Davis  of 
Shirley. 

fJ^OVatriy  PijClcmon/  (Stephen,^  Stephen,^  Richard,')  born  at 
Groton,  Feb.  28,  1725,  m.  Lucy  Walker,  Jan.  10,  1751,  and  settled, 
lived  and  died,  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  great-grandson,  Luke 
Holden.  Thus  the  two  brothers,  in  making  their  homes  in  a 
primeval  forest,  located  their  dwellings  as  near  each  other  as  circum- 
stances would  allow,  and,  with  their  families,  had  daily  and  hourly 
opportunity  for  social  intercourse  and  mutual  assistance. 

Stephen  became  a  resident  here  in  1741,  and  Philemon  in  1746. 
They  were  both  twenty-one  years  of  age  when  they  left  their  home  at 
Groton,  for  a  permanent  settlement  in  the  wilderness  of  what  after- 
wards was  Shirley.  They  both  signed  the  petition  that  the  new 
territory  might  be  separated  from  their  parent  town  and  have  a  cor- 
porate existence,  and  both  were  given  official  positions  at  the 
organization  of  the  new  town.  Stephen  was  made  a  constable,  and 
also  sealer  of  leather ;  Philemon  was  chosen  for  a  fence-viewer. 
Philemon  had  eleven  children,  and  died  at  Shirley,  June  19,  1810, 

I.  LEMUEL,  b.  June  27,  1751,  was  one  of  the  volunteers  called 
out  by  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775,  and  he  also  enlisted,  July  14 
of  the  same  year,  into  service  for  eight  months.  He  m.  Lucy 
Bartlett,  pub.  June  2,  1780. 

II.  LUCY,  b.  March  27,  1753,  m.  Jonas  Page  of  Shirley,  pub. 
Nov.  23,  1775. 

III.  EDE,  b.  June  10,  1755,  ^-  Benjamin  Farwell  of  Groton,  pub. 
Aug.  27,  1774,  removed  to  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  where  she  buried 
her  husband,  and  was  a  second  time  married. 

IV.  PHILEMON,  b.  April  i,  1757,  d.  Feb.  4,  1761. 

V.  DANIEL,  b.  Jan.  2,  1760. 

VI.  PHILEMON,  b.  May  24,  1762,  m.  Huldah  Davis  of  Shirley, 
pub.  Oct.  19,  1782. 

VII.  PHINEHAS,  b.  April  6,  1764,  m.  Polly  Craig,  and  had  seven 
children  : 

1.  Love,  b.  at  Pepperell,  Aug.  i,  1792. 


'^^'ot,  w.  p.  Allen.  Ga.' 


SYLVANUS  HOLDEN,  ESQ, 


GENEALOGY. HOLDEN.  463 

2.  Theodore,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  28,  1794. 

3.  Moses,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  20,  i  796. 

4.  Polly,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  3,  1798. 

5.  Phinehas  Walker,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  9,  1800. 
G.  Lucy,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  20,  1803. 

7.  Philemon,  b.  at  Brookline,  Nov.  22,  1804. 

VIII.  SYLVANUS,  b.  March  17,  1766,  m.  Polly  Bathrick  of  Lun- 
enburg, pub.  Jan.  16,  1 791.  He  remained  on  the  farm  that  was 
settled  by  his  father,  in  Shirley,  unto  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  April  5,  1843.  His  widow  d.  Oct.  13,  1849.  He  had 
nine  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley. 

\.  Luke,  b.  July  17,  1791.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Rebecca 
PoUey  of  Leominster,  pub.  Sept.  11,  1814  ;  she  d.  Feb.  4,  1848  j 
m.  (second)  Mrs.  Betsey  Fairbanks  of  Lunenburg,  had  two 
children,  and  d.  Aug.  26,  1852. 

(i.)  Luka,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  28,  181 5,  m.  Mary  Nutting  of 
Pepperell,  July  26,  1840;  he  has  had  eleven  children;  r.  in 
Shirley,  on  the  same  farm  settled  by  his  great-grandfather. 
His  children  are  :  i.  "Margaret  Augusta,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec. 
29,  1840,  m.  William  Jubb,  Nov.  5,  1865,  r.  Fitchburg  (1882)  ; 
2.  "Andrew  Nelson,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  6,  1842,  m.  Antio- 
nette  N.  Whitcomb,  Sept,  5,  1869,  r.  at  Shirley,  and  is  a 
blacksmith  by  trade;  3.  "John  E.,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  13, 
1843,  m.  Sybil  C.  Coburn,  July  12,  1874;  4.  "A  son,"  b.  at 
Shirley,  Sept.  22,  1844,  d,  Oct.  i,  1844;  5.  "  Robertus  F.," 
b.  at  Shirley,  June  16,  1846,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion,  m.  Maria  B.  Rhodes,  Nov.  17,  1872;  6. 
"Celinda  Mary,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  25,  1847,  m.  Ephraim 
B.  Cobleigh  of  Boxboro',  May  5,  1865,  r.  Boxboro'  (1877); 
7.  "Juliet  S.,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  26,  1850,  m.  Monroe  R. 
Bacon,  March  7,  187 1,  d.  May  19,  1872  ;  8.  "Julius  C,"  b. 
at  Shirley,  Aug.  26,  1850,  m.  Mary  J.  Richards,  April  16, 
1879;  9.  "Luke  Sylvanus,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  6,  1851,  r. 
Shirley  (1882);  10.  "Timothy  Nutting,"  b,  at  Shirley,  Nov, 
21,  1853;  he  is  a  physician,  and  lives  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  where  he  is  in  the  practice  of  his  profession;  11,  "Fred 
Zenas,"  b,  at  Shirley,  Jan,  10,  1854,  d,  at  Shirley,  Oct.  23, 
1867, 
(2.)  Sylvanus,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  3,  1817,  m,  Celinda  M,  Col- 
burn,  Jan.  19,  1849  ;  he  had  one  child  :  i.  "Austin  Colburn," 
b.  June  15,  1857,  m.  Nelly  C.  Munson,  daughter  of  N.  C. 
Munson  of  Shirley,  pub.  June  11,  1877  ;  he  had  two  children, 
and  d.  March  8,  1880.  Sylvanus  Holden  d.  at  Shirley,  March 
17,  1882.  He  had  large  judgment  and  business  ability,  and 
was  continually  engaged  in  active  and  remunerative  employ- 
ments. In  his  personal,  social  and  domestic  relations  he  was 
courteous,  affable  and  affectionate.     He  had  been  separated 


464  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

from  his  only  child  for  about  two  years,  by  the  death  of  that 
child,  when  his  own  end  came,  and  he  left  a  widow  to  mourn 
in  loneliness  the  sad  changes  to  which  her  life  had  been  sub- 
jected. 

2.  Sylvanus,  b.  May  3,  1793,  m.  Lucy  Ramsdell  of  Lunenburg, 
Jan.  10,  1822.  He  was  an  industrious  and  thriving  farmer, 
labored  on  the  soil  that  had  come  down  to  him  from  an  honored 
ancestry,  and  during  each  year  was  enabled  to  give  increased 
proof  of  his  careful  husbandry.  He  had  four  children,  all  b.  in 
Shirley,  and  he  d.  Aug.  i,  1870. 

(i).  John  Ramsdell,  b.  April  15,  1825,  m,  Martha  Jane  Parker 
of  Shirley,  May  4,  1858,  r.  Shirley.  He  has  had  two  children, 
b.  in  Shirley:  i.  "Ella  Jane,"  b.  March  i,  1859  ;  2.  "Homer 
P.,"  b.  June  6,  1865. 

(2.)  Scth  Ramsdell,  b.  Jan.  19,  1826,  m.  Esther  Ann  Jenkins  of 
Shirley,  Jan.  i,  1852,  r.  Shirley  (1882).  He  has  had  two 
children:  i.  "Edward  J.,"  b.  at  Shirley,  May  3,  1856;  2. 
"Herbert  Elbridge,"  b.  at  Shirley,  May  i,  1859. 

(3.)  Augusta  Ann,  b.  Feb.  10,  1831,  d.  June  30,  1831. 

(4.)  Henry  M.,  b.  Aug.  7,  1832,  r.  Shirley  (1882),  unm. 

3.  RuFUS,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  22,  1795,  m.  Phila  Webber,  had 
seven  children,  and  d.  May,  1831. 

(i.)  Riifus,  b.  1 813,  and  d.  the  same  year. 

(2.)  Lucy,  b.  Aug.,  181 5,  m.  Charles  Kezer  of  Shirley,  Oct.  20, 
1835,  removed  to  Royalston,  where  she  lived  in  1856. 

(3.)  Mary,  b.  Nov.  14,  1819,  m.  Benjamin  G.  Farmer  of  Lunen- 
burg, Dec.  I,  1836,  and  d.  Nov.,  1866;  she  had  three 
children:  i.  "Sarah,"  b.  at  Shirley,  1839,  d.  Oct.  14,  1842; 
2.  "James  Thomas,"  b.  at  Shirley,  May  9,  1845,  d.  March 
25,  1847  ;  3.  "  Mary  Ann,"  b.  Jan.  9,  1852. 

(4.)  Rufus,  b.  at  Shirley,  and  d.  in  childhood. 

(5.)  Metcalf,  b.  Jan.  10,  1824,  d.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  22,  1879. 

(6.)  Daniel,  b.  at  Shirley,  is  dependent  on  the  town  for  support 
(1882). 

(7.)  Rebecca,  b.  at  Lancaster,  1829. 

4.  Polly,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  8,  1797;  she  has  been  twice  m., 
(first)  to  James  Holden,  pub.  April  6,  1820;  m.  (second)  Peter 
Washburn,  April  30,  1848,  d.  Nov.  18,  1875. 

.").  Reuhen,  b.  March  30,  1799,  m.  Mary  Chute,  and  had  twelve 
children;  he  d.  Aug.  15,  1858;  his  widow  d.  Oct.  11,  1858. 
(i.)  Augustus,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  30,  1822,  m.  Mrs.  Rhoda 
Maria  Reed  of  Shirley,  Nov.  11,  1853,  r.  Shirley  (1882);  he 
has  had  four  children:  i.  "Mary,"  b.  at  Shirley,  June  24, 
1858,  m.  George  S.  Sanderson  of  Shirley,  May  14,  1876,  had 
one  child,  and  d.  Feb.  23,  1878;  2.  "George,"  b.  at  Shirley, 
May  4,  i860,  m..  Augusta  M.  Hodgman,  Nov.  23,  1880,  r. 
Shirley  (1882)  ;  3.  "  Henrietta,"  b.  at  Shirley,  April  23,  1862  ; 
4.  "Herbert,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  7,  1864. 

(2.)  Ald)y,  b.  April,  1826,  m.  Asahel  York,  and  d.  May,  1864. 


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GENEALOGY. HOLDEN.  405 

(3.)  Adelaide,  b.  Jan.  31,  1828,  m.  Harvey  Rideout. 

(4.)  Hannah,  b.  Nov.  28,  1830,  m.  James  McGroon. 

(5.)  Fraticis  Re  1/ ben,  b.  Sept.,  1832. 

(6.)  Martin  Franeis,  b.  Jan.,  1834,  m.  Lucinda  Scott,  r.  Boston 

(1876). 
(7.)   George,  b.  Oct.,  1836,  m.  Ellen  Reed  of  Shirley,  June   17, 

1861,  r.  Boston  (1882). 
(8.)  Anna  Marx,  b.  May  15,  1838,  m.  E.  D.  Elvvell,  r.  Boston 

(1876). 
(9.)    Walter,  b.  Sept.  12,  1839. 
(10.)  Elizabeth,  b.  May  31,  1841,  m.  Frank  Edgecomb,  d.  Feb., 

1874. 
(11.)  Alonzo,  b.  Oct.  10,  1843,  d.  March,  i860, 
(12.)  Lucius,  b.  Jan.  31,  1845. 

6.  Leander,  b.  June  23,  1801,  d.  at  Shirley,  May  12,  1878,  unm. 

7.  Philemon,  b.  Oct.  6,  1803,  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Eliza 
Stuart,  April  5,  1832  ;  she  d.  July  30,  1862  ;  m.  (second)  Sarah 
A.  Rollins  of  Pepperell,  April,  1863;  she  d.  May  21,  1876,  r. 
Shirley  (1882),  unm. 

8.  Erie,  b.  Dec.  23,  1806,  m.  Ann  Goodrich  of  Fitchburg,  d.  at 
Lunenburg,  July  13,  1849. 

9.  Lucy,  b.  Dec.  25,  1808,  r.  Gardner,  unm.  (1877.) 

LX.     PHEBE,  b.  Aug.  16,  1768,  m.  John  Warren,  Feb.  18,  1798. 

X.     A  DAUGHTER,  b.  July  23,  1770,  d.  Jan.  i,  1771. 

XL     ELEANOR,  b.  May  10,   1773,   m.  Thomas  Gass  of   Groton, 
Dec.  16,  1805,  d.  at  Brimfield. 

li^OlTlfn,    .Simon,-'    (Stephen,^    Stephen,-    Richard,^)— usually 
called    Lieutenant    Simon,  on  account  of  a  military  commission  he 

had   borne, — was  b.  at   Groton,   1731,    m.   Sarah  ,   and  was 

settled  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  the  late  Porter  Kit- 
ridge,  in  an  easterly  section  of  the  town.  His  lands  lying  along  the 
banks  of  the  Squannacook  river,  were  easily  reduced  to  a  state  of 
prolific  tillage,  giving  him  large  returns  for  his  labor.  At  the  time  of 
his  settlement  as  a  farmer  and  housekeeper,  and  at  a  subsequent 
period,  he  was  a  large  land-holder,  and,  in  the  parlance  of  that  day, 
was  called  a  rich  man.  But  tradition  says  that  at  a  later  date  he 
became  reduced  in  property  through  the  mean  treatment  of  those 
in  whom  he  had  confided  in  his  business  transactions, — was  reduced 
to  poverty,  and  died  in  Lunenburg,  a  wayfarer,  in  the  house  of  a 
Mrs.  Moffit,  who  lived  on  the  road  from  Shirley  to  North  Leomin- 
ster. His  remains  lie  in  the  old  cemetery  of  the  town,  the  location 
of  his  grave  and  the  date  of  his  death  being  alike  unknown  to  the 
present  generation.     He  had  ten  children  : 

L     ABRAHAM,  b.  May,  1753,  d.  April  18,  1754.     His  remains  are 
buried  in  the  earliest  grave  of  the  old  cemetery. 


466  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

II.  HANNAH,  b.  Jan.  20,  1755,  m. 

III.  SIMON,  b.  May  22,  1757;  he  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Mary 
Pierce,  pub.  Sept.  7,  1777;  she  d.,  and  he  m.  (second)  Lydia 
Page,  April  20,  i  794.     He  had  four  children  : 

1.  Polly,  b.  at  Shirley,  m.  Samuel  Sever,  a  farmer  of  Charles- 
town,  N.  H.,  pub.  April  i,  1798,  and  had  three  children,: 
(i  )  MaryB.,  b.  Nov.  25,  1 799,  m.  Apr.  18,  1826,  Ara  Powers,  b. 
1797,  son  of  Samuel  and  Chloe  (Cooper)  Powers,  of  Croyden, 
N.  H.  M^;.  Powers  resided  in  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  where  he 
d.  Sept.  29,  1865;  his  widow  d.  Nov.  2,  1868;  children:  i. 
"Mary  Ellen,"  b.  May,  1827  ;  2.  "Samuel  C,"  b.  Dec,  1832  ; 

3.  "George  Holden,"  b.  April  6,  1837,  m.  Jan.  i,  1863,  Lo- 
raine  Sophia  Hubbard,  b.  Nov.  12,  1842,  daughter  of  Edwin  F. 
and  Hannah  Hlibbard,  of  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  r.  Charlestown  ; 
children:  i,  George  CHfford,  b.  Oct.  3,  1864;  2.  Sadie  Lo- 
raine,  b.  Nov.  11,  1866;    3.  Ara  Edwin,  b.  May  10,   1871  ; 

4.  Franklin  Hubbard,  b.  July  28,  1873. 

(2.)  Valeria  A.,  b.  May  6,  1805,  m.  Dea.  John  Putnam  of 
Charlestown,  N.  H.,  b.  June  24,  1799  ;  he  was  deacon  of  the 
church  of  the  South  Parish  in  Charlestown  for  many  years, 
and  d.  Sept.  3,  1865  ;  Mrs.  Putnam  d.  July  31,  18 71  ;  chil- 
dren :  I.  "John,"  b.  Jan.  28,  1829,  m.  Oct.  2,  1854,  Rebecca 
Winter,  daughter  of  Sanford  and  Rosalinda  (Reckard)  Winter  ; 
he  d.  Aug.  15,  1858;  his  wife,  Rebecca,  d.  1859;  they  had 
one  child  :  1.  George,  b.  Feb.  2,  1856  ;  2.  "Valeria  Annette," 
b.  June  17,  1833,  m.  (first)  Sept.  18,  i860,  George  Bond;  m. 
(second)  Oct.  30, 1872,  WiUiam  Daggett ;  3.  "Rosetta  Mary," 
b.  May  19,  1835,  m.  Sept.  18,  i860,  Franklin  W.  Putnam,  b. 
Nov.  27,  1832,  son  of  Nathan  P.  and  Nancy  (Grinnell)  Put- 
nam, of  Charlestown,  N.  H. ;  children:  i.  Augusta,  b.  Dec. 
10,  1869;  4.  "Wesley  D.,"  b.  Nov.  16,  1840,  m.  Nov.  16, 
1863,  Mary  J.  Parks;  children:  i.  Mary  Belle,  b.  Feb.  3, 
1865. 

(3.)  Louisa  y.,  b.  Nov.  6,  1809,  m.  Nahum  Dodge,  son  of 
Elijah  and  Sarah  (Jackson)  Dodge  of  Stoddard,  N.  H. ;  he 
was  accidentally  injured  by  the  caving  in  of  a  bank  of  earth, 
which  caused  his  death.  He  had  three  children  :  i.  "Me- 
lissa L.,"  b.  May  27,  1832,  m.  Oct.  10,  1854,  William  H. 
Hamlin,  b.  Oct.  9,  1832,  son  of  Ashbel  and  Mary  (Grout) 
HamHn,  of  Charlestown,  N.  H. ;  their  children  were  :  i.  Fred 
W.,  b.  July  24,  1855;  2.  Louise  J.,  b.  Sept,  22,  1857;  3. 
Mary  E.,  b.  Dec.  6,  1862  ;  4.  Walter  H.,  b.  April  15,  1868  ; 
5.  Myrtle  B.,  b.  May  10,  1875,  d.  May  4,  1876;  2.  "Hosea 
Nahum,"  b.  June  17,  1838,  m.  Sept.  10,  1862,  Lucy  Ann 
Breed,  b.  Sept.  10,  1842  ;  children  :  i.  Prescott  N.,  b.  July  4, 
1863,  d.  Aug.  20,  1863  ;  2.  Charles  N.,  b.  March  6,  1866,  d.. 
Nov.  8,  1867  ;  3.  Emma  L.,  b.  July  28,  1867  ;  4.  Josie,  b. 
July  25,  1868,  d.  Sept.  16,  1868;  5.  Nahum  Charlie,  b.  July 
16,  1870.     Mr.  Hosea  N.  Dodge  is  a  farmer  of  Charlestown, 


GENEALOGY. HOLDEN.  467 

N.  H.  3.  "Arvilla,"  m.  John  W.  Fisk,  son  of  Aaron  and 
Hannah  (Laughton)  Fisk,  of  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  r.  South 
Acworth,  N.  H.  ;  children:  i.  Algine  Aaron;  2,  Leon 
Nahum  ;  3.  Flora. 

2.  Simon,  b.  June  27,  1780,  m.  Mary  Kezer  of  Shirley,  Nov.  11, 
1804,  d.  June  9,  1805. 

3.  Nathan,  b.  at  Shirley,  1782,  m.  Delilah  Dickerson,  daughter  of 
James  Dickerson  of  Shirley,  July  8,  1804,  d.  April  13,  1807  ;  he 
had  one  child  : 

(i.)  Simon,  b.  Sept.  14,  1804,  m.  Sarah  Hill  Teal  of  Charles- 
town,  1829,  r.  VVoburn  (1882)  ;  he  has  had  three  children  ;  i. 
"Albert  Parker,"  b.  Aug.  22,  1829,  m.  Lydia  Shaw  of 
Chicopee,  July  i,  1858;  he  has  had  two  children:  i.  Alfred 
Simon,  b.  April  4,  1859,  d.  Aug,  4,  1859;  2.  Albert  Luther, 
b.  April  4,  1859,  d.  Aug.  28,  1859;  2.  "Sarah  Frances,"  b. 
March  26,  1835,  m.  Benjamin  Franklin  Chamberlain,  Jan.  26, 
1859,  d.  May  18,  1861  ;  3.  "George  Whitfield,"  b.  Sept.  27, 
1840,  m.  Savilla  C.  Quimby,  July  22,  1866;  he  has  had  four 
children:  i.  Ida  May,  b.  May  i,  1867,  d.  May  9,  1867;  2. 
Sarah  Maria,  b.  March  26,  1869;  3.  Amy  Jeanette,  b.  Feb. 
17,  1871,  d.  in  one  week;  4.  Bertha  Eliza,  b.  March  30, 
1874. 

4.  Luther,  b.  July,  1786,  m.  Delilah,  the  widow  of  his  elder 
brother,  Nathan,  pub.  April  19,  181 2,  d.  Sept.  i,  1830;  he  had 
seven  children  : 

(i.)  Luther,  b.  Jan.  12,  1813,  m.  Lucy  Phelps  of  Shirley,  May 
27,  1835,  ^-  March  4,  1865.  Mr.  Holden  was  a  blacksmith 
by  profession,  and  he  united  in  his  character,  industry,  fru- 
gality, honesty  and  perseverance,  and  was  thus  enabled  to  live 
himself  and  assist  others  to  live  also  ;  in  all  his  ways  and 
works  he  was  a  manifestation  of  humility  and  brotherly  kind- 
ness. He  had  two  children  :  i.  "Charles,"  b.  July  30,  1836, 
m.  Mary  Shattuck  of  Townsend,  Jan.  1,  1861,  r.  at  Shirley, 
and  is  engaged  in  his  father's  profession  ;  2.  "Susan,"  b.  June 
27,  1840,  d.  March  10,  1853. 

(2.)  Alvin,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  30,  18 14,  m.  EHzabeth  Balcom  of 
Shirley,  Jan.  i,  1842,  had  one  child,  and  d.  July  28,  1858; 
his  child,  i.  "Ellen  Elizabeth,"  m.  Lewis  Goss  of  Cambridge, 
and  d.  Nov.,  1875. 

(3.)  Harriet,  b.  Nov.  6,  181 6,  m.  Luther  Fuller  of  Fitchburg, 
had  several  children,  and  d.  at  Lunenburg,  May  19,  1852. 

(4.)  Nathan,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  6,  1819,  m.  Adeline  Page, 
daughter  of  Mr.  Simon  Page  of  Shirley,  Dec.  8,  1840,  r. 
Shirley  (1882).  He  has  had  seven  children  :  i.  "Mary  Ade- 
line," b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  9,  1841,  m.  Francis  W.  Hodgman, 
Feb.  16,  1858,  r.  Shirley  (1882).  She  has  had  six  children  : 
I.  Frederick  Simon,  b.  Oct.  20,  1859,  d.  May  7,  1861  ;  2. 
Mary  Augusta,  b.  Nov.  9,  1862  ;  3.  Elizabeth,  b.  Jan.  29, 
1865;    4.    George  Warren,   b.  Aug.  3,    1868;    5.    Harry,  b. 


468  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

1872  ;  6.  Charles  A.,  b.  Nov.  20,  1876.  2.  "Eliza,"  b.  Aug. 
14,  1842,  m.  Charles  Barrett,  April  30,  i860;  she  has  had 
four  children  :   i.  Frank  M.,  b.  at  Shirley,  March   19,   1861  ; 

2.  Fernando  H.,  b.  at  Athol,  Sept.  27,  1867;  3.  Willie  N., 
b.  at  Lunenburg,  May  8,  1869,  d.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  3,  1873  ;  4. 
Charles,    b.    at    Shirley,    Dec.    28,    1873,    d.    Feb.    i,    1874. 

3.  "Hannah,"  b.  April  16,  1844;  she  has  been  twice  m., 
(first)  to  James  A.  Hartwell  of  Groton,  Aug.  20,  1862  ;  he  d. 
in  the  army;  m.  (second)  William  Craig,  July  22,  1864,  r. 
Ayer  (1882).  4.  "Francis,"  b.  Aug.  7,  1845,  d.  Sept.  11, 
1845.  5-  "Luther,"  b.  Sept.  16,  1846,  m.  Julia  Butterfield  of 
Pepperell,  Dec.  17,  1876,  r.  Pepperell  (1882).  6.  "Sarah," 
b.  July  16,  1849,  m.  Frank  Craig  of  Westford,  July  2,  1870, 
d.  at  Chenoa,  111.,  Oct.,  1876  ;  she  had  one  child  :  i.  Edessa 
Laolett,  b.  at  Chenoa,  July  21,  1876.  7.  "Julia  Ann,"  b. 
Feb.  25,  185 1,  m.  Charles  Craig,  Feb.  22,  1867  ;  she  has  had 
four  children:  i.  Julia  Ann,  b.  at  Halifax,  N.  S.,  Dec.  22, 
1869,  d.  Dec.  25,  1869;  2.  Robert  E.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan., 
1871,  d.  Dec.  4,  1871  ;  3.  AHce  Jane,  b.  at  Chicago,  111.,  Jan. 
II,  1872  ;  4.  Lewis  E.,  b.  at  Ayer,  April  25,  1875. 

(5.)  Sullivan,  b.  May  13,  182 1,  d.  at  Boston,  of  small  pox,  July, 

1845. 

(6.)  Eliza,  b.  May  14,  1821,  d.  May  16,  1823. 

(7.)  Cat-olijte,  b.  Oct.  5,  1826,  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  John 
Balcom  of  Shirley ;  she  was  divorced  1850;  m.  (second) 
S.  P.  Lord  of  Ellsworth,  Me.,  185 1,  r.  Ellsworth. 

IV.  SUSANNA,  b.  June  25,  1759,  m.  Isaac  Foster  of  Lunenburg, 
pub.  Feb.  17,  1782. 

V.  ABRAHAM,  b.  June  25,  1761. 

VI.  HEZEKIAH,  b.  May  5,  1764,  drowned  July  27,  1767. 

VII.  MIRIAM,  b.  July  23,  1766,  m.  Jonathan  Foster  of    Mason, 
N.  H.,  pub.  Jan.  19,  1781  ;  she  had  two  children  : 

1.  Jonathan,  b.  Aug.  5,  1782, 

2.  Miriam,  b.  June  12,  1785. 

VIII.  SARAH,    b.  Nov.  3,   1769,  m.   Ephraim   Gilmore,    Feb.   5. 
1789. 

IX.  JAMES,  b.  Feb.  19,  1772,  ni.,  and  had  four  children. 

X.  JEMIMA,  b.  May  8,  1774. 

p^OltlCn,  ^Sa/  (Nathaniel,-'  Stephen,-  Richard.')  His  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Abigail  Stone,  and  his  father  and  mother  were  m. 
March  24,  1713.  They  had  seven  children,  of  whom  Asa  was  the 
youngest;  he  was  b.  at  Groton,  Aug.  23,  1732.  He  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Dorothy  Wait  of  Groton,  Dec.  6,  1757;  she  d.  July  5, 
1807;  he  m.  (second)  Sybil  Lakin  of  Pepperell,  Oct.  28,  1810;  he 
d.    June    23,    1 81 3.     He    probably  came    to   Shirley  when   he   was 


GENEALOGY. HOLDEN.  469 

twenty-one  years  of  age,  about  the  time  the  town  was  incorporated, 
and  settled  upon  land  that  probably  had  been  in  the  possession  of 
his  ancestors  back  to  Richard,  the  immigrant,  and  which  have  been 
an  inheritance  of  the  family  through  all  its  generations  unto  the 
present  day.  It  is  now  owned  by  Almond  M.  Holden,  who  is  of  the 
fourth  generation  from  Asa,  and  the  seventh  generation  from  Richard. 
Asa  Holden  was  a  man  of  great  public  benefit  during  his  active 
years,  and  was  highly  respected  by  persons  of  every  age.  He  might 
justly  be  called  a  representative  man  in  the  town.  He  served  his 
fellow-citizens  as  one  of  their  selectmen  for  fifteen  years,  and  had 
other  important  trusts  committed  to  his  charge.  He  had  nine 
children,  all  b.  at  Shirley. 

I.  ASA,  b.  Dec.  5,  1758;  he  was  one  of  the  gallant  eighty  who 
practically  answered  the  call  of  the  19th  of  April,  1775  ;  he  was 
then  seventeen  years  of  age.  He  also  enlisted,  seven  days  after- 
wards, into  the  regular  service  for  eight  months.  He  m.  Dorcas,  a 
daughter  of  Dea.  Hezekiah  and  Margaret  Sawtell,  and  d.  Jan.  24, 
1850.     He  had  six  children  : 

1.  LvDiA,  b.  Nov.  19,  1785,  m.  Rev.  L.  Pierce  of  Alstead,  N.  H., 
became  a  resident  of  Bloomfield,  Ohio,  and  had  one  child  : 
(i.)  Lydia,  d.  Jan.  26,  1820. 

2.  Dorcas,  b.  at  Hancock,  N.  H.,  June  6,  1787,  m.  Solomon 
Woodward,  b.  1 784,  a  blacksmith  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  where 
she  d.  leaving  sons  : 

(i.)  Erastus.  ,  (2.)  Nathaniel.     (3.)  Solovion.     (4.)  Asa,  m. 

3.  Asa,  b.  at  Hancock,  Dec.  11,  1788,  d.  June  i,  1795. 

4.  Aaron,  b.  at  Hancock,  Nov.  22,  1790,  m.  Lucy  White  of 
Langdon,  N.  H.,  Jan.  19,  1815,  d.  Oct.  17,  1874.  He  had  four 
children  : 

(i.)  Nathaniel  C,  b.  Nov.  7,  1815,  m.  Sarah  Crocker  of 
Charlestown,  N.  H.,  May  14,  1841.  He  had  six  children, 
and  they  were  all  born  at  Charlestown:  i.  "Lucella  T.,"  b. 
Aug.  23,  1842,  m.  Theodore  Allen  of  Bellows  Falls,  Vt.,  had 
two  children:  i.  Carrie;  2.  Charlie.  2.  "Charles  A.,"  b. 
March  19,  1845,  d.  Aug.  18,  1846.  3.  "Sarah  E.,"  b.  Oct. 
14,  1846,  m.  George  Mellish  of  Walpole,  N.  H. ;  she  had  three 
children:  i.  Bertie,  killed  at  the  age  of  three  years;  2. 
Emma;  3.  Park  Clinton.  4.  "Georgianna,"  b.  Dec.  6,  1847, 
m.  George  Smith.  5.  "Ellen  M.,"  b.  Jan.  27,  1850,  m. 
Albert  Whitcomb  of  Fitchburg,  and  had  two  children  :  i . 
Charlie;  2.  Nettie.  6.  "  Emma  J.,"  b.  May  6,  1852,  d.  Sept. 
8,  1855. 

(2.)  Lucy  Ann,  b.  June  26,  1822,  m.  David  C.  Whitcomb  of 
Fitchburg,  July  8,  1849,  d.  Aug.  9,  1853. 

(3.)  Lydia,  b.  Oct.  26,  1824,  d.  Dec.  4,  1870,  unm. 

(4.)  Oscar  S.,  b.  Oct.  19,  1835,  m.  Frances  E.  Dickey  of  Lang- 
don, N.  H.,  Oct.  10,  i860;  he  has  had  four  children:  i. 
"Leola  A.,"  b.  March  31,  1862  ;  2.  "M.  Liona,"  b.  May  15, 
1864  ;  3.  "  Harvey  D.,"  b.  Nov.  30,  1866  ;  4.  "Frank  Oscar," 
b.  April  25,  1875. 


470  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

5.  Nathaniel,  b.  at  Hancock,  Oct.  28,  1792;  he  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Frances  Buell,  m.  (second)  Julia  Shipman  ;  he  had 
seven  children  : 

(i.)  Sarah  Maria,  b,  Feb.  17,  1830,  d.  July  3,  1834. 
(2.)  Henry  JV/u'tc,  b.  June  26,  1831,  d.  April  16,  1838. 
(3.)  Frances  Eliza,  b.  May  15,  1833,  d.  July  28,  1834. 
(4.)  Julia,  b.  Jan.  22,  1835. 
(5.)  Ship/nan  Natlj-aniel,  b.  Aug.  31,  1838. 
(6.)   Charles  Asa,  b.  Oct.  21,  1840,  d.  Dec.  7,  1863. 
(7.)  Joseph  Waite,  b.  Nov.  16,  1843. 

0.  Sarah,  b.  at  Hancock,   N.   H.,  m.    Silas    Angier  of   Acworth, 
N.  H.,  Oct.  7,  181 6,  and  had  eleven  children  : 
(i.)  Sarah  J.,  b.  at  VVeathersfield,  Vt.,  July   15,  1817;  she  was 

twice  m.,  (first)  to  Benjamin  F.  Wilson  of  Troy,  Vt. ;  he  d.  at 

Langdon,  N.   H. ;    m.  (second) of  Troy,  Vt., 

r.  Troy  (1877). 
(2.)   Olive,  b.  April  12,  1819,  d.  young. 
(3.)  Elmira,  b.  Aug.  29,   1820,  m.  George  W.  Warner,  May  7, 

1840. 
(4.)  Silas,  b.  April  25,    1822,   m.   Laura  Stoughton,   March    15, 

1848. 
(5.)  Samuel  N.,  b.  June  23,  1824,  m.  Harriet  Decker,  Nov.  25, 

1847. 
(6.)  Asa  H.,  b.  May  2,  1826. 
(7.)  Rawson,  b.  1828,  m.  Harriet  Cole. 
(8.)  Dorcas,  b.  Aug.  17,  1830,  m.  Albert  Hodson. 
(9.)  Mary  L.,  b.  Nov.  21,  1832,  d.  young. 
(10.)  Louisa,  b.  June  11,  1836,  d.  young. 
(11.)    Calista,  b.  Oct.  16,  1838,  m.  Jerry  Hodskins. 

n.  PHINEHAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  14,  1760,  m.  Miriam,  daughter 
of  Jonas  and  Esther  (Patterson)  Longley,  Nov.  25,  1789,  d.  in 
middle  life,  when,  as  it  would  seem,  there  might  be  many  years  of 
usefulness  before  him.     He  had  five  children  : 

1.  Alma  Ellery,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  26,  1792  ;  she  has  been  twice 

m.,  (first)  to  Edward  Tyler,  March  2,   1814;    he   d.   Dec.   26, 

1823- ;  m.  (second)  Samuel  Bacon,  May  2,   1826;    he   d.  April 

23,  1868;  she  remained  a  widow  unto  Aug.   15,    1879,  and  d. 

She  had  nine  children,  all  b.  at  Harvard. 

(i.)  Alma  E.,  b.  Jan.  5,  1815,  m.  Dr.  Jacob  S.  Eaton,  r.  Har- 
vard (1877). 

(2.)  Susan,  b.  July  30,  1816,  m.  Luke  Pollard,  Jr.,  Nov.  23, 
1836,  d.  March  7,  1839. 

(3.)  John  Flavel,  b.  June  30,  18 18,  d.  Feb.  8,  1844. 

(4.)  James  Richards,  b.  May  29,  1820. 

(5.)  Harriet  Netuell,  b.  May  29,  1820,  m.  Dr.  Samuel  B.  Kelley, 
March  5,  1845. 

(6.)  Elizabeth,  b.  June  21,  1823,  m.  Luke  Pollard,  fr.,  Nov., 
1841. 

(7.)  Lucia  Harlotv,  b.  Jan.  31,  1827,  d.  Dec.  26,  1850. 


GENEALOGY. HOLDEN.  471 

(8.)  Sami/el  Newton,  b.  Jan.  25,    1829,   m.   Sarah    E.    Harlow, 

Feb.  13,  1855. 
(9.)  Joseph  Austin,  b.  Nov.  4,  1835,  m.  Cornelia  Chase,  Jan.  25, 

1870,  d.  Feb.  20,  1875. 

2.  Miriam,  b.  Oct.  9,  1793,  m.  Ellis  Harlow,  Jan.  12,  1814.     She 
has  had  six  children,  all  of  whom  were  b.  at  Harvard.     She  d. 
at  Ayer,  May  3,  1876  ;  her  husband  d.  July  24,  1875. 
(i.)  PhineJias  Holden,  b.  Dec.  14,  1814,  m.  Nancy  Hapgood  of 
Harvard,    April    17,    1838;    he    has    had    nine    children:    i. 
"Ann  E.,"  b.  March  23,    1839  ;    2.  "Charles  E.,"  b.  Nov.  6, 
1840,  d.  March  2,  1864;  3-  "Edward  O.,"  b.  Dec.  25,  1842, 
m.  Mary  Lapoole,  Feb.  15,  1872  ;  he  had  one  child:    i.  F^llis 
Bacon,  b.  Oct.  5,  1873;    4-  "Clara  M.,"  b.  Jan.,    1845;    5. 
"Susan  M.,"  b.  April  23,  1847,  d.  Dec.  25,  1871  ;  6.  "Ade- 
line S.,"   b.  July   21,    1849;    7.  "George   H.,"  b.   Dec.    10, 
1.851;  8.  "John  B.,"  b.  June   28,   1854;    9.  "Mary  W.,"  b. 
Dec.  23,  1857. 
(2.)  Miriam  H.,  b.  Sept.  21,    181 6,  m.  Christopher  L.  Willard. 
May  II,  1843,   r.  Ayer  (1882).     She  has  had  four  children: 
I.  "Andrew  L.,"  b.   Oct.    10,    1849,   '^-   ^^g-   21,    1850;    2. 
"  Etta  F.,"  b.  Oct.  15,  1850,  m.   Charles  F.  Reed,   Nov.    27, 
1S70,   d.   at  Ayer,   Oct.   30,    1876;    3.  "  Dorcasina   H.,"    b. 
March    27,    1854,   d.   Feb.   21,    1861  ;     4.    "Carrie   A.,"   b. 
April  26,  1857. 
(3.)    William  H.,  b.  July  14,  1818  ;  he  has  been  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Phebe  K.  George,  Jan.  i,  1852  ;  she  d.  May  29,  1855  ;  m. 
(second)  Sarah  Rogers,  March  24,  1857,  r.  Ayer  (1876). 
(4.)  Edward  E.,  b.  Oct.  17,  1820,   ni.   Catharine  W.   Bowker, 
April  29,  1844,  d.  May  31,  1858.     He  had  five  children:   i. 
"Ella  G.,"  b.  Jan.  10,  1846;    2.  "George   E.,"   b.   Oct.   31, 
1847  ;  3.  "Catharine  E.,"  b.  Nov.  27,  1849  ;  4.  "Edwin  P.," 
b.  May  23,  1854;  5.  "Andrew  F.,"  b.  May  24,  1857. 
.  (5.)  Andrew  /.,  b.  April  19,  1824,  m.  Martha  Hosmer,  June  18, 
1848;  he  had  one  child:   i.  "Fred  H.,"  b.  Feb.   18,   1851, 
d.  Jan.  24,  1870. 
(6.)  Dorcasina  B.,  b.  April  9,  1826,    m.    O.    R.   Whiting,   June 
10,  1853,  d.  April  13,  1854;  she  had  one  child:    i.  "William 
H.,"  b.  April  5,  1854. 

,'5.  Henrietta,  b.  July  18,  1796,  m.  John  Park  of  Harvard,  Oct. 
19,  1820,  removed  to  Shirley,  Oct.,  1842,  and  d.  Jan.  22,  1882  ; 
she  had  six  children  : 

(i.)  William  Moody,  b.  at  Harvard,  Nov.  8,  1821,  m.  Julia  Ann 
Worcester  of  Shirley,  April  23,  1845,  '"•  Shirley  (1882)  ;  he 
has  had  six  children  :  i.  "Emily  Madora,"  b.  Nov.  9,  1846, 
d.  Sept.  7,  1849;  2.  "Milton  Willard,"  b.  June  27,  1850,  d! 
Dec.  2,  1853;  3.  "Francis  Eugene,"  b.  July  8,  1855;  4- 
"  Ellen  Worcester,"  b.  Sept.  16,  1857  ;  5.  "Mary  Augusta,"  b. 
April,  1862  :  6.  "Abby  Newell,"  b.  Sept.  28,  1864. 


472  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(2.)  Mary  Elh'/y,  h.  at  Harvard,  July  16,  1825,  m.  Frederic 
Flagg  of  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  April  30,  1844  ;  she  has  had 
six  children:  i.  "Frederic  Eugene,"  b.  March  7,  1845,  d.  at 
Belle  Isle,  a  soldier  in  the  Federal  service  at  the  war  of 
the  Rebellion;  2.  "William  Edgar,"  b.  Jan.  19,  1849,  d.  July, 
1865  ;  3.  "Marietta,"  b.  Feb.  17,  1850,  d.  Aug.  7,'  1850;  4. 
"James  Clarence,"  b.  June  5,  1851,  d.  Dec.  24,  1853;  5. 
"John  Calvin  Park,"  b.  April  9,  1854,  d.  Dec.  19,  1858;  6. 
"Ann  Maria,"  b.  Nov.  15,  1855.  Mr.  Flagg,  the  father  of 
these  children,  d.  at  Mount  Pleasant,  S.  C,  Oct.  29,  1876. 

(3.)  Elvira  Long/ey,  b.  at  Harvard,  Feb.  12,  1828,  m.  Ephraim 
Tainter  of  Springfield,  Nov.  30,  1848,  r.  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
(1876.)  She  has  had  three  children:  i.  "Eldora,"  b.  at 
Philadelphia,  Sept.  7,  1849,  ^1.  May  12,  1851;  2.  "Carrie 
Louisa,"  b.  at  Worcester,  Sept.  27,  1852,  d.  Jan.  4,  1853  ;  3. 
"Mary  Ella,"  b.  at  Worcester,  Sept.  10,  1858. 

(4.)  Ann  Henrietta,  b.  Oct.  21,  1830,  m.  James  B.  Cutler  of 
Lancaster,  June  i,  1852,  d.  Dec.  23,  1861  ;  her  husband  d. 
Jan.  7,  1863.  She  had  four  children  :  1.  "Georgiana  Park," 
b.  Oct.  25,  1853,  d.  Oct.  20,  1854  ;  2.  "Georgietta,"  b.  Aug. 
25,  1855,  d.  June  2,  1857  ;  3.  "Annette,"  b.  Feb.  13,  1858; 
4.  "Edward  Clifford,"  b.  May  i,  i860. 

(5.)  John  Calvin,  b.  May  28,  1833,  d.  Feb.  9,  1854. 

(6.)  Frances  Maria,  b.  at  Harvard,  Sept.  2,  1836,  m.  Samuel 
F.  Bond  of  Worcester,  Dec.  8,  1859  ;  she  has  had  two  chil- 
dren :  I.  "Annie  Eliza,"  b.  Nov.  5,  1861  ;  2.  "Fannie  Park," 
b.  Jan.  14,  1869.  Mr.  Bond  d.  Jan.  27,  1873  ;  his  widow  r. 
at  Worcester  (1880). 

4.  Abel  Longley,  b.  Dec.  21,  1800,  m.  Olive  Davis  of  Groton, 
April  19,  1825  ;  he  buried  his  wife  Aug.  2,  1842,  and  then  left 
his  native  town  and  removed  to  Groton,  where  he  remained  until 
his  death,  June  26,  1872. 

In  the  character  of  Mr.  Holden  his  acquaintances  could 
witness  as  perfect  a  display  of  the  virtues  of  humanity  and  the 
graces  of  Christian  faith  as  are  usually  found  on  earth.  His 
good  common  sense  and  moral  excellence  were  happily  blended 
in  all  his  ways  and  works,  and  were  judiciously  exhibited  in  his 
relations  as  son  and  brother,  and  happily  so  in  those  of  husband 
and  father.  In  his  intercourse  as  a  citizen,  he  was  generous, 
tender-hearted,  and  scrupulously  just.  He  carried  all  these 
(jualities  into  old  age,  and  left  at  his  death,  in  his  example,  a 
rich  legacy  for  the  improvement  of  all  his  surviving  friends. 
Mr.  Holden  had  two  children,  b.  in  Shirley  : 

(i.)  Ailolphiis  Longley,  b.  July  9,  1830,  r.  Groton,  mim.  (1882.) 
(2.)  Miriam  Olive,  b.  May  8,  1832,  m.  Jason  F.  Hill,  April  27, 
1854,  r.  Ayer  (1882).  She  has  had  two  children  :  i.  "  George 
Holden,"  b.  July  29,  1856,  m.  Clara  Frances  Wood,  April  9, 
1882,  r.  Ayer,  a  druggist  by  occupation  ;  2.  "  Efifie  Etta,"  b. 
May  13,  1866,  d.  Dec.  13,  1870. 


GENEALOGY. HOLDEN.  473 


5.  Jonas,  b.    Oct.  4,  1802,  m.   Eliza,   daughter  of  Nathaniel  and 

Betsey    (Atherton)    Holden   of    Shirley,   Dec.    14,    1831,  r.    in 

Shirley  (1882),  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  green  old  age.     He  has 

had  two  children,  both  born  at  Shirley. 

(i.)  Edward  T.,  b.  April  24,  1834,  d.  May  3,  1845. 

(2.)  Stillman  Parker,    b.    Nov.    10,    1840,    m.    Lydia     Maria 
Chandler,  daughter  of  Henry  P.  Chandler  of  Lawrence,  Feb. 
3,  1874,  r.  Shirley  (1882),  has  two  children  :   i.  "Leon  Chan- 
dler," b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  23,  1874  ;  2.  "Cora  Leslie,"  b.  Oct. 
22,  1879. 
HL     NATHANIEL,  b.  July  9,  1762;    he   was  twice  m.,    (first)  to 
Betsey,  daughter  of  Amos  and  Lydia  (Gould)  Atherton,  March  2  7, 
1794  ;  she  d.  Jan.  21,  1829  ;  m.  (second;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Tuttle  of 
Acton,  Oct.  II,  1831  ;  he  d.  Nov.  30,  1842. 

Perhaps  no  man  among  the  residents  of  Shirley,  during  the  first 
century  of  its  existence,  ever  exerted  a  wider  and  wiser  influence 
than  Mr.  Holden,  both  in  public  and  domestic  life.  His  public 
popularity  was  not  the  gift  of  a  day,  nor  the  effluence  of  an  hour, 
but  he  was  a  lasting  favorite  of  the  pubUc  because  he  proved  him- 
self worthy  of  their  favor.  His  ability  to  help  and  guide  in  the 
d-eliberations  and  operations  of  his  fellow  citizens,  was  amply  sus- 
tained by  the  fact  that  he  was  so  frequently  and  so  long  called  into 
their  service.  He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace  during  a  long  period. 
He  was  a  selectman  for  nineteen  years.  He  was  five  times  elected 
to  represent  the  town  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  that  too  at  a 
period  when  to  send  a  representative  to  the  State  court  was  a 
strange  work  for  a  small  town  ;  and  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  con- 
vention of  the  State  in  182 1,  to  amend  the  Constitution  of  the 
Commonwealth. 

He  also  maintained  a  sacred  regard  for  the  institutions  of  religion  ; 
was  a  professor  of  religion,  and  received  an  official  appointment  in 
the  church,  which  he  did  not  formally  accept,  though  he  discharged 
the  duties  belonging  to  it  while  he  lived.  The  failure  of  the  pres- 
ent generation  to  fulfil  the  example  of  their  fathers,  in  church 
observance,  is  a  loss  which  will  eventually  be  seriously  deplored. 
Mr.  Holden  had  six  children,  all  born  in  Shirley. 

1.  Calvin,  b.  July  19,  1795,  d.  Aug.  30,  1796. 

.  2.  Betsey,   b.  Jan.  29,   1797,  m.  Daniel  Dodge,  July  3,  181 2,  d. 
April  2,  1864  ;  she  had  four  children,  all  b.  in  Shirley, 
(i.)  Harriet  E.,  b.  Oct.  14,  181 2,  m.  James  Holden  of  Marietta, 

Ohio,  Oct.  12,  1857,  r.  Marietta,  (1882). 
(2.)  Sarah  Jane,  b.  1814,  d.  Sept.  9,  1831. 
(3.)  Augusta  L.,  b.  1823,  m.  Robert  Somerby,  June  24,  1847,  d. 

Jan.  12,  1854. 
(4.}  Frances  S.,  b.  August,  1828,  d.  Jan.  15,  1829. 

3.  Nathaniel,  b.  Jan.  21,  1800,  he  has  been  twice  married,  (first)  to 
Rhoda  Maria,  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Rhoda  (Parker)  Longley 
of  Shirley,  pub.  July  21,  1822,  she  d.  October,  1831,  m.  (second) 
Catharine  Livermore,  daughter  of  David  and  Lucinda  (Kelsey) 
60 


474  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Livermore,  Dec.  17,  1835,  ^^-  at  Ayer,  Oct.  i,  1874.  Mr.  Holden 
was  an  industrious  and  thriving  farmer.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
in  town  to  break  from  the  old  conventional  methods  of  agricul- 
ture, and  strike  out  into  new  paths  ;  was  not  hasty  to  experiment 
unreasonably,  nor  anxious  to  reject  old  methods  because  they 
were  old,  but  by  combining  the  wisdom  of  past  experience  with 
new  discoveries,  he  was  enabled  to  gradually  improve  his  system 
of  action,  and  produce  favorable  results.  He  thus  confuted  the 
supposition,  so  current,  that  "there  is  no  profit  in  farming;"  for 
he  bountifully  sustained  the  wants  of  his  household,  and  made 
yearly  additions  to  his  invested  capital,  so  that  he  died,  compara- 
tively, a  rich  man.  In  this  respect  he  outdid  the  enterprise  of 
his  father,  of  whose  landed  estates  he  was  the  inhei-itor.  But 
while  he  excelled  his  parent  at  this  point,  he  fell  far  behind  hiiu 
in  relation  to  those  public  and  social  duties,  which  the  good  of 
society  seems  to  demand.  In  early  manhood,  he  accepted,  at 
the  call  of  his  fellow  citizens,  certain  public  trusts,  the  require- 
ments of  which  he  discharged  with  fideHty,  but  he  soon  with- 
drew from  all  outside  services  and  confined  himself  to  the 
obligations  of  domestic  life,  beyond  the  limits  of  which  he  did 
not  often  depart.  Mr.  Holden  had  seven  children,  all  b.  in 
Shirley. 

(i.)  Rhoda  Maria,  b.  Jan.  14,  1823,  she  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried, (first)  to  Andrew  J.  Reed,  of  Acton,  March  18,  1840,  he 
d.  Nov.  16,  1 85 1,  m.  (second)  Augustus  Holden,  Nov.  11, 
1853;  she  has  had  eight  children,  r.  at  Shirley  (1882);  i. 
"  Helen,"  b.  Sept.  16,  1843,  m.  George  Holden,  June  17, 
1861  ;  she  has  had  one  child;  i.  George  Andrew  Jackson, 
d.  at  Boston,  Aug.  4,  1879  ;  2.  "  Charles  F.,"  b.  at  Shirley, 
Dec.  29,  1845,  m.  Etta  F.  Willard  of  Ayer,  Nov.  27,  1870,  d. 
March  28,  1879;  3.  "Ella  Frances,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  28, 
1848,  m.  Eliakim  H.  Ross,  May  26,  1867;  4.  "Lizzie,"  b. 
at  Shirley,  April  26,  1850,  m.  Daniel  Dean  of  Oakdale,  Sep- 
tember, 1 87 1  ;  a  record  of  her  four  children  by  a  second  mar- 
riage comes  under  the  Philemon  Holden  register. 

(2.)  Charles  Nathaniel,  b.  May  17,  1825,  m.  Elizabeth  Wheeler, 
May,  1852,  removed  to  western  New  York,  and  has  several 
children. 

(3.)  Stephen  Longley,  b.  .\ug.  24,  1827,  r.  Shirle}',   unm.  (1882). 

(4.)  Almond  Morse,  b.  Feb.  19,  1837,  m.  Martha  Andrews  of 
Shirlev,  April  28,  1864,  r.  on  the  Holden  estate,  the  fourth 
generation  from  the  original  settler;  he  has  two  children  ;  i. 
"Agnes  Mary,"  b.  in  Shirley,  Feb.  19,  1865  ;  2.  "Granville," 
b.  Sept.  25,  1867. 

(5.)    Catharine  Bond,   b.  May   27,    1839,  d.    at  Ayer,  Dec.  12, 

1875- 
(6.)   Granville,  b.  March  14,  1841,  d.  teb.  24,  1847. 
(7.)  Robert,  b.  June  28,  1844,  m.  Nelly  E.  Derby  of  Leominster, 

Jan.  27,  1869. 


GENEALOGY. HOLDEN.  475 

4.  Lydia,  b.  May  9,  1802,  m.  Simon  Tuttle  of  Acton,  1825,  d. 
April  27,  1 83 1,  she  had  two  children. 

(i.)   yoseph  Holden,  b.    Nov.    27,  1825,  m.  Mary  Ann   Stafford 

of  Wallingford,  Vt.,  d.  about  1863. 
(2.)  Eliza,  b.  1828,  m.  Dexter  F.  Parker,  she  d.  Sept.  28,  1850  ; 

her  husband  was  killed  in   the  war  of  the  rebellion,  having 

attained  to  the  rank  of  major. 

5.  Eliza,  b.  April  27,  1804,  m.  Jonas  Holden,  Dec.  i..;.,  183 1,  d. 
at  Shirley,  Oct.   12,  1878. 

6.  Asa  Wait,  b.  April  22,  1806,  m.  Lucy  R.  Carlton  of  Rindge, 
N.  H.,  Dec.  29,  1830,  d.  at  Hudson,  Jan.  15,  1879,  he  had  five 
children. 

(i.)  Sarah    ^ane  Raymond,  b.   at  Shirley,   Aug.   3,    1832,    d. 

April  8,  1848. 
(2.)   George   Tuttle   Carlton,  b.   at  Shirley,   Nov.    11,    1833,   m. 

Fanny  H.  Mossman  of  Sudbury,  June  28,  1857  ;  he  has  had 

one  child:   i.  "Blanche  Mabel,"  b.  Jan.  15,  1866. 
(3.)  Frances  Augusta,  b.  June  29,  1841,  d.  June  31,  1847. 
(4.)  Frank  Belmont,  b.  at  Shirley,  April   18,  1848,  m.   Flora  A. 

M.  Ellithrope  of  Marlboro',  Nov.  12,  1871  ;    he  has   had  two 

children  :    i.  "Marion  Carlton,"  b.  at  Hudson,  Jan.  6,  1873  ; 

2.  "Fred  Tracy,"  b.  at  Hudson,  April  29,  1876. 
(5.)  John  Carlton,  b.  at  Shirley,   June   9,    1852,  m.   Carrie   A. 

Buswell,  at  Portland,  Nov.  17,  1875. 

IV.  EDMUND,  b.  Nov.  9,  1765,  m.  Sukey  Rockwood  of  Groton, 
Feb.  16,  1796,  removed  to  Langdon,  N.  H.,  where  he  had  a  family, 
and  where  he  d.  Aug.  7,  1827.  His  widow  d.  at  the  house  of  her 
daughter,  in  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  July  29,  1855,  aged  84.  He  had 
six  children  : 

1.  Amanda,  b.  at  Langdon,  Aug.  i,  1797,  m.  March  30,  1825, 
Dea.  Moses  Putnam,  b.  Oct.  12,  1796,  of  Charlestown,  N.  H. 
Mrs.  Putnam  d.  Oct.  16,  1862.  Dea.  Moses  Putnam  d.  Feb.  9, 
1872,  having  held  the  office  of  deacon  in  the  Evangelical  Con- 
gregational church  in  Charlestown  for  many  years.  They  had 
five  children  : 

(i.)  Edmund  H.,  b.  Nov.  19,  1825,  d.  Dec.  27,  1825. 

(2.)  Edmund  H.,  b.  Aug.  29,  1827,  m.  Feb.  22,  1853,  Elizabeth 

H.  Tutherly,  b.  April  22,  1829  ;  children  :    i.  "Lizzie  M.,"  b. 

Jan.  14,  1856. 
(3.)  Malvina  A.,  b.  July  20,  1829,   m.   April   27,  1858,  Horace 

A.  Corbin,  b.  April  16,  1829,  r.  in  Union  City,  Mich.  (1876)  : 

has  had  one  child:   i.  "Jennie,"  b.  July  28,  1863. 
{4.)  Janctte  A.,  b.  Aug.  2,   1832,   m.   Oct.    11,    1862,   Otis   W. 

Burton,  r.  Union  City,  Mich. 
(5.)  Harriet  R.,  b.  June  8,  1838,  d.  Jan.  22,  i860,  unm. 

2.  Sukey,  b.  at  Langdon,  April  13,  1799,  m.  Ingalls  K.  Densmore 
of  Alstead,  N.  H.,  d.  at  Alstead,  Aug.  16,  1851  ;  she  had  nine 
children,  all  b.  at  Alstead. 

(i.)  Harriet,  b.    Aug.   17,    1825,   m.    Henry   C.    Harrington   of 
Alstead,  Jan.  20,  1853,  d.  May  31,  1872. 


476  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(2.)  Susan  R.,  b.  May  27,  1827,  m.  James  F.  Putnam  of 
Charlestown,  Oct.  31,  1855;  she  had  three  children:  i. 
"Susan  R.,"b.Sept.  8,  1856;  2.  "Charles  E.,"  b.  Oct.  3,  1858  ; 
3.  "Freddie  J.,"  b.  Feb.  23,  1864. 

(3.)  Catharine  A.,  b.  Aug.  12,  1829,  m.  William  L.  Cheever  of 
Alstead. 

(4.)  Edmund  H.,  b.  April  25,  1831,  d.  Jan.  8,  1832. 

(5.)  Samuel  H.,  b.  Nov.  24,  1832,  d.  July  28,  1833. 

(6.)  Helen  M.,  b.  May  24,  1834,  m.  Orr  Wallace  of  Acworth, 
N.  H.,  Feb.  II,  1863,  d.  July  13,  1866. 

(7.)  Martha  S.,  b.  Aug.  3,  1838;  she  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Nehemiah  S.  Harrington  of  Alstead,  June  8,  i860,  m.  (second) 
Henry  A.  Fairbanks  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  Sept.  22,  1863. 

(8.)  Alma,  b.  March  27,  1842,  m.  Henry  T.  Chandler  of 
Alstead,  Nov.  i,  1862;  she  had  three  children:  i.  "Eddie 
H.,"  b.  Feb.  28,  1864;  2.  "Emma  G.,"  b.  Jan.  19,  1866,  d. 
Sept.  21,  1866;  3.  "Guy,"  b.  May  i,  1868. 

(9.)  Emma,  b.  Nov.  6,  1844,  m.  Henry  M.  Holden  of  Lang- 
don  ;  she  has  had  one  child  :   i.  "Edith,"  b.  Sept.  30,  1873. 

3.  Edmund,  b.  at  Langdon,  March  28,  1802,  m.  Anna  S.  Poland 
of  Langdon,  April  30,  1829.  He  died  May  i,  1882,  at  the  age 
of  eighty  years.  The  accompanying  fac-simile  autograph  is  copied 
from  a  letter  written  to  the  compiler  of  this  history  but  a  short 
time  before  his  death.  Mrs.  Holden  died  July  26,  1870,  aged  66. 
Edmund  Holden  was  a  man  of  very  amiable  disposition, 
modest  almost  to  bashfulness,  yet  firm  and  decided  where  truth 
and  duty  required.     In  his  boyhood  he  was  always  truthful  and 

obedient,  and    the  boy  was 
y^    ,  '■yj///  father  of  the  man.    When  he 

^ Cfd^H-U-t^  c/O^n/lA/H^   reached    manhood   he   pos- 
^  sessed  great  physical  strength 

and  energy.  Labor  was  a  pleasure  to  him,  and  his  endurance  was 
remarkable.  He  had  a  kind  and  sympathetic  nature,  and  seemed 
as  ready  to  do  for  others  in  need  as  for  himself.  This  trait  of 
character  drew  around  and  secured  to  him  many  friends  ;  and 
his  many  good  qualities  won  for  him  the  respect,  love  and  con- 
fidence of  his  fellow  townsmen.  His  naturally  retiring  disposi- 
tion led  him  to  shrink  from  public  office,  yet  he  was  often  call^ 
to  serve  in  official  positions,  which  he  filled  with  credit  to  himself 
and  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  community.  About  1835  he  con- 
nected himself  with  the  Congregational  church  in  his  native 
town,  and  all  his  powers  were  brought  into  subjection  and 
obedience  to  his  Divine  Master.  One  of  his  neighbors  once 
said  of  him  :  "  I  have  lived  by  Edmund  Holden  for  thirty 
years-;  I  have  been  with  him  in  the  day  time  and  in  the  night 
time  ;  in  company  and  alone  with  him  ;  and,  although  I  am  not 
a  Christian,  I  can  truly  say  I  think  Edmund  Holden  is  a  Chris- 
tian." His  character  in  this  respect  grew  brighter  and  brighter 
to  the  end  of  his  life.  In  1840  he  was  unanimously  chosen  one 
of  the  deacons  of  the  church,  which  oftice  he  held  at  the  time  of 
his  death.     He  died  at  the  residence  of  his  daughter,  in  Illinois, 


"^"Dt.   W.   p.   ALLEN.  Q^'' 


Dea,  EDMUND  HOLDER 


GENEALOGY. HOLDEN.  477 

and  his  remains  were  taken  to  Langdon,  N.  H.,  his  native  town, 
for  interment.  The  large  attendance  at  his  funeral,  both  from 
his  own  and  adjoining  towns,  showed  the  high  esteem  in  which 
he  was  held.  Every  good  enterprise  shared  his  sympathy  and 
aid ;  every  class  in  society  found  in  him  a  friend  and  helper. 
His  example  and  influence  will  long  serve  —  like  the  sun's  rays 
at  its  setting — to  guide  those  who  come  after  him  in  life's  jour- 
ney, toward  that  rest  into  which  he  has  entered.  He  had  seven 
children  : 

(i.)  SusaTi  Rockwood,  b.  July  lo,  1830,  d.  March  2,  1855,  unm. 
(2.)  A  Soji,  b.  June  6,  1832,  d.  June  19,  1832. 
(3.)  Edmund  IVillard,  b.  Aug.  27,  1833,  m.  Julia  A.  Smith  of 

Langdon,  May  9,  1862. 
(4.)   Orthonette  S.,  b.  Feb.  18,  1836,  m.  Dr.  Sherman  Morse  of 
Ridgefield,  McHenry  Co.,  111.,  Nov.  30,  187 1  ;  she  has  had  two 
children:   i.  "Anna  H.,"  b.  Feb.   15,   1874;  2.  "Floyd  S.," 
b.  July  3,  1875. 
(5.)  Martha  M.,  b.  July  6,  1839,  d.  May  14,  1858. 
(6.)   George  Rocktvood,  b.  Aug.   10,   1841,  m.  Mary  Rogers  of 

Langdon,  Sept.  11,  1863. 
(7.)  John  Wood,  b.  Aug.  21,  1843,  m.  March  24,  1870,  Mary  E. 
Murphy  of  Langdon;    he  has  had  two   children:   i.  "John 
Edmund,"  b.  Oct.  7,  1874,  died  Nov.  12,  1881  ;  2.  "Will  Bur- 
ton," b.  July  22,  1877. 

4,  Asa,  b.  at  Langdon,  May  30,    1804,    m.   Mary  Ann   Evans  of 

Langdon,  Aug.  29,   1832.     He  has  had  six  children,  all  b.  at 

Langdon. 

(i.)  Charles  Asa,  b.  Aug.  4,  1833,  m.  Emily  A.  King  of  xAcworth, 
N.  H.,  Nov.  18,  1862  ;  he  has  had  three  children;  i.  "Emily 
Corinne,"  b.  Oct.  6,  1863  ;  2.  "Charles  C,"  b.  Jan.  10,  1866  ; 
3.  "Allen  King,"  b.  Aug.  11,  1870. 

(2.)  Mary  E.,  b.  Jan.  26,  1835,  m.  Samuel  K.  Upton  of  Lang- 
don, July  I,  1862  ;  she  has  had  two  children  :  i.  "Mary  L.," 
b.  Nov.  II,  1863;  2.  "Hattie  L.,"  b.  Nov.  24,  1866. 

(3.)  George  H.,  b.  July  29,  1838,  m.  Jane  Allen  of  Walpole,  N. 
H.,  Sept.  17,  1868.  He  has  had  two  children;  i.  "George 
Newell,"  b.  May  14,  1870  ;  2.  "  Charles  H.,"  b.  May  16,  1872, 
at  Walpole. 

(4.)  Henry  M.,  b.  Oct.  14,  1840,  m.  Emma  Densmore  of 
Alstead,  Dec.  16,  1869;  he  has  had  one  child;  i.  "Edith," 
b.  Sept.  30,  1873. 

(5.)  Luella  v.,  b.  Dec.  12,  1845,  i^^-  O^r  Wallace  of  Alstead, 
Nov.  23,  1875. 

(6.)  Edward  M.,  b.  April  21,  1851. 

0.  RocKwooD,  b.  at   Langdon,  Aug.  11,   1809,  m.  Julana  Howard 
of  Alstead,   March   26,   1840;  he   has  had  five   children,  all  b. 
at  Randolph,  Vt.,  where  he  resided  (1877). 
(i.)  Abbie,  b.  Sept.  15,  1843,  ^-  Sept.  13,  1845. 
2.)   ya?nes  H.,  b.  Nov.  7,  1846. 

(3.)  Abbie  E.,h.y{.dxch  13,  1849,  '^'  Simeon  R.  Waldo,  Feb. 
23.  1875. 


478  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(4.)    Wa//er  J^.,h.  May  25,  1852,  m.  Alma  A.   Pearsons,   Oct. 

20,    1873;  1"^^  ^''^^   h^<^  o"^   child;   1.  "  Harley  W.,"  b.  July 

4.  1874. 
(5.)   Jessie,  b.  Sept.   4,    1855,   m.   Albion  O.  Smith,  Feb.   25, 

1874  ;  she  has  had  one  child  ;   i.  "  Blanche  M.,"  b.  Aug.  31, 

1875- 
<!.  SoPHRONiA,  b.  at  Langdon,  June   26,  1813  ;  she  has  been  twice 
m.,  (first)  to  Jedediah   Rice   of  Waukesha,   Wis.,  1842.     He  d. 
1856  ;  she  m.  (second)  Ezra  S.  Purple. 

V.  LEVI,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  25,  1767.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Lydia  Warden,  1 788  ;  she  d.  April  9,  1 799  ;  m.  (second)  Mary 
Longley.  With  his  first  wife  he  resided  at  Langdon,  but  removed 
to  Hawley,  Mass.,  1807,  where  he  remained  through  life.  He  d. 
Dec.  5,  1866.  His  second  wife  d.  Dec.  19,  1839  ;  he  had  fourteen 
children  : 

L  Levi,  b.  at  Langdon,  Feb.   17,  1793,  d.  at  Langdon,  March  i, 
1795- 

2.  Royal,   b.    at    Langdon,    May  23,   1794,   m.   Sukey  Smith    of 
Hawley,  18 18,  had  children  and  d.  Dec.  6,  1831. 

3.  Jonas,  b.  at  Langdon,  Sept.  i,  1796,  d.  Sept.  10,  1797. 

4.  Ira,  b.  at  Langdon,  Dec.  7,  1797,  m.  Olive  Hawley,  1824.     He 
had  eight  children,  all  born  at  Hawley. 

(i.)   Olive  M.,  b.  1825,  d.  1828. 

(2.)  Henry  A.,  b.  Jan.  30,  1827,  m.  Maria  E.  Kellogg  of  Hali- 
fax, Vt.,  Sept.,  1853.  He  has  had  three  children  born  at  Haw- 
ley; I.  "Clarence  H.,"  b.  July,  1857;  2.  "Flora  M."  b. 
i860;  3.  "Albert  L.,"  b.  February,  1862. 

(3.)   Cfloiey,  b.  1829,  d.  November,  1847. 

(4.)   Olive,  b.  183 1,  d.  June,  1847. 

(5.)  Asa,  b.  Feb.  23,  1833,  m.  Martha  E.  Hunt  of  Hawley, 
April  17,  1856.  He  had  two  children,  b.  at  Hawley;  i. 
"Carrie  B.,"  b.  May  30,  1859;  2.  "  Herbert,"  b.  Dec.  15, 
1866. 

(6.)  Freeman  L.,  b.  July  3,  1837,  m.  Louisa  Wheelock  of 
Amherst,  October,  1863.  He  had  three  children,  born  in 
Amherst;  i.  "Walter,"  b.  December  1864;  2.  "Eugene,"  b. 
December,  1866;  3.  "Herbert,"  b.  April,  1872. 

(7.)  Emily  E.,  b.  July  31,  1840,  m.  Edgar  Leisure  of  Ashfield, 
Mass.,  June,  1858;  had  three  children,  b.  at  Ashfield;  i.  "Nellie 
M.,"  b.  October,  1859;  2.  "Fred.  E.,"  b.  August,  1861  ; 
3.  "  Grace  E.,"  b.  June,  1874. 

(8.)  Francis  A.,  b.  Sept.  3,  1842,  m.  Julia  Converse  of  Monson, 
April  18,  1867;  he  had  two  children;  i.  "Nettie  E.,"  b.  at 
Florence,  May  26,  1869;  2.  "Minnie  B.,"  b.  at  Florence, 
June  7,  1 87 1. 

").  Levi,  b.  at  Langdon,  April  i',  1799,  d.  Sept.  5,  1800. 

().  Joseph,  b.   at  Langdon,   Dec.  14,  1801,  m.  Electa  Witherell  of 


GENEALOGY. HOLDEN.  479 

Chesterfield,  Sept.  3,  1827,  removed  to   Ohio,  in  which  state  all 

of  his  children,  ten  in  number,  were  born. 

(i.)    Charles  H.,  b.  June  5,  1829,  m.   Lorinda  Coe.  (1850);  he 

had  two  children  ;   i.  "Joseph,"  b.  July,   1851  ;   2.  "Charles 

E.,"  b.  September,  1853. 
(2.)   yohn  A.,\).  March   15,    1831,  m.  Julia  A.  Brown,   1855, 

who  d.  April  8,  1876. 
(3,)   yoseph  D.,  b.   March    18,    1833,  m.    Emeline   E.  Thorpe, 

1851,  d.  Oct.  27,    1866;  he  had  two  children  ;   i.  "  Sprague 

D.,"  b.  July  5,  1852  ;   2.  "  Eva  M.,"  b.  Oct.  8,  1855. 
(4.)  Aima  E.,  born  Sept.  27,  1835,  d-  Feb.  12,  1838. 
(5.)  Edwin,  b.  March  23,  1837,  m.  Emma  A.  Dickenson,  i860  ; 

he  had  four  children  ;   i,  "Gillie  L.,"  b.  Oct.    10,    1861  ;  2. 

"  Lora  A.,"  b.  March  5,  1863  ;  3.  "  Jenney   D.,"  b.  June  22, 

1865  ;  4.  "  Frankie  M.,"  b.  Feb.  8,  1868. 
(6.)   Geo?-ge  H.,  b.  Oct.  22,  1838,  m.   Esther  A.  Coe,  1S65  >  he 

had  two  children ;   i.  "  Fannie,"  b.  Jan.  4,    1868;  2.  "Flor- 
ence B.,"  b.  Sept.  10,   1874. 
(7.)    William  A.,  b.  July  3,  1840,  m.  Mary  A.  Graham,  1875. 
(8.)  Francis,  b.  Aug.  16,  1843. 
(9.)  Emma,  b.  May  10,  1845. 
(10.)   Gilbert  L.,\).   May  4",    1847,  m.   Ella  Watkins,  1871;  he 

had  one  child;   i.  "  Winnifred,"  b.  April  21,  1874. 

7.  Lydia,  b.  Feb.  16,  1804,  m.  George  Howes  of  Ashfield,  June 
2,  1825,  settled  in  Wisconsin  and  had  children-. 

8.  Elizabeth,  b.  Aug.  6,  1805,  m.  Lewis  Cobb  of  Ashfield,  Aug., 
1825  ;  she  died  Oct.  7,  1835  ;  Mr.  Cobb  died  December,  1867. 

9.  Levi,  b.  at  Hawley,  June  2,  1807,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Annis 
Joy  of  Hawley,  Oct.  6,  1835;  she  died  Jan.  17,  1857,  m. 
(second)  Mrs.  Lucy  S.  Bennett  of  Hawley,  Dec.  2,  1858.  He 
has  had  seven  children,  all  b.  in  Hawley. 

(i.)  ^  Son,  b.  Dec.  22,  1836,  d.  Dec.  22,  1836. 

(2.)  Ellen  A.,  b.  April  5,  1838,  m.  Henry  Clark,  Oct.  19,  1858  ; 
she  had  three  children,  b.  at  Hawley;  i.  "Herbert  L.,"  b. 
Nov.  30,  i860  ;  2.  "  Holton  H.,"  b.  Sept.  5,  1866  ;  3.  "  Flora 
A.,"  b.  Nov.  15,  1873. 

(3.)  Merrick  /.,  b.  May  18,  1840,  m.  Rebecca  C.  Mason  of 
Hawley,  Aug.  14,  1864.  He  has  had  two  children,  b.  in  Haw- 
ley ;  I.  "George  H.,"  b.  Aug.  23,  1865;  2.  "  Halbert  E.," 
b.  Jan.  14,  1868,  d.  Dec.  25,  1871. 

(4.)  Eliza  L.,  b.  Aug.  5,  1843,  m.  Hosea  W.  Stockwell  of  Buck- 
land,  Jan.  2,  1862. 

(5.)  Cha?-les  N.,  b.  Sept.  21,  1847,  m.  Efifie  G.  Dyer  of  Plain- 
field,  May  4,  1872. 

(6.)  Flora  A.,  b.  Nov.  9,  1849,  d,  Aug.  29,  1866. 

(7.)  Frank  A.,  b.  Dec.  31,  1856,  m.  Sarah  E.  Shumvvay  of 
Plainfield,  Jan.  10,  1877. 

10.  Mary,  b.  at  Hawley,  June  10,  1809,  d.  Aug.  29,  1866. 


480  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

11.  Dorothy,  b.  at  Hawley,  June  28,  181 1,  m.  Otis  Whitman  of 
South  Adams,  July  29,  1^32  ;  she  had  six  children,  all  b.  at 
Adams. 

(i.)  Esther  A.,  b.   Sept.   23,    1834,   m.  Asa  S.  Harrington  of 

South  Adams,  Dec.  31,  1853;  she  had  seven  children,   all  b. 

at  South  Adams  ;   i.  "  Everett  S.,"  b.   Dec.   8,    1854,  d.  Jan. 

4,  1863  ;  2.  "  Fred.  J.,"  b.  July  28,  1856  ;  3.  "  Ellen  P.,"  b. 

May  15,  1858;  4.  "Herbert,"   b.   Dec.   28,    1861,  d.  Feb.  3, 

1863;  5.  "  Herbert  U.,"  b.  May  10,   1864;  6.  "Asa  S.,"  b. 

Feb.  20,  1866  ;  7.  "  Willie,"  b.  Feb.  16,  1868. 
(2.)  Edwin   O.,  b.  Aug.  22,    1836,  m.   Adeline  Burlingame  of 

South  Adams,  August,    1854,    had   three    children,    born    at 

Poughkeepsie,   N.  Y. ;  i.  "Charles,"  b.   Oct.   12,    1859;  2. 

"  Freddie,"  b.  Sept.  i,  1867  ;  3.  "  Fannie,"  b.  Aug.  5,  1875, 

d.  Oct.  9,  1875. 
(3.)  Levi,  b.  July  24,  1838,  d.  Nov.  6,  1838. 
ij^^  JoJin  J.,  b.  Oct.  6,  1840,  m.  Sarah  Vermilyea,  New  York,  June 

I,  1864,  had  four  children,  b.  at  Adams  ;  i.  "  Claude,"  b.  Aug. 

25,  1865,  d.  Aug.  31,  1866  ;  2.  "  Frankie,"  b.  July  3,  1868  ;  3. 

"Minnie,"   b.   May   24,    1870:  4.  "  Celestina,"   b.   Sept.  24, 

1871,  d.  Sept.  6.  1872. 
(5.)  Levi  LI.,  b.  Sept.  12,  1843,  m.  Amelia  Hall,  Sept.  i,  1861,  he 

has   had    eight    children;   i.  "  Addie,"  b.  May  15,  1863;  2. 

"  Herbert,"  b.  May  5,  1865  ;  3.  "  Freddie,"  b.  Dec.  6,  1867  ; 

4.  "  Edwin,"    b.    April     i,     1869,    died   Dec.    i,    1869 ;     5. 

"Edward,"    b.    April    i,    1869,  d.  March  11,  1870;  6.   "Lil- 
ly,"  b.  May   10,    1871  ;  7.  "  Emma,"    b.   Jan.    i,    1873,    d. 

Dec.  I,  1873  ;  8.  "  Ellen,"  b.  Jan.  i,  1873,  d.  March  11,  1874. 
(6.)  Mary  E.,  b.  Sept.  11,  1845,  d.  December,  1845. 

12.  Olive,  b.  Oct.  24,  1812,  r.  Mount  Lebanon,  N.  Y. 

13.  Lucy,  b.  July  14,  1814,  m.  Harvey  Russell  of  North  Hadley. 
Mr.  Russell  d.  Feb.  21,  1872. 

14.  Jonas,  b.  at  Hawley,  March  30,  181 6,  has  been  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Caroline  Joy  of  Plainfield,  May  19,  1841;  she  died  May  3, 
1842,  m  (second)  Thera  S.  King  of  Hawley,  Oct.  12,  1842. 
He  has  had  four  children. 

(i.)    Caroline  J. ,  b.  March  25,  1842,  d.  Sept.  5,  1859. 

(2.)  Sarah  E.fh.  Dec.  28,  1845,  '^''-  Lucius  Hunt  of  Hawley, 
Dec.  23,  1868;  she  has  had  two  children;  i.  "George  W.," 
b.  Oct.  4,  1869  ;  2.  "  Lizzie  J.,"  b.  at  Hawley,  Sept.  2,  1871, 
d.  April  5,  1875. 

(3.)   Janetie  M.,  b.  March  i,  1848,  d.  Aug.  23,  1851. 

(4.)    Wi/iic,h.  at  Hawley,  May   16,   1855. 

Levi  Holden,  Sen.,  the  register  of  whose  descendants  here  closes, 
was  noted  for  his  steady  habits,  his  courteous  bearing,  his  even 
temperament,  and  the  placidity  of  his  entire  life.  He  enjoyed  a 
green  old  age.  He  lived  to  see  ninety-nine  years,  and  made  a 
religious  profession  when  he  was  ninety  years  of  age. 


GENEALOGY. HOLDEN.  481 

VI.  JOSEPH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  5,  1769,  m.  Eliza  Hanaway,  July 
8,  1807,  removed  from  Shirley  to  Marietta,  Ohio,  which  became 
his  home  for  life.     He  died  Nov.  14,  1863.     He  had  ten  children. 

1.  William,  b.  March  18,  1809,  m.  Isabella  Green,  d.  Dec.  25, 
1847.  His  wife  Isabella  d.  June  29,  1847,  they  had  three 
children. 

(i.)  Samuel  Green,  b.  July  31,  1841,  d.  May  3,  1847. 
(2.)  Mary  Eliza,  b.  Aug.   11,  1843,  d.  July  8,  1847, 
(3.)  Maria  Thomas,  b.  Oct.  11,  1845,  d.  June  4,  1847. 

2.  Eliza,  b.  June  7,  18 10,  d.  Oct.  7,  1831. 

3.  Jane,  b.  Nov.  12,  1811,  d.  March  5,  1813. 

4.  Marlv,  b.  Dec.  24,  181 2,  m.  Hugh  Trevor,  Dec.  24,  1835  ;  ^^""^ 
d.  May  3,  1868  ;  she  had  six  children. 

(i.)    Joseph  Holdeii,  b.  March  4,  1837,  d.  May  5,  1838. 

(2.)  Helen  Marielfe,  b.  Nov.  26,  1838,  d.  Feb.  21,  1853. 

(3.)  Eliza  If  olden,  b.  March  8,  1841. 

(4.)  Rose  Savai(e,  b.  Jan.  i,  1843. 

(5.)  Andrew  Marcus,  b.  Oct.  21,  1844. 

(6.)  Edward  D.  Arcy,  b.  Nov.  21,  1846. 
.").  Julia,  b.  Dec.   20,    1813,    m.    Rufus    E.  Harte  of  Ohio,  March 

5,  1839  ;  she  had  six  children. 

(i.)   Gregory  Powers,  b.  March  i,  1840. 

(2.)    Joseph  Holden,  b.  Sept.  10,  1841,  d.  Dec.  24,  1842.     , 

(3.)    William  James,  b.  March  2,  1843. 

(4.)  Anna  Eliza,  b.  Nov.  12,  1844,  d.  Nov.  28,  1845. 

(5.)  Marx  Trevor,  b.  Sept.  30,  1849. 

(6.)   Julia  Holden,  b.  July  18,  1855,  d.  1864. 
().  Joseph,  b.  June  20,  181 5,  m.  Mary  Ann  Daze,  Oct.  22,  1838,  d. 

July  8,  1863.     He  had  four  children. 

(i.)    William,  b.  July  4,  1839. 

(2.)  John  Daze,  b.  Aug.  30,  1841. 

(3.)  Joseph  Clarence,  b.  March  14,  1850. 

(4.)   George  Sedgwick,  b.  May  6,  1858. 
7.  James,  b.  Jan.  20,  181 7  ;  he  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Har- 
riet P.  Rogers,  April  17,  1843;    she  d.  Nov.  15,   1855  ;  he  m. 

(second)  Harriet  E.  Dodge,  Oct.  12,  1857,  r.  Marietta  (1882). 
.S.  Miriam,  b.  March  28,  1819,  d.  Sept.  28,  1820. 
1).  Harriet  Rhoda  Hall,  b.  at  Marietta,  May  29,  1820,  m.  Wil- 
liam Wallace  Dodge  of  Marietta,  May  29,  1840;  he  d.  June  27, 

1858,  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where  she  now  r.,  a  widow;    she    has 

had  six  children  : 

(i.)    Oliver  Holden,  b.  Jan.  23,  1842. 

(2.)  Mary  Eliza,  b.  Aug.  26,  1847. 

(3.)    William  Holden,  b.  Sept.  25,  1850. 

(4.)  Fanny  Holden,  b.  May  15,  1852. 

(5.)  Ella  Dean,  b.  Nov.  26,  1854. 

(6.)  Julia  Trevor,  b.  Oct.  25,  1856. 
10.  Nathaniel,  b.  May  29,  1824,  d.  Oct.  29,  1824. 
61 


482  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

VII.  LYDIA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  8,  1772,  d.  i  776. 

VIII.  JONAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  18,  1774,  removed  to  Coxsackie, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  lived  unm.,  and  where  he  d.  March  11,  181 1. 

IX.  DOLLY,  b.  at    Shirley,  Aug.   28,    1776,    m.   Samuel   Cook  of 
Lunenburg,  Aug.  11,  1835,  d.  at  Lunenburg,  Nov.  29,  1859. 

f^OVtitVi,  Ksaac/  (Nathaniel,"  Stephen,^  Richard,')  b.  at  Groton, 
Nov.  19,  1723,  m.  Sarah ,  and  had  one  child  : 

I.     SARAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  19,  1756,  d.  Sept.  21,  1756. 

Mr.  Holden  was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  petition  for  Shirley  to  be 
an  independent  municipality,  in  1747. 


IVORY. 


This  name  but  rarely  occurs  in  the  pages  of  New  England  gene- 
alogy or  biography.  Indeed,  Mr.  Durrie,  in  the  last  edition  of  his 
"  Index,"  refers  only  to  the  dictionary  of  Mr.  Savage  as  containing 
any  allusion  to  persons  of  the  name.  He  (Savage)  says  that  Thomas 
and  William  Ivory,  supposed  to  be  brothers,  appeared  in  Lynn,  within 
about  eighteen  years  from  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  at  Plymouth  ; 
but  he  records  of  but  one  of  them,  any  posterity.  It  may  assist 
future  investigation  to  know  that 

Ktl0l'5»  JJO^JW*  ^^ho  probably  descended  from  the  above-named 
Thomas  of  Lynn,  became  a  resident  of  Shirley  about  the  year  1765, 
and  purchased  an  estate  in  what  is  now  Shirley  Village,  recently 
known  as  the  Sherman  Willard  farm.  He  was  a  cooper  as  well  as  an 
agriculturist,  and  wrought  at  both  vocations  in  their  seasons.  He  was 
chosen  a  deacon  of  the  church  Dec.  2,  1777,  and  held  the  office 
during  his  life.  In  1777  and  1778  he  was  clerk  of  the  town,  and 
he  proved  his  scholarship  to  be  above  the  common  level  of  the  time, 
by  the  methodical  manner  in  which  his  records  were  arranged,  and 
by  the  correctness  of  his  penmanship.  He  held  other  places  of 
honor  and  trust,  and  was  generally  respected  by  his  fellow  citizens. 
He  d.  Nov.  21,  1789.  His  widow  d.  Sept.  13,  1795.  He  had  four 
children  : 

I.     JOHN,  m.  Lucy  Russell  of  Shirley,  pub.  March   14,  1778.  He 

was   a  volunteer  called  out   by  the    alarm    of  April    19,    1775.  In 

July  he  enlisted  into  the  continental  service  for  eight  months.  He 
had  six  children  : 

1.  Theophilus,  b.  Jan.  i,  1779. 

2.  John,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  25,  1780,  m.  Betsey  Page  of  Shirley, 
Feb.  6,  1S02,  d.  at  Smithfield,  N.  Y.,  May  8,  1859. 

3.  Thomas,  b.  April  18,  1783. 

4.  Sarah,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  21,  1788,  d.  Oct.  19,  1795. 


GENEALOGY. IVORY-JENNERSON.  483 

5.  William  Frothingham,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  23,  1791. 
G.  Jabez  Frothingham,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  6,  1797. 

II.  THEOPHILUS,  b.  at  Charlestovvn,  Nov.  7,  1759,  d.  at  New 
York,  Sept.  26,  1776.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  soldier 
in  the  continental  army. 

III.  THOMAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  10,  1764,  d.  Alarch  i,  1772. 

IV.  MARTHA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  15,  1766,  m.  John  Campbell, 
Nov.  27,  1788. 


JENNERSON. 

This  name  is  sometimes  spelled  Jennerson,  and  at  other  times 
Jenerson,  in  the  town  records  of  Shirley,  but  never  Jennison.  It  is 
probable,  however,  that  they  are  all  of  the  same  origin  and  belong 
to  the  same  family.     The  original  of  the  name  here  was 

JffUnCl'SOn,  JWOSCS,  who  was  born  Nov.  17,  1755,  became 
a  resident  of  Shirley  when  a  young  boy,  a  waif  cast  in  here,  having 
neither  relatives  nor  helpers  to  sympathize  or  encourage,  and  lighten 
the  burdens  of  labor  and  loneliness.  During  the  years  of  his  mi- 
nority he  lived  in  the  family  of  one  of  the  elder  Samuel  Hazens,  and 
was  faithful  to  his  trust.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  was  found 
with  the  volunteers  called  out  by  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775.  O'^ 
the  26th  of  the  same  month  he  enlisted  for  eight  months  in  the 
company  of  Captain  Robert  Longley  of  Bolton  ;  and,  finally,  became 
one  of  the  regular  army  and  remained  in  the  camp  and  field  during 
several  years  of  the  war.  He  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Jonas 
Longley,  pub.  March  24,  1778,  with  whom  he  lived  in  happy  wed- 
lock for  sixty-four  years.  He  died  Sept.  24,  1842.  His  widow  sur- 
vived him  a  little  more  than  one  year. 

Mr.  Jennerson  was  deprived  of  all  opportunity  to  attend  the  pubhc 
schools,  such  as  they  were  in  his  day,  so  that  when  he  was  married 
he  was  entirely  destitute  of  a  knowledge  of  letters.  His  wife  taught 
him  the  arts  of  reading,  writing,  and  common  arithmetic,  and  in  every 
way  helped  him  along  to  comfortably  bear  the  industries  and  trials  of 
life.  They  were  called  to  endure  privations,  long  and  severe,  disap- 
pointments and  bereavements  ;  and  while  they  bore  the  evils  and 
reverses  that  intersected  the  whole  way  of  their  life  with  fortitude  and 
resignation,  they  wisely  and  effectually  assisted  others,  in  like  suffer- 
ing, being  benefactors  of  the  sick  and  afflicted. 

In  the  latter  portion  of  his  days,  Mr.  Jennerson  was  much 
straitened  in  regard  to  the  means  of  his  temporal  support,  but  he 
had  the  waning  months  cheered  by  a  pension.  During  a  large  por- 
tion of  his  active  life  he  held  the  office  of  town  undertaker,  and 
prepared  for  others,  the  most  of  the  graves  which  surround  his  own 
quiet  resting  place.     He  had  seven  children  : 

I.     ESTHER,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  30,    1779,  m.   David  Jenkins   of 


484  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Shirley,  Aug.  i,  1802,  d.  June  5,   1856;    her  husband,   David,  d. 
Dec.  8,  1827.     She  had  ten  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

1.  Asa,  b.  Nov.  3,  1802,  m.  Esther,  daughter  of  Oliver  Page  of 
Shirley,  April  7,  1825,  d.  Jan.  15,  1872.  He  had  two  children  : 
(i.)  Asa  Augustine,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  13,  1824,  m.  Mary  Ben- 
nett of  Lunenburg,  April  16,  1844.  He  was  in  charge  of  a 
milk  car  on  the  Peterboro'  and  Shirley  railroad,  and  while 
sweeping  snow  from  the  top  of  a  baggage  car  while  the  train 
was  in  motion,  his  head  came  in  contact  with  a  bridge,  causing 
instant  death,  April  19,  1849.  He  had  one  child  :  i.  "Abbot 
Augustine,"  b.  at  Townsend,  Feb.  24,  1849,  ^'^ho  has  been 
twice  m.,  (first)  to  Hattie  C.  Lawrence  of  Shirley,  March. 
1869;  she  d.  Oct.  I,  1870;  m.  (second)  Emma  L.  Knight 
of  Ayer,  June  6,  1872.  He  has  had  one  child:  i.  Arthur 
Augustine,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  20,  1869. 

(2.)  Esther  Ann,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  28,  1827,  m.  Seth  R.  Hol- 
den  of  Shirley,  Jan.  i,  1852,  r.  Shirley  (1882). 

2.  Edmund,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.,  1804,  m.  Eunice  Page  of  Shirley, 
April  10,  1828.     He  has  had  two  children  : 

(i.)  Mary  Ann,  b.  Feb.  10,  1830,  d.  Oct.  31,  1851. 

(2.)  E.   Adolphus,   b.  Jan.    11,    1834,  m.   Amanda  Cowdrey  of 

Lunenburg,   May    8,   1855,  r.  Shirley   (1882).     He  has  had 

three  children:   i.  "Frederick  Henry,"  b.  Oct.  2,   1855;  2. 

"Lizzie  Carohne,"  b.  at  Shirley,  June  2,  1861  ;  3.  "Lillian," 

b.  May  28,  1864. 

3.  Moses,  b.   at  Shirley,  Jan.   7,   1807,  m.  Elizabeth  A.  Dwight, 
April  II,  1830,  d.  June  28,  1875.     He  had  three  children  : 

(i.)  Henry,  b.  Dec.  10,  1834.  He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Elizabeth  Tasker,  Oct.  10,  1858;  she  d.  Aug.  25,  1872;  he 
m.  (second)  Sarah  A.  Lewis,  March  i,  1873  ;  he  has  had  one 
child  :   I.  "Harry  Dwight,"  b.  at  Acton,  Oct.  30,  1876. 

(2,)  Lydia,  b.  April  10,  1837,  m.  William  Tyler,  Jan.  8,  1857,  d. 
at  Leominster,  1880.  She  had  seven  children:  i.  "Nell)- 
F.,"  b.  at  Minora,  Minn.,  Jan.  23,  1858  ;  2.  "Franklin,"  b.  at 
Minora,  Feb.  8,  1859,  d.  Feb.  11,  1867;  3.  "Benjamin,"  b. 
Jan.  24,  1863,  d.  at  Milwaukie,  Wis.,  Jan.  8,  1870  ;  4.  "Ahce," 
b.  at  Milwaukie,  June  24,  1866,  d. ;  5.  "Sherman  L.,"  b.  at 
Milwaukie,  Feb.  24,  1868;  6.  "William,"  b.  at  Leominster, 
Nov.  24, 1873,  d.;  7.  "Emma,"  b.  at  Leominster,  Feb.  20,  1875. 

(3.)  Edgar  Alonzo,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  4,  1839,  m.  Lucy  Ann 
Richardson  of  Townsend,  May  29,  1872,  r.  Shirley  (1882). 

4.  Joel,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  8,  1809,  d.  Nov.  18,  181 2. 

o.  Caroline,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  25,    181 1,  m.   Luther  Lawton   of 
Shirley,  pub.  Jan.  28,  1839,  d.  at  Maiden,  Jan.  29,  1865. 

().  Abijah,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  7,  181 3.      He  has  been  twice   m., 
(first)  to  Sarah  Bartlett )  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Sarah  Ann  Brown  ;  he 
had  three  children,  d.  Feb.,  1877. 
(i.j  Anna  Burr.     (2.)  Susan  Brooks.     (3.)    Gertrude. 


GENEALOGY. — JENNERSON.  485 

7.  Phena,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  26,  1815,  d.  March  27,  1815. 

8.  David,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  15,  18 16,  m.  Barbara  W.  Greenlow, 
Dec.  15,  1844,  r.  Boston  (1877).     He  has  had  three  children  : 
(1.)  David  A.  B.,  b.  at  East  Boston,  Nov.  23,  1845. 

(2.)  John  Q.  A.,  b.  at  East  Boston,  March  2,  1847. 

(3.)  Ivory  H ,  b.  at  East  Boston,  July  28,  1848,  d.  Jan.  2,  1851 . 

9.  Benjamin,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  6,   1820,  d.  at  Lowell,  Feb.  i, 

1861. 

10.  Sarah,  b.  at  Shirley,  m.  William  Eastman  of  Concord,  N.  H. 

II.  JONAS  LONGLEY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  27,  1782,  m.  Abigail 
Kemp,  lived  at  Charlestown,  and  d.  there  Sept.  4,  1862.  He  had 
three  children  : 

1.  Jonas  L.,  b.  Nov.   7,   1807,  d.  Feb.  22,   1808. 

He  had,  also,  two  daughters  who  grew  up  to  womanhood  and  mar- 
ried. The  eldest  married  a  sailor  by  the  name  of  Smith,  and 
boarded  in  her  father's  family,  while  her  husband  pursued  his 
vocation  upon  the  ocean.  Between  his  visits  home  there  were 
long  intervals,  and  his  visits  were  generally  brief.  On  his  final 
return  from  his  wanderings  he  became  the  victim  of  poison, 
self-administered.  There  were  several  children  belonging  to 
this  eldest  daughter,  one  of  whom — Josephine — was  fitted  for. 
and  became  a  teacher  in  a  public  school.  Another — Charles — 
had  a  position  in  a  Boston  bank. 

The  other  daughter  of  J.  L.  Jennerson  married  Robert  Kitcher, 
a  barber,  of  Boston,  and  had  two  children.  She  was  then  sepa- 
rated from  her  husband,  who  went  to  reside  at  St.  Louis,  and 
she  became  a  resident  of  New  York. 

III.  ASA,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  19,  1785,  m.  Caroline  Dean,  became 
a  sailor,  and  was  lost  at  sea,  as  was  supposed. 

IV.  THOMAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  2,  1788,  m.  Maria  Dickson  of 
Groton,  pub.  Jan.  2,  1814,  d.  at  Townsend,  April,  1865.  He  had 
eight  children  : 

L  Anna  Maria,  b.  Jan.  12,  1816,  d.  April  4,  1816. 

2.  Walter  Dickson,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  6,  1820,  m.  Mrs.  Fanny 
(Adams)  Tenney  of  Townsend,  June,  1849,  and  had  children. 

3.  Anna  Tufts,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  31,  1823,  m.  William  Henry 
Spear,  June  17,  1852. 

4.  Martha  Maria,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  11,  1825,  d.  Feb.  19,  1827. 

5.  Jonas  Longley,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  4,  1828,  m.  Nancy  Louisa 
Adams,  April  6,  1850. 

6.  Charles  Thom.^s,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  20,  1830. 

7.  Jane  Little,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  9,  1833. 

8.  George  Harrison,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  2,  1840. 


486  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

V.  SARAH,  b.  at   Shirley,  Oct.  8,   1790,   m.   Dennis  H.   Page   of 
Shirley,  July  11,  1807,  d.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  17,  1862. 

VI.  EDMUND,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  28,  i795,d.  at  Townsend,  April 
13,  1865,  unm. 

VII.  POLLY    PHELPS,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  4,  1798,  m.  Oliver  Law- 
ton  of  Shirley,  Feb.  20,  1829,  d.  April  13,  1849. 


JUPP. 


JJUPP,  JfOi)n,  was  an  Englishman  by  birth,  and  a  soldier  of  the 
British  army  that  came  here  to  enforce  colonial  obedience.  He  was 
connected  with  the  military  department  under  Governor  Gage  at 
Boston,  previous  to  the  outbreak  of  the  American  Revolution.  He 
deserted  from  the  service  of  the  king  and  found  his  way  to  Shirley, 
which  became  his  home  for  life.  He  was  one  of  the  eighty  volun- 
teers called  out  by  the  alarm  of  April  19th,  1775.  He  afterward 
enlisted  for  three  years,  and  is  credited  on  the  rolls  at  the  state 
house  as  having  served  thirty-three  months  and  twenty-two  days. 
He  married  Mary  Symonds  of  Shirley,  pub.  Nov.  12,  1774.  Owing 
to  the  severities  he  endured  in  the  discharge  of  his  military  duties,  he 
sickened,  and  died  in  i  780. 

He  owned  a  small  farming  estate,  situated  near  the  center  of  the 
town,  which  was  his  home  during  the  six  years  of  his  married  life, 
and  where  his  widow  lived  until  her  second  marriage.  His  house 
was  located  on  land  owned  at  present  by  Seth  Chandler,  and  stood 
about  twenty  rods  westerly  from  the  dwelling  of  said  Chandler.  He 
had  one  child  : 

I.     MARY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  26,  1775,  d.  Jan.  5,  1871,  unm.     She 
had  one  child  : 

I.  Sumner  Hartwell,   b.  at    Shirley,   May   24,    1805,  r.   Shirley, 
unm.  (1882.) 

Mary,  the  widow  of  John  Jupp,  m.  Nathan  Smith  for  her  second 
husband,  in  1785,  and  resided  at  his  home,  in  the  Mulpus  valley, 
until  his  death,  when  she  purchased  the  farm  now  (1882)  owned  by 
her  grandson,  Sumner  Hartwell,  where  she  died  Dec.  14,  1826. 


KELLEY. 

lifllClJ,  ^HOVriS,  became  a  resident  of  Shirley,  at  or  immedi- 
ately before  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  served  as  a  soldier  in  that 
war,  from  Shirley,  for  over  three  years.  He  married  Relief  Haskell, 
pub.  June  24,  i  780  ;  she  was  a  daughter  of  Captain  Henry  Haskell, 
who  commanded  the  Shirley  volunteers  called  out  by  the  alarm  of 
.\pril    19,  1775.     There  is  no  known  record  of  Mr.  Kelley's  removal 


GENEALOGY. KELLEY-KELSEY.  487 

from  town,  or  whither  he  went ;  but  the  births  of  nine  children  have 
found  a  place  of  record,  and  are  here  given  : 

I.  WILLIAM,  b.  Feb.  12,  1782,  d.  Oct.  4,  1814. 

II.  JOHN,  b.  Nov.,  1784,  d.  Oct.,  1814. 

III.  REBECCA,  b.  July  11,  1786. 

IV.  RELIEF,  b.  Feb.  26,  1788. 

V.  JAMES,  b.  Dec.  27,  1789.. 

VI.  ELEANOR,  b.  Oct.  20,  1791. 

VII.  MERCY,  b.  March  8,  1795. 

VIII.  DEXTER,  b.  March  7,  1797,  d.  Oct.,  1836. 

IX.  HULDAH,  b.  July  31,  1799. 


KELSEY. 

The  first  of  this  name  known  in  New  England  was  William  Kelsey. 
who  was  settled  at  Cambridge  as  early  as  1632,  and  who  probably 
immigrated  to  America  in  1630.  He  had  a  wife,  one  son,  and  per- 
haps more  children,  while  in  Cambridge.  In  1636,  Rev.  Thomas 
Hooker,  the  first  minister  of  Cambridge,  removed,  with  his  congre- 
gation,— consisting  of  one  hundred  souls, — to  the  banks  of  the  Con- 
necticut river,  and  settled  what  is  now  the  city  of  Hartford.  Mr. 
Kelsey  was  one  of  the  followers  of  Hooker,  and  became  a  resident 
of  the  new  colony  while  comparatively  a  young  man.  He  had  two 
sons  and  one  daughter  born  at  Hartford,  and  perhaps  more.  In 
1663  he  removed  from  Hartford  to  Killingworth,  where  he  probably 
died.     It  is  safe  to  presume  that  from  this  family  was  descended 

W^tlUt^y  J)Ot)W,  who  lived  at  Harvard  at  an  early  period  of  the 
last  century,  but  who  came  to  Shirley  sometime  before  the  outbreak 
of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  settled  on  the  estate  now  best 
known  as  the  Balch  farm,  situated  in  a  south-easterly  part  of  the 
town.  He  was  one  of  the  petitioners  that  the  town  might  be  sepa- 
rated from  Groton,  in  1747.  He  m.  Martha  McFarland,  and  d.  at 
Shirley,  March  i,  1780.  His  wife  died  Jan.  22,  1774.  They  had 
three  children  : 

I.  JOHN,  Jr.,  b.  June  3,  1743,  m.  Molly  Park  of  Groton,  Aug.  29, 
1770,  d.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  3,  1822.  His  widow  d.  Jan.  24,  1825. 
Mr.  Kelsey  possessed  a  cultivation  of  intellect  far  above  an  average 
of  his  time,  and  his  merits  were  understood  and  appreciated  by 
his  fellow  citizens  of  the  town  and  vicinity  ;  hence  he  had  frequent 
calls  to  prepare  legal  instruments,  such  as  wills,  deeds,  etc.,  on 
account  of  the  scarcity  of  persons  adapted  to  such  performances. 
He  was  much  respected  in  town  for   his    moral   worth,    Christian 


488  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

observances,  and  public  ability.  He  was  one  of  the  selectmen  of 
the  town  in  1786,  and  was  town  clerk  in  1784  and  1786.  At  one 
period  he  commanded  the  town  militia,  which  gave  him  a  military 
title  for  life  ;  and  such  was  his  physical  bearing  that  he  might  have 
been  a  commander  of  armies.  He  was  a  volunteer  in  Captain 
Haskell's  company,  raised  on  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of  April,  1775, 
and  was  one  of  its  corporals  ;  he  also  acted  as  sergeant  in  Captain 
Longley's  company  during  a  service  of  eight  months  the  same 
year.     He  had  eleven  children  : 

1.  John,  b.  at  Harvard,  Oct.  16,  1770,  m.  Betsey  King  of  Little- 
ton, pub.  March  17,  1799,  d.  Dec,  1835  ;  his  widow  d.  March 
6,  1850. 

2.  Sarah,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  17,  1772,  d.  at  Rockingham,  Vt., 
Nov.  20,  1859,  unm. 

'.].  Daniel,    b.  at    Shirley,  Feb.    15,    1774,   m.    Sarah   Ordway  of 

Fitchburg,  1810,  d.  July  26,  1821  ;  his  widow  d.  May  31,  1847. 

They  had  three  children  : 

(i.)  Albert,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  30,  181 1,  m.  Charlotte  Upton  of 
Fitchburg,  March  2,  1837,  r.  Cambridge  (1882)  ;  he  has  had 
two  children:  1.  "Albert  Warren,"  b.  at  Boston,  Oct.  30, 
1840,  m.  Jeannette  G.  Washburn,  daughter  of  Governor  Cad- 
wallader  C.  Washburn,  of  Lacrosse,  Wis.,  June  23,  1869. 
They  have  had  seven  children:  i.  Albert,  b.  at  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  April  26,  1870;  2.  Jeannette,  b.  at  St.  Louis,  Nov.  i, 
1871,  d.  Aug.  3,  1872,  at  Madison,  Wis.;  3.  Charlotte,  b.  at 
Madison,  Oct.  28,  1873  5  4-  Kate,  b.  at  Madison,  April  23, 
1875;  5-  Mary,  b.  at  St.  Louis,  June  15,  1877;  6.  Mabel, 
•b.  at  Geneva,  Switzerland,  Oct.  16,  1878;  7.  Cadwallader,  b. 
at  Clarens-Monsreux,  Switzerland,  July  30,  1880.  2.  "Char- 
lotte Lucena,"  h.  at  Boston,  June  15,  1847,  m.  Joseph  D. 
Estabrook  of  Belmont,  June  16,  1869;  he  was  b.  at  Holden, 
Mass.,  Jan.  24,  1845;  they  had  four  children:  i.  Harold 
Kelsey,  b.  at  Cambridge,  Oct.  21,  1870;  2.  Robert  Joseph, 
b.  at  Cambridge,  Feb.  8,  1873  ;  3.  Rena,  b.  at  Cambridge, 
Jan.  12,  1877;  4.  Albert  Walter,  b.  at  Cambridge,  Nov.  20, 
1878. 

(2.)  Ariemas,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  15,  1813,  m.  Abigail  Marshall 
Barnard  of  New  Boston,  N.  H.,  July  13,  1843,  r.  Nashua, 
N.  H.  (1882.)  He  has  had  two  children:  i.  "Frederick," 
b.  at  Nashua,  Sept.  27,  1844;  2.  "James  Barnard,"  b.  at 
Oxford,  N.  H.,  June  20,  1852,  d.  at  Nashua,  Jan.  8,  1863. 

(3.)  Aaron  Ames,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  5,  1816.  He  has  been 
twice  m.,  (first)  to  Adeline  Willard  of  Fitchburg,  1838  ;  she  d. 
Dec,  1849;  '"'''•  (second)  Mrs.  Sarah  Wheeler  Whitney  of 
Lincoln,  185  i  ;  he  d.  at  Concord,  Mass.,  Aug.  16,  1855. 

4.  Mary,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  14,  1776,  m.  Jonas  Livermore  of 
Shirley,  d.  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  July  22,  1823. 

.'(.   LvDiA,    1).    at    Shirley,   March   5,    1778,   m.   Daniel   Wilder  of 


GENEALOGY. KELSEY.  489 

Lancaster,    April    28,    1802,    d.  July    17,    1826;    she   had  two 

children  : 

(i.)  Daniel  A'.,  b.  at   Lancaster,  Jan.  22,    1807,  ni.   Mary  M. 

Andrews,  Aug.  7,  1838. 
(2  )  Joel. 

^.  Lucy,  b.    at   Shirley,   March  5,    1778,    m.   Silas    Dickerson  of 

Keene,  N.  H.,  Feb.  21,  1801  ;    she  lived  at  Rockingham,  Vt., 

and  d.  there  June  29,  1867.     She  had  five  children  : 

(i.)  Dexter,  b.  at  Keene,  1803,  m.  Eliza  Dickerson  of  Boston, 

d.  at  Vera  Cruz,  Mexico,  in   1848.     He  was  a  soldier  in  the 

war  with  Mexico. 

(2.)  Persis  Wheeler,    b.    at    Rockingham,    May    14,    1809,     m. 

Waldo  A.  Evans  of  Rockingham,  and  d.  April  15,  1830.     She 

had  one  child  :    i.  "Persis  VV.,"  b.  March  30,  1830,  m.  David 

Bond   Livermore  of  Shirley,  June   15,   1850,  r.  Rockingham 

(1877). 
(3.)  Emily,    b.  at  Rockingham,  June   2,    181 2  ;    she  has  been 

twice  m.,  (first)  to  George  S.  Willard   of  Rockingham.     He 

was  a  soldier  in  the  Florida  war,  and  d.  in  that  war.     She  m. 

(second)  Henry  May  of  Westminster,  Vt.,  and  d.  in  that  town, 

Feb.  15,  1866. 
(4.)  Almira,  b.  at  Rockingham,  April  25,   1814,  m.  William  S. 

Barry   of    Rockingham,   Jan.    31,   1839;    she  has    had    five 

children:    i.  "James  W.,"  b.  Nov.  17,  1839;    2.  "John  C," 

b.  May  23,   1845;    3-  "William  Walter,"  b.    Feb.  3,    1848; 

4.  "Mary  Almira,"  b.  Dec.   30,    1851;    5.  "Daniel  K.,"   b. 

March  13,  1854. 
(5.)   John    K..   b.   at   Rockingham,  June,    18 16;  m.    Emeline 

Weaver  of  Rockingham,  and  d.  at  Alstead,  N.  H.,  1863. 

7.  LuciNDA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  21,  1780,  m.  David  Livermore  of 
Shirley,  Sept.  28,  1800,  d.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  4,  1847. 

8.  Joseph,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  24,  1782,  m.  Lucy  Lufkin  of  Free- 
port,  Me.,  Dec.  28,  1805,  d.  of  small  pox,  at  Foxcroft.,  111., 
July  16,  1 86 1  ;  his  widow  d.  in  the  same  place  and  of  the  same 
malady,  Aug.  9,  1861.     They  had  nine  children  : 

(i.)  Joseph  Lufkin,  b.  July,   1807  ;  he  was  twice   m.,  (first)  to 

Ann  Comstock  of  Port  Huron,  Mich.,  May,   1830;  she  d.  in 

March,  1837  ;  he  m.  (second)  Maria  A.  Canfield,  Sept.,  1845, 

d.  at  Charleston,  S.  C,  March  24,  1873. 
(2.)  Eliza  D.,  b.  at  Freeport,  Me.,  May  20,   1809,  m.  Edward 

J.  Sturgis  of  Guilford,  Me.,  May,  1831.     She  is  a  widow,  and 

a  resident  of  some  part  of  California  (1877). 
(3.)  Joshua    William,  b.  at  Freeport,  Oct.  21,  181 1,  m.  Louisa 

Robinson,  Jan.,  1846,  and  d.  at  Saxonville,  Jan.,  1870. 
(4.)  Mary  Park,  b.  at  Freeport,  May  13,   1814,  m.  Jabez  True 

of  Guilford,   Aug.,    1833  ;  she   is  a  widow,  r.   Portland,   Me. 

(1877-) 
(5.)  Susan  Rachel,  b.  at  Guilford,  March   12,   1816,  m.  Josiah 

H.  Mitchell  of  Freeport,  Feb.,  1837,  d.  Oct.,  1866. 
62 


490  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(6.)  Joel  Wilder,  b.  Dec.  17,  1819  ;  he  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Abby  S.  Moulton  of  Foxcroft,  Me.,  Jan.  20,  1844;  she  d.  at 
Port  Huron,  Mich.,  Jan.  16,  1845  j  ^^  m.,  (second)  Mary 
Jane  Rider  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  Aug.  15,  1849,  r.  Toledo  (1877). 

(7.)  Aaron  Liifkin,  b.  at  Guilford,  July  17,  1823,  m.  Helen 
McLawton  of  Toledo,  Oct.,  1854,  r.  Toledo  (1877). 

(Z^  John  William,  b.  July  8,  1825,  m.  Dorcas  Edes  of  Guil- 
ford, March  28,  1852,  r.  Guilford  (1877). 

(9.)  Priscilla  Hyde,  b.  at  Guilford,  June   24,   1828,   m.   Edwin 
McHenry,  Oct.  i,  1849,  r.  Cambridge  (1877). 
i).  Europe,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  3,  1785  ;  he  was  thrice  m.,  (first)  to 

Desire    Carter,     1815;      (second)   to   Phebe    Dunkam,    1819; 

(third)   to   Mary   Soule.     He  left  Shirley  in    1804,  and  went  to 

Freeport,   Me.,  with   his  younger  brother,  Joel,   and   d.   there, 

June,  1878  j  he  had  three  children  : 

(i.)   Albert  W.,  b.  1817. 

(2.)  Hiram,  b.  at  Freeport,  1823,  d.  1856. 

(3,)  Elbridge  S.,  b.  at  Freeport. 

10.  Betsey,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  27,  1787.  She  passed  a  life  of 
redrement  and  solitude,  yet  set  a  worthy  example  of  industry  and 
neatness.  She  was  a  professor  of  religion,  and  adorned  that 
profession  by  a  well-ordered  conduct.  She  d.  at  Shirley,  June 
8,  1874,  unm. 

11.  Joel,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  16,  1789,  m.  Susan  Lufkin  of  Free- 
port,  18 1 8,  and  d.  at  Eastport,  1874.     He  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  John  L.,  b.  at  Freeport,  1822,  r.  Freeport  (1877). 

n.  MARTHA,  b.  at  Harvard,  m.  George  Conn  of  Harvard,  pub. 
Nov.  24,  1770. 

HI.  BETSEY,  b.  at  Harvard.  She  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Peleg 
Crooker  of  Harvard,  pub.  April  4,  1778;  ni.  (second)  James  Hill 
of  Stoneham,  Dec.  16,  1790.     She  d.  March  21,  1839. 


KENDALL. 

Persons  of  this  name   have   not  been   numerous   in   Shirley   and 
vicinity.     There  has  been  but  a  single  family  resident  here,  viz.  : 

t^Cn^all,  lEnOCi).     He  was  b.  in   1766,  m.  Lydia ,  who 

was  b.  in  1770.  They  came  to  town  near  the  close  of  the  last  cen- 
tury, probably  at  the  time  of,  or  soon  after  their  marriage  ;  owned 
and  lived  on  the  farm  afterward  the  estate  of  Simon  Page,  but  now 
the  property  of  the  heirs  of  the  late  Porter  Kittridge.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  who  cultivated  hops  in  town,  and  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful who  engaged  in  that  cultivation.  He  d.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  18, 
1832.  His  widow  d.  July  18,  1842.  They  had  two  children  b.  and 
d.  in  Shirley. 

I.     JAMES,  b.  Sept.,  1800,  d.  Feb.  21,  1801. 

H.     SALLY,  b.  Aug.,  181 2,  d.  Oct.  14,  1818. 


GENEALOGY. KEZER.  491 

KEZER. 

This  is  the  orthography  of  the  name  received  by  the  family  entered 
upon  this  registry.  It  is,  however,  spelled  Kezor,  Keser,  Kezar. 
According  to  Durrie's  Index,  Kezar  is  the  spelling  used  in  Canada, 
and  the  name  is  of  very  infrequent  occurrence  in  the  States. 

13kt}tty  JWOSCS,    was  b.    lyio.     He   was   twice    m.,   (first)   to 

Sar.ah ,  who  was  b.  1714;  she  d.  June   6,    1766,   and    he   m. 

(second)  Lois  Lamson  of  Pepperell,  pub.  Oct.  26,  1776.  He  was 
an  early  settler  in  the  town,  and  was  located  in  a  northern  section  of 
it,  on  the  farm  now  the  property  of  William  O'Meely.  His  children 
received  it  by  inheritance,  but  it  passed  out  of  the  family  after  the 
second  generation.     He  d.  May  7,  1778.     He  had  five  children  : 

I.  A  DAUGHTER,  concerning  whose  name,  birth,  marriage  and 
death,  both  record  and  tradition  are  silent. 

II.  NATHANIEL,  b.  Nov.  29,  1748,  m.  Harriet  Morse,  and  had 
five  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley. 

1.  Nathaniel.     2.  Luther. 

3.  Hannah,  m.  Thomas  Dodge,  July  i,  1799. 

4.  Mary.     5.  Sarah. 

III.  JONATHAN,  b.  Jan.  9,  1750.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Abigail  Snow;  she  d.  March,  1776;  he  m.  (second)  Bathsheba 
Alexander  of  Boston.  She  was  a  sister  of  the  then  proprietor  of 
the  "Lamb  Tavern,"  (which  now  bears  the  name  of  "Adams 
House.")  She  passed  her  life  in  Shirley,  and  d.  Feb.  12,  1825. 
He  d.  in  1829,  at  the  house  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Fuller,  who 
lived  in  the  house  now  occupied  by  Dexter  B.  Crosbee.  He  had 
eleven  children  : 

1.  Jonathan,  b.  Feb.  19,  1776,  d.  at  sea. 

2.  Daniel,  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  31,  1779,  m.  Dolly  Nutting  of  Pep- 
perell, March  7,  1805,  lived  and  d.  in  Shirley,  d.  Dec.  3,  1850. 
His  widow  d.  March  27,  1870.     They  had  six  children  : 

(i.)  Betsey,  b.  March  4,  1804,  m.  David  Messer  of  Lunenburg, 
Feb.  II,  1836;  she  has  had  two  children,  r.  Boylston,  a 
widow  (1882).  I.  "Cynthia,"  b.  at  Shirley,  May  8,  1836,  m. 
Theodore  Hazard,  a  man  of  color,  Nov.,  1856,  r.  Boylston 
(1882),  has  had  six  children  :  i.  George,  b.  Dec.  2,  1857  ;  2. 
Melissa,  b.  Dec.  5,  1859,  d.  Jan.,  1860;  3.  Franklin,  b.  May 
7,  1 861,  d.  May,  1865  ;  4.  Frank,  b.  July  7,  1866  ;  5.  Alpheus, 
b.  May  12,  1869;  6.  VViUie,  b.  Nov.  12,  1871.  2.  "Eme- 
line,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  11,  1839,  m.  Oliver  Hazard,  also  a 
man  of  color,  r.  Boylston  (1882)  ;  she  has  had  five  children  : 
I.  Orissa  Shipley,  b.  Jan.  28,  1858;  2.  Francena,  b.  July  4. 
1859  ;  3.  Ida  Lucretia  Shipley,  b.  Dec.  31,  1861,  d.  Dec.  31, 
1863;  4.  Alfred  O.,  b.  Feb.  21,  1868;  5.  George  Albert,  b. 
April  27,  1872,  d.  Aug.  10,  1873. 


492  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(2.)  Abigail,  b.  at  Pepperell,  Dec.  6,  1806.  She  was  adopted 
by  strangers,  while  yet  a  child,  and  carried  to  some  town  in 

Vermont,  where  she  married Sheldon  ;  she  d.  before 

she  had  passed  the  period  of  middle  life. 

(3.)  Fidelia,  b.  at  Pepperell,  Oct.  21,  1808  ;  she  has  been  twice 
m.,  (first)  to  Jonathan  Messer  of  Lunenburg,  Nov.  4,  1833; 
he  d.,  and  she  m.,  (second)  Henry  Brannum  of  Groton  ;  she 
has  had  seven  children,  and  is  in  her  second  widowhood,  r. 
Pepperell  (1877) ;  her  children  :  i.  "Jonathan,"  b.  at  Lunen- 
burg, and  d.  there  Nov.  23,  1843  ;  2.  "Sarah  E.,"  b.  at  Lun- 
enburg, Feb.  4,  1835  'i  3-  "Nancy,"  b.  and  d.  at  Lunenburg; 
4.  "Mary  A.,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  24,  1840,  d.  Nov.  18, 
1854;  5.  "Eliza,"  b.  at  Shirley,  and  d.  at  Lunenburg;  6. 
"Walter,"  b.  at  Townsend,  Aug.  31,  1846  ;  7.  "Lizzie  A.,"  b. 
at  Pepperell,  Dec.  24,  1856. 

(4.)  Sybil,  b.  at  Pepperell,  Jan.  24,  18 10,  m.  William  Bolton  of 
Shirley,  Oct.  31,  1830. 

(5.)  Charles,  b.  at  Pepperell,  July  5,  181 4,  m.  Lucy  Holden  of 
Shirley,  Oct.  20,  1835.  ^^  had  one  child  b.  at  Shirley,  1836, 
that  d.  in  infancy.  He  removed  to  Svvanzey,  N.  H.,  where  he 
is  supposed  to  r.  now,  if  living  (1882). 

(6.)   George,  b.  at   Pepperell,  Oct.  28,   18 16,  d.  at  Shirley,  of 
small  pox,  Dec.  9,  1849,  unm. 
3.  Giles,  b.  at  Groton,  July  13,    1781,   m.  Abigail  Woodbury  of 

Beverly,  April   i,    1805,  d.  at  Groton,  Nov.  8,  1856.      He  had 

five  children  : 

(i.)  Joanna,  b.  at  Groton,  Aug.  21,  1805,  m.  William  Neat, 
July  4,  1831  ;  she  resides  at  Shirley,  is  a  widow  (1882),  and 
has  had  six  children  :  i.  "William  Ruggles,"  b.  June  i,  1833, 
d.  Sept.  18,  1836;  2.  "Hannah,"  b.  Dec.  21,  1834,  m. 
Charles  Otis  Adams,  of  Shirley,  May  12,  1859,  d.  at  Shirley, 
July  25,  i860;  3.  "William,"  b.  Jan.  16,  1839,  r.  Shirley, 
unm.  (1882)  ;  4.  "Joel  Gushing,"  b.  Jan.  i,  1843  j  5-  "John," 
b.  May  25,  1844;  6.  "Mary  Ann  Victoria,"  b.  Jan.  29,  1846. 

(2.)  Giles  Alexander,  b.  at  Groton,  May  21,  1813,  m.  Mary 
Butters  of  Waltham,  r.  Groton  (1877). 

(3.)  Mary  Adeline,  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  3,  1815,  m.  Charles  Em- 
erson of  Waltham,  1840,  r.  Cambridgeport  (1877)  ;  she  has 
had  two  children:  i.  "Charles,"  b.  May  5,  1841;  2. 
"Addie,"  b.  Feb.  12,  1843. 

(4.)  Louisa,  b.  at  Groton,  Dec.  2,  181  7,  m.  Augustus  E.  Smith 
of  Natick,  1841,  d.  March  10,  1872;  she  had  four  children: 
I.  "Frances,"  b.  Jan.  26,  1843,  d.  July  23,  1862;  2. 
"George,"  b.  March  24,  1844;  3-  "Edwin  A.,"  b.  May  2, 
1845;  4-  "Emma,"  b.  June  28,  1848,  m.  Charles  Evans,  r. 
Chester,  Vt. 

(5.)  William  Loring,  b.  at  Groton,  May  11,  1820,  r.  Groton 
(1882).  He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Martha  Stebbins  of 
Groton,  Nov.  7,  i860;  she  d.  at  Groton,  Oct.  14,  1870;  m. 
(second)  Mary  Blanchard  of  Shirley,  Nov.  23,  187 1  ;  he  has 
had  one  child  :  i.  "William  Blanchard,"  b.  at  Groton,  March 
25,  1878. 


GENEALOGY. KEZER.  493 

4.  William,  b.  at  Shirley,  1782,  d.  young. 

5.  Mary,  b.  at  Groton,  Sept.  16,  1783  ;  she  was  thrice  m.,  (first) 
to  Simon  Holden  of  Shirley,  Nov.  11,  1804;  he  d.  June  9, 
1805  ;  she  m.  (second)  David  Fuller,  Oct.  12,  181 1  ;  he  d.  in 
1823  ;  she  m.  (third)  Samuel  Patch;  he  d.  May  28,  1869  ;  she 
d.  Dec.  7,  1875.  During  the  last  three  years  of  her  life  she  was 
bereft  of  the  senses  of  taste,  seeing  and  hearing.  In  this  pitiable 
state  she  was  under  the  nurse  and  care  of  her  only  daughter 
(Mrs.  Crosbee),  who  piously  attended  her  unto  the  end.  She 
d.  in  the  same  house  from  which  her  father  had  been  carried  to 
the  grave,  to  whose  last  years  she  imparted  the  same  ministry  of 
love  which  she  received  at  the  hand  of  a  succeeding  generation. 
She  had  five  children  : 

(i.)  Luther,  b.  July  12,  1812  ;  he  was  thrice  m.,  (first)  to  Har- 
riet Holden  of  Shirley,  May  3,  1836  ;  she  d.  May  19,  1852  ; 
hem.  (second)  Mrs.  Mary  M.  Jewett,  April  11,  1856;  m. 
(third)  Mrs.  Nancy  Fairherst  of  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  March 
24,  1867,  r.  New  Ipswich  (1877).  He  has  had  seven  chil- 
dren :  I.  "Harriet  E.,"  b.  at  Fitchburg,  Jan.  28,  1837,  m. 
Ripley,  d.  May  27,  1867;  2.  "George  Luther  Hol- 
den," b.  at  Fitchburg,  Jan  24,  1838;  3.  "Charles,"  b.  at 
Fitchburg,  Nov.  29,  1839,  d.  at  Lunenburg,  Oct.  9,  1849  ;  4. 
"Albert,"  b.  at  Fitchburg,  June  i,  1843;  he  has  been  twice 
m.,  (first)  to  Harriet  Caruth,  March  4,  1868;  she  d.  March 
28,  1868;  he  m.  (second)  Mary  E.  Walker  of  Burlington, 
Dec.  26,  1868,  r.  Shirley  (1877)  ;  5.  "Dexter  Crosbee,"  b.  at 
Lunenburg,  Sept.  23,  1848;  6.  "Simon  Holden,"  b.  at  Lun- 
enburg, Nov.  14,  1850;  7.  "Charles,"  b.  at  Lunenburg,  May 
18,  1852. 

(2.)  Nathaniel  E.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  21,  18 14,  d.  Sept.  14, 
1818. 

(3.)  George  Washington,  h.  2A.?i^\x\cy,  Dec.  12,  18 16,  d.  Sept. 
16,  1818. 

(4.)  Moses,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  28,  181 7,  m.  Lucy  B.  Tenney  of 
New  Ipswich,  April,  1839,  r.  Westford  (1877). 

(5.)  Hannah,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  4,  1820,  m.  Dexter  B.  Crosbee 
of  Smithfield,  R.  I.,  Nov.  6,  1838,  r.  Shirley  (1882). 

G.  Abigail,  b.  at  Groton,  d.  young,  being  drowned  in  the  Nashua 
river. 

7.  Betsey,  b.  at  Groton,  Aug.  22,1 785.  She  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Simon  Jenkins  of  Stoddard,  N.  H.  ;  m.  (second)  Amos  Fuller; 
they  r.  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  where  she  d.  April  12,  1876. 

•s.  Hannah,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  25,  1788,  m.  Jonathan  Burrage  of 
Lunenburg,  1 808  ;  she  is  a  widow,  and  has  had  seven  children  : 
(i.)  Mary,  b.  at   Lunenburg,  July  31,  1809,  r.  Lunenburg,  unm. 

(1882.) 
(2.)  John,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  May  3,  18 14,  m.   Mary  A.  Kendall 
of  Ashby,  May  6,  1842,  d.  Jan.  23,  184S  ;  he  had  three  chil- 
dren :    I.  "Harriet  A.,"  b.  Jan.  31,  1844,  m.  Alfred  Smith  ;   2. 


494  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

"George  F.,"  b.  Feb.,  1846;  3.  "John  W.,"  b.  June  17, 
1847,  d.  June  12,  1871. 

(3.)  Sarah  Jackson,  b.  March  18,  1819,  m.  Asa  Kilburn  of 
Lunenburg,  June  30,  1841  ;  she  is  a  widow,  r.  Lunenburg 
(1877).  She  has  had  five  children,  all  b.  at  Lunenburg:  i. 
"Ellen  Frances,"  b.  June  13,  1842;  r.  Lunenburg,  unm. 
(1877);  2.  "Lottie  M.,"  b.  Dec.  25,  1843,  m.  Curtis  G. 
Morse  of  Leominster,  May  22,  1867,  r.  Leominster  (1877); 
3.  "Tryphena  J.,"  b.  July  4,  1849,  "^-  Ambrose  J.  Shipton,  of 
English  birth,  March  27,1870;  4.  "Frank  G.,"  b.  Jan.  6, 
1854  ;  5.  "Anna  R.,"  b.  Sept.  7,  1857. 

(4.)  Harriet,  b.  Oct.  25,  182 1,  r.  Lunenburg,  unm.  (1877.) 

(5,)  Hannah,  b.  March  28,  1824,  m.  Samuel  Lovering  of 
Leominster,  Dec.  25,  185 1  ;  he  was  mortally  wounded  May  6, 
1864,  in  the  battle  of  "the  Wilderness,"  and  died  in  hospital 
the  13th  of  the  same  month  ;  she  died  at  Lunenburg,  March 
5,  1866;  they  had  two  children:  i.  "Ella  F.,"  b.  March  28, 
1857  ;  2.  "Addie  E.,"  b.  July  5,  1861,  d.  Jan.,  1865. 

(6.)  Artemas,  b.  July  6,  1826,  r.  Lunenburg,  unm.  (1877). 

(7.)  Tryphena,  b.  Feb.  19,  1832,  m.  Silas  M.  Lovering  of  Towns- 
hend,  Vt.,  Nov.  25,  1853  ;  Mr.  Lovering  is  a  pattern-maker, 
and  r.  in  Fitchburg  (1883)  ;  they  have  five  children  :  i.  "Wil- 
liam F.,"  b.  July  21,  1855;  2.  "Herbert  P.,"  b.  April  26, 
1859:  3.  "Minnie  Gertrude,"  b.  Feb.  5,  1868;  4.  "Carrie 
Augusta,"  b.  July  5,  1869;  5.  "Lizzie  Ann,"  b.  Nov.  27, 
1871. 

9.  Moses,  b.  at  Groton,  July  26,  1790,  m.  Celinda  Page  of  Shir- 
ley, Dec.  12,  1812,  d.  July  15,  1825.  He  had  five  children  : 
(i.)  Densly,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  22,  1813  ;  he  has  been  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Catharine  E.  Bactle  of  Belvidere,  111.,  Jan.  5,  1844  ; 
she  d.  April  9,  1845  j  he  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Amanda  M.  Hol- 
comb  (maiden  name  Wilder)  of  Belvidere,  Jan.  t^o,  1849,  ^• 
Cherry  Valley,  Winnebago  county,  111.  (1877.)  He  has  had 
eight  children:  i.  "Charles  H.,"  b.  March  17,  1845;  2. 
"Jerome  Munroe,"  b.  Jan.  11,  1850,  m.  Florence  A.  Rowley, 
July  2,  1874,  r.  Iowa;  3.  " Hosea  Bolton,"  b.  Feb.  29,  1852, 
m.  Carrie  B.  Cockling,  Oct.  22,  1874  ;  4.  "Harriet  Maria,"  b. 
May  4,  1854;  5.  "Charles  Fremont,"  b.  Nov.  4,  1856;  6. 
"Walter  Page,"  b.  Oct.  17,  1859,  d.  Nov.  7,  1862;  7. 
"Hope,"  b.  Oct.  12,  1862,  d.  Nov.  7,  1S62  ;  8. '"Helen 
Amanda,"  b.  Feb.  7,  1866. 
(2.)  Charles,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  24,  181 5,  m.  Sophrona  B. 
Cole  of  New  Salem,  Jan.  13,  1862  ;  he  has  had  four  children  : 
I.  "Alfred  C,"  b.  Sept.  28,  1863;  2.  "  Henry  M.,"  b.  June 
28,  1867;  3.  "Lester  W.,"  b.  April  12,  1871,  d.  April  30, 
1871  ;  4.  "Nelson  E.,"  b.  May  i,  1874. 
(3.)    Walter,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.   3,  181 7,  m.   Lucinda  Wilbur  of 

New  Salem,  May  4,  1852,  r.  New  Salem  (1877). 
(4.)  Elvira,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  30,    1819,    m.    Mark    Pitman    of 
Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  April  2,  1840,  r.  Boston  (1877).     She  has 
had  five  children  :    i.  "Mark  Albert,"   b.   Dec.    20,    1840,    d. 


GENEALOGY. KEZER-KILLICUTE.  495 

Nov.  30,  1841  ;  2.  "EllaH.,"  b.  Dec.  i,  1843;  3-  "Mark 
S.,"  b.  May  20,  1845  ;  4-  "Caroline  S.,"  b.  Nov.  28,  1847,  d. 
in  four  months  ;  5.  "Frank,"  a  twin  brother  of  the  last,  b. 
Nov.  28,  1847,  d.  on  the  third  day. 
(5.)  Maria  Sill,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  3,  1821,  r.  Nashua,  unm. 
(1882.) 

lU.  Sally,  b.  at  Groton,  Sept.  14,  1794,  m.  James  Watson  of  Sand- 
wich, N.  H.,  r.  Sandwich  (1877). 
11.  Nathaniel,  b.  at  Groton,  Aug.  17,  17-96,  m.  Betsey  Messer  of 

Lunenburg,  Feb.  21,  1821,  d.  at  Shirley,  May  15,  1858  ;  he  had 

ten  children  : 

(i.)  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  July  30,  1823,  m.  William 
Gibbs  of  Fitchburg,  June  4,  1845,  d.  May  30,  1857.  She  had 
five  children  :  i.  "Helen,"  b.  Jan.  7,  1847,  d.  Oct.  15,  1847  > 
2.  "Edward,"  b.  at  Groton,  July  7,  1850;  3.  "James  F.,"  b. 
at  Groton,  Oct.  24,  1851  ;  4.  "George  W.  M.,"  b.  at  Stow, 
Oct.  16,  1853;  5.  "Franklin,"  b.  June  16,  1855. 

(2.)  Nathaniel,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Feb.  7,  1825,  m.  Frances 
Morse,  1849,  r.  Nashua,  N.  H.  (1870). 

(3.)  Stillman,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Dec,  1825,  m.  Maria  Knowlton 
of  Ashland,  1854,  d.  at  Lunenburg,  Feb.  6,  1869.  He  had 
five  children,  all  b.  at  Lunenburg,  i.  "Edward,"  b.  Aug.  3^ 
1859;  2.  "Carrie  L,"  b.  March  3,  i86ij  3.  "Nellie  Effie," 
b.  Oct.  10,  1861  ;  4.  "Almira  Maria,"  b.  Nov.  8,  1862;  5. 
"Charles  E,,"  b.  Oct.  19,  1863,  d.  Dec.  4,  1863. 

(4.)  Sarah  J.,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Sept.  9,  1827,  m.  Charles  Web- 
ster, July,  1858,  r.  California,  a  widow  (1877). 

(5.)  Nancy,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  April  8,  1829,  m.  Edward  M. 
Derby,  Sept.  4,  1853,  r.  California  (1877). 

(6.)  Mary  A.,  b.  July  3,   1831,  m.  Moses  Proctor,  r.  LawTence 

(1877)- 

(7.)  Luther,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  July  4,  1S33,  d.  at  Pepperell,  Dec. 
21,  1863. 

(8.)  James  W.,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Nov.  29,  1835,  ^''-  Martha 
Nelly  Knowlton  of  Ashland,  April  10,  1858,  r.  Ashland  (1877). 
He  has  had  two  children  :  i.  "Carrie  Isadore,"  b.  at  Lunen- 
burg, March  3,  1861  ;  2.  "Almira  Maria,"  b.  at  Lunenburg, 
Nov.  8,  1862,  d.  at  Ashland,  March  14,  1870. 

(9.)  Henrietta  C,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Feb.  7,  1839. 

(10.)  Walter  H.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  i,  1845. 

IV.  DANIEL,  b.  Sept.,  1752,  was  one  of  the  eighty  Shirley  vol- 
unteers who  marched  to  Cambridge  on  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of 
April,  1775  ;  he  was  also  one  of  the  recruits  of  1776. 

V.  MOSES,  b.  Nov.  4,  1755. 


KILLICUTE. 

This  name  is  found   in    no  genealogical  record   that  has   passed 
under  our  observation,  and 


496  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

WiiilitUtty  2ri)0m«TS,  is  the  first,  and,  with  his  son,  the  only 
individuals  of  the  name  of  whom  I  ever  heard.  He  was  a  resident 
of  Groton,  and  married  Sarah  Hartvvell  of  Shirley,  pub.  Jan.  17, 
1778,  when  he  removed  to  Shirley,  where  he  lived  for  a  season,  and 
where  three  children  were  born. 

I.     SARAH,  b.  Feb.  18,  1779. 

H.     THOMAS,  b.  Feb.  29,  1781. 

HI.     NAOMI,  b.  Nov.  6,  1783. 


KINGMAN. 

B.injinTaU,  !I?Cati[)tlU,  and  Lunata,  his  wife,  had  a  residence  in 
Shirley,  for  a  time,  and  had  the  birth  of  one  daughter  entered  upon 
its  records. 

I.     NABBY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  .6,  1783. 


KNEELAND. 

liUCClclUtl,  JfOStpt),  and  Abigail,  removed  from  Cambridge  to 
Shirley  in  1765  or  1766,  but  did  not  remain  here  through  life.  They 
had  the  birth-dates  of  three  children  registered  here  : 

I.     HANNAH,  b.  at  Cambridge,  May  14,  1764. 

H.     MARY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  30,  1 768. 

HI.     ANNA,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  30,  1 7 71. 


LANDARS. 

Hangars,  ©tOrflC,  lived  at  Shirley,  and  is  thus  brought  to 
notice  upon  the  town  records  : 

"There  is  a  marriage  intended  between  Mr.  George  Landars  of 
Shirley  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Mofifit  of  Lunenburg.  Shirley,  July  4th,  1 790. 
Sarah  Mofifit  forbid  the  bans.  Joshua  Longley,  Town  Clerk." 


LARRABEE. 


Mr.  Stearns,  in  his  history  of  Rindge,  says  that  "Samuel  Larrabee 
and  wife  Sarah,  were  admitted  into  full  communion  of  the  church 
in  Lunenburg  by  letter  from  the  Second  church  at  Lynn,  1743." 
He  was  a  son  of  Isaac  Larrabee,  and  was  born  at  Falmouth,  Conn., 
but  his  father's  family  was  driven  from  that  town  by  the  Indians  about 
1680,  and  they  went  to  Lynn,  from  which  place  he  (Samuel)  removed 


GENEALOGY. LARRABEE-LAWTON.  497 

to  Lunenburg,  where  his  children — seven  in  number — were  born,  and 
where  his  wife  died.  In  1762  he  removed  to  Rindge,  and  Hved,  and 
probably  died,  with  the  family  of  his  eldest  son.  Two  of  his  sons 
had  seasons  of  residence  in  Shirley.     The  first  of  these  was 

HacratlCC,  ^Samuel,  Jr.,  (bom  at  Lunenburg,)  m.  Annie 
Williams  of  Groton,  April  23,  1746.  He  had  six  children;  three  of 
them  were  born  at  Lunenburg,  two  at  Shirley,  and  one  in  Rindge. 
His  home  was  at  Lunenburg  after  his  marriage,  until  about  1753, 
when  he  removed  to  Shirley,  and  remained  there  until  1762,  when, 
with  his  widowed  father,  he  removed  to  Rindge,  where  he  remained 
until  1 771,  after  which  time  nothing  is  known  of  his  movements. 
His  children  were 

L     STEPHEN,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Aug.  4,  1747. 

IL     ANNA,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  April  28,  1750. 

HI.     SAMUEL,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Aug.  i,  1752. 

IV.  WILLIAM,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  7,  1755. 

V.  EBENEZER,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  10,  1759. 

VI.  DAVID,  baptized  at  Rindge,  March  29,  1 766. 

2LarralJC0,  JSeUjamin,  son  of  Samuel,  and  brother  of 
Samuel,  Jr.,  was  b.  at  Lunenburg  and  m.  Margaret  Williams,  a  sister 
of  the  wife  of  his  brother  Samuel,  Dec.  7,  1752.  He  established  a 
home  in  Shirley,  and  lived  there  until  after  1 760,  after  which  time  his 
name  is  not  found  upon  its  records.  He  had  five  children  b.  at 
Shirley  : 

I.  HANNAH,  b.  Aug.  15,  1753. 

II.  BENJAMIN,  b.  Nov.  26,  1754. 

III.  ELIZABETH,  b.  Oct.  8,  1757. 

IV.  SARAH,  b.  Dec.  27,  1759. 

V.  REBECCA,  b.  Oct.,  1760. 


LAWTON. 

Sometimes  written  Laughton  and  Leighton, — not  a  rery  common 
name  ;  but,  on  the  records  of  Shirley,  the  name 

lLaU3ton,  STijOmaS,  appears,  in  a  single  instance.  He  signed 
the  petition  that  the  town  be  set  off  from  Groton  and  be  made  an 
independent  municipality.  This  proves  that  he  lived  at  what  is  now 
Shirley,  in  1747. 

ILatUtOn,  ©llUtr,  vvas  a  son  of   John  and   Jane  Lawton,  of 
Groton.     He  was  born  in  what  is  now  called  the  Squannacook  dis- 
trict of  that  town,  Oct.  24,  1 773.     In  his  boyhood  his  father  removed, 
63 


498  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

with  his  household,  to  Norridgewock,  Maine,  where  he  passed  the 
residue  of  his  hfe,  and  from  whence  his  family  was  scattered  abroad. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  the  subject  of  this  notice  returned  to 
Groton,  his  native  town,  and  established  a  home  near  the  place  of 
his  birth.  Within  two  years  he  bought  a  farm  in  Hancock,  N.  H., 
where  he  resided  for  a  few  months,  and  then  returned  to  Groton, 
where  he  lived  in  1797.  In  the  November  of  that  year  he  became 
the  owner  of  a  farm  in  Shirley,  situated  in  the  fifth  school  district, 
which  was  his  home  for  life.  The  estate  still  bears  the  name  of  the 
"  Lawton  farm,"  though  it  has  passed  from  the  possession  of  the 
family. 

Mr.  Lawton  was  a  fair  specimen  of  the  New  England  yeomanry 
of  his  time.  He  started  his  life-work  with  a  very  moderate  outfit, 
and  was  gradually  surrounded  by  a  large  and  dependent  household  ; 
yet  he  had  the  faculty  of  grading  his  wants  by  his  means,  of  meet- 
ing all  demands  according  to  appointment,  and  of  turning  his  daily 
industry  to  its  best  account,  so  that  his  course  was  one  of  regular 
thrift,  and  in  the  end  he  was  blessed  by  a  success  satisfactory  of  his 
highest  ambition.  He  was  twice  m.,  and  d.  a  widower,  March  18, 
1855.  He  m.  (first)  Sarah  Symonds  of  Groton,  March  13,  1794; 
She  d.  March  24,  1828  ;  he  m.  (second)  Polly  Phelps  Jennerson  of 
Shirley,  Nov.  4,  1828  ;  he  had  fifteen  children  : 

I.  NANCY,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  15,  1795.  She  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Luther  Davis  of  Groton,  March  26,  1823;  he  d.  Dec. 
24,  1836;  she  m.  (second)  Samuel  Bowers  of  Groton,  and  d. 
there  May  2,  1877.     She  had  four  children  : 

L  Ira  Lawton,  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  5,  1824,  r.  Newburyport  (1877). 

2.  Abel  Holden,    b.  at  Groton,  Aug.  17,  1827,   r.   Newburyport 
(1877)- 

3.  Mandana,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  28,  1830,  m.  Noah  Coffin  Ricker, 
1850,  d.  Jan.  16,  1876. 

4.  RoxANA,  b.  at  Groton,  Jan.  28,  1834,  m.  S.  H.  Sawyer,  Oct.  8, 
1863,  d.  Jan.  7,  1876.     She  had  two  children  : 

(i.)  Ernest  Luther,  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  12,  1865. 
(2.)  Alice  C,  b.  at  Groton,  May  22,  1873. 

II.  AMELIA,  b.  at  Groton,  April  11,  1797,  m.  John  Wood  of  Han- 
cock, N.  H.,  April  2,  1823,  d.  at  Hopkinton,  Sept.  26,  1869.  She 
had  four  children  : 

L  Harriet,  b.  at  Hancock,  Feb.  11,  1824,  rn.  True  George  Mor- 
rell,  Nov.,  1842,  d.  Aug.,  1845. 

2.  Mary  Ann,  b.  at  Hancock,  March  27,  1826,  m.  William  Ham- 
let, Dec,  1844,  d.  May,  1853. 

3.  Sarah  J.,  b.  at  Hancock,  Sept.   2,    1828,  m.  James  W.  Bliss, 
Dec.  20,  1849. 

4.  Elvira,  b.  at  Hancock,  March  3,  1831,  m.  E.  D.  Hutchinson, 
March  24,  1866. 


"^'^''^  Pnnt.  w:  P.  a^i,e«.  O^r^^^'' 


OLIVER  LAWTON. 


GENEALOGY. LAWTON.  499 

III.  OLIVER,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  22,  1799.  He  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Rachel  Gilson,  Feb.  6,  1820;  m.  (second)  Elizabeth 
x\llen,  Aug.  II,  1866,  d.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  8,  1881.  He  had  five 
children  : 

1.  Jane  W.,  b.  Dec.  23,  1821,  d.  Feb.  8,  1829. 

2.  Rachel,  b.  Nov.  21,  1823,  d.  Feb.  5,  1829. 

3.  William,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  4,  1830,  d.  at  Dunleath,  111.,  leav- 
ing a  wife  and  two  children. 

4.  Julia  Ann,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  21,  1835,  i^^-  Charles  Gilchrist 
of  Lunenburg,  Sept.  27,  1854,  d.  July  10,  i860;  she  had  two 
children  : 

(i.)  Mary  E/la,h.  aX  Lunenburg,  Aug.   10,   1855,  d.  April  17, 

1871. 
(2.)    William  C,  b.  at   Lunenburg,   Nov.   22,    1858,  d.  July   i, 

1876. 

5.  Stillman,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  27,  1839. 

IV.  JEPHTHx\.H,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  27,  1801,  m.  Lucinda  Wood  of 
Hancock,  N.  H.,  April  5,  1828,  d.  at  Shirley,  June  16,  1861  ;  his 
widow  d.  June  7,  1868. 

Mr.  Lawton  never  sought  distinction  as  a  public  citizen,  but  was 
very  faithful  to  his  various  private  requirements.  He  enlarged  his 
estate  and  its  comforts  as  fast  as  his  means  would  safely  allow,  but 
never  incurred  perils  in  the  way  of  business  speculation  or  through 
blind  adventure.  His  life,  which  was  brought  to  a  close  in  the 
midst  of  his  usefulness,  was  passed  in  the  quiet  walks  of  agricul- 
tural industry  ;  and  he  had  the  honor  of  being  the  first  teetotaler 
within  the  limits  of  the  town,  and  that,  too,  without  a  pledge.  He 
had  six  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley. 

1.  Mary  Ann,  b.  May  15,  1829,  m.  Thomas  Wasson,  April  i, 
1851,  d.  Oct.  30,  1851. 

2.  Sarah  Jane,  b.  May  30,  1831,  m.  Henry  Brown,  Nov.  30, 
1848,  r.  at  Ayer  (1882). 

3.  Alvin,  b.  Aug.  31,  1833,  m.  Luseba  T.  Bennett,  April  28,  1857, 
r.  Shirley  (1882).     He  has  had  three  children  : 

(i.)  Fred  Alvin,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  24,  1858. 
(2.)  Frank  I.,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  27,  1861. 
(3.)  Abbot  Augustine,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  21,   1868,  d.  June  2, 
1871. 

4.  Lucinda,  b.  Aug.  28,  1835,  i^^-  David  HoUey  Firmin,  Sept.  28, 
1857,  d.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  4,  1875. 

5.  Sophia,  b.  April  28,  1840,  r.  at  Ayer,  unm.  (1882.) 

6.  Fr.'VNKLIN,  b.  Jan.  11,  1844,   m.  Almeda  M.   Dyke  of  Shirley, 
April  5,  1866,  r.  Shirley  (1882).     He  has  had  five  children  : 
(i.)  Bertha  Almeda,  b.  at  Shirley,  August  11,  1867. 

.(2.)  Ada  M.,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  13,  1869, 


500  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(3.)    Clifford  Franklin,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  2,  1S70. 
(4.)  Henry,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  5,  1872, 

(5.)  Myron  Eugene,  b.  at  Shirley,  April   23,   1879,   d.  June  5. 
1881. 

V.  SARAH,  b.  June  9,  1803,  m.  Junius  Lucius  Brutus  Treat  of 
VValtham,  June  30,  1825,  d.  Nov.  13,  1827  ;  she  had  two  children  : 

1.  Maria,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  i,  1825. 

2.  Amanda,  b.  April  6,  1827,  m.  Benjamin  T.  Lane,  Oct.  14,  1847  ; 
she  became  a  widow  May  16,  1862,  r.  West  Newton  (1882). 
She  has  had  seven  children  : 

(i.)  Fredcj-ick  T.,  b.   Nov.  4,   1848,  m.   Margaret  Holdfelder, 

Jan.  I,  1875  j  ^^  h^^  had  three  children  :     i.  "Annie  M.,"  b. 

Jan.,  1877;    2.  "Frank  T.,"  b.  April   16,  1879;  3-  "George 

E.,"  b.  Jan.,  1881. 
(2.)  Lucy  M.,  b.  Aug.  2,  185 1,  m.  George  W.  Simpson,  Jan.  31, 

1872;  she  has  had  three  children:   i.  "Isabel  T.,"  b.  Dec. 

4,  1873  ;  2.  "Bertha  J.,"  b.  March  2,  1875,  d.  June  4,   1875  ; 

3.  "Walter  R.,"  b.  June  29,  1879. 
(3.)  Elliott  T.,  b.  Feb.  8,  1854,  d.  June  23,  1854. 
(4.)    Carrie  A.,  b.  Aug.  27,  1857,  d.  May  30,  1862. 
(5.)   George  E.,  b.  Jan.  7,  1859. 
(6.)  Mary  A.,  b.  June  27,  i860,  d.  Oct.  6,  i860. 
(7.)  Nathaniel  T.,  b.  Sept.  30,  1862. 

VL  LUTHER,  b.  Oct.  20,  1805,  m.  Caroline  Dean  Jenkins  of 
Shirley,  March  14,  1829,  d.  at  Maiden,  March  16,  1877.  He  had 
two  children  : 

1.  Luther  Edwin,  b.  Sept.  7,  1831.  He  has  been  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Lizzie  Lawson,  April  7,  1861  ;  she  d.  ;  he  m.  (second) 
Janette  Forsyth,  Dec.  10,  1872.     He  has  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  Abijah  Edwin,  b.  Nov.  27,  1861. 

2.  Caroline  Augusta,  b,  Oct.  29,  1839,  rn.  James  F.  George, 
Aug.  22,  1 86 1.     She  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  James  Luther,  b.  March  25,  1866. 

Vn.  THOMAS,  b.  Oct.  9,  1807,  m.  Miriam,  daughter  of  Dennis 
H.  and  Sarah  (Jennerson)  Page,  March  31,  1834,  d.  at  Ayer,  Aug. 
29,  1876.     He  had  one  child  : 

\.  Margaketta,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  July  5,  1834,  d.  Jan.  i,  1838. 

VHL  PHEBE,  b.  March  10,  181 1,  m.  David  Hartwell  of  Shirley, 
April  20,  1834,  d.  Sept.  22,  1853. 

IX.  MARY  ANN,  b.  Dec.  22,  1813,  d.  Sept.  8,  1816. 

X.  JOHN,  b.  Aug.  13,  1 81 5,  m.  Sophia  Farnsworth  of  Shirley, 
April  5,  1842,  r.  Lunenburg  (1882).     He  has  had  three  children  : 

1.  Sarah    Emeline   Amanda,  b.  at  Waltham,  July  29,    1844,   m. 
Leander  W.  Bowles  of  Shirley,  April  14,  1864  ;  she  has  had  one 
child,  and  r.  at  Lunenburg  (1882). 
(i.)  Ida  Sophia,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  5,  1864. 


GENEALOGY. LAWTON-LITTLE.  501 

2.  Etta  A.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  20,  1849,  m.  Arthur  M.  Stocking 
of  Leominster,  April  3,  1878,  r.  Leominster  (1882). 

3.  Lizzie  P.,  b.  at  Shirley,  m.  Madison  Beal  of  Leominster,  Aug. 
16,  1882,  r,  Leominster  (1882). 

XL  HARRIET,  b.  Sept.  17,  1818,  m.  Thomas  Wason,  Feb.  22, 
1855,  r.  New  Boston,  N.  H.  (1882.) 

XIL  ASA  SYMONDS,  b.  July  28,  1829,  m.  Hannah  Wheeler  Gil- 
christ of  Lunenburg,  Oct.  21,  1852,  r.  Fitchburg  (1882).  He  has 
had  two  children  : 

1.  Charles    W.,  b.  at  Townsend,  Sept.   16,    1853,  d.   Sept.    19. 
1853- 

2.  Alda  L,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  July  8,  1856,  d.  Aug.  29,  1856. 

XHL  ABEL  LONGLEY,  b.  July  28,  1829,  m.  Sarah  E.  Smiley  of 
Hillsborough,  N.  H.,  Jan.  11,  1853,  r.  Ayer  (1882).  He  has  had 
six  children  : 

1.  Edward,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  8,  1853,  m.  Eunice  A.  Sanderson. 
July  I,  1878.     He  is  a  widower. 

2.  Mary  A.,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  17,  1855. 

3.  Hattie  W.,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  27,   1857,  m.  Benjamin  Taft, 
Nov.  lo,  1880. 

4.  Lizzie  A.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  10,  1859. 

5.  Robert,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  21,  i860,  m.  Sarah  E.  Griffin,  June 
18,  1882. 

G.  Charles  K.,  b.  at  Ayer,  Aug.  27,  1871. 

XIV.  CHARLES,  b.  Oct.  13,  1831,  m.  Caroline  A.  Manning  of 
Townsend,  Jan.  28,  1854,  r.  at  Ayer  (i< 


XV.  GEORGE  F.,  b.  Dec.  14,  1833,  m.  Rachel  A.  Pollard  of 
Townsend,  Jan.  18,  1854,  r.  at  Townsend  (1882).  He  has  two 
children  : 

1.  George  F.,  Jr  ,  b.  at  Townsend,  Dec.  11,  1856. 

2.  Lydia  M.,  b.  at  Townsend,  July  17,  1859. 


LITTLE. 


Tradition  is  an  unreliable  basis  of  history  when  unconnected  with 
written  or  printed  records,  and  yet  is,  at  times,  the  principal  and  only 
resource  in  the  compilation  of  historic  and  biographical  items  that 
connect  themselves  with  family  genealogy.  And  why  may  it  not  be 
safely  used,  if  it  has  been  faithfully  kept,  properly  conuiiunicated, 
and  is  accordant  with  reason  and  consistency? 


502  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

The  account  of  the  origin  of  the  Little  family,  which  follows,  saving 
the  dates,  is  founded  on  tradition  alone,  and  carries  with  itself  an 
interest  as  well  as  a  truthfulness. 

Ulttlf,  ^TijOnraS,  was  bom  in  Ireland,  in  1688.  His  wife, 
Jean,  was  also  born  there,  in  1702.  They  were  married,  and  had 
four  children,  before  their  emigration,  which  occurred  sometime 
within  the  year  1737.  Their  descendants  claimed  that  they  came 
from  the  north  of  Ireland,  were  of  the  people  denominated  Scotch- 
Irish,  and  uncontaminated  by  any  Romish  proclivities.  There  was  a 
story  connected  with  his  (LitUe's)  change  of  country  that  was  fully 
credited  by  his  posterity,  though  unsustained  by  outside  evidence. 
He  held  in  Ireland  the  office  of  tax  collector,  and  while  in  possession 
of  a  generous  amount  of  the  public  finances,  escaped,  with  his  family 
and  as  many  contraband  goods  as  they  could  well  conceal,  and  came 
to  make  a  home  in  the  wilds  of  America. 

Whether  this  be  truth  or  fiction,  certain  it  is  that  Mr.  Little  soon 
gave  evidence  of  possessing  larger  worldly  substance  than  most  immi- 
grants of  his  time.  Like  some  from  his  isle  of  to-day,  he  took  very 
little  interest  in  public  affairs,  but  sought,  through  almost  every  allow- 
able means,  to  enrich  himself,  and  left  behind  but  few  of  those 
precious  remembrances  that  follow  justice  and  generosity. 

He  did  not  immediately  settle  in  Shirley  or  vicinity,  on  coming 
from  Ireland,  but,  within  a  short  period,  made  his  first  purchase  of 
real  estate  in  the  northerly  section  of  what  is  now  Shirley,  which  pur- 
chase was  sufficiently  large  to  include  what  now  forms  four  farms  of 
respectable  size,  and  contiguous  lands  that  do  not  belong  to  either  of 
these  farms  to-day. 

The  present  occupants  of  these  farms  are  Abram  Fairbank,  Bruce 
Masters,  John  W.  I'hacher,  and  Henry  S.  Humes.  The  estates  all 
lie  within  the  limits  of  Shirley,  but  the  original  purchase  of  Mr. 
Little  extended  beyond  the  north  boundary  of  the  town,  into  Lunen- 
burg, and  included  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by  John  Fair- 
banks. Mr.  Little  owned,  also,  the  land  where  "Lake  Mill"  and  the 
surrounding  buildings  now  stand.  His  own  dwelling  was  located  in 
Lunenburg,  a  short  distance  north  of  the  line  between  that  town  and 
Shirley.  Nor  is  it  known  that  he  ever  lived  within  the  limits  of 
Shirley,  though  the  most  of  his  estate  lay  there,  and  his  social  and 
business  relations  were  mainly  there  ;  and  in  the  old  cemetery  of  the 
town  the  remains  of  himself  and  those  of  his  wife  lie  interred.  He 
died  Jan.  2,  1767  ;  his  widow  died  Sept.  29,  1783.  They  had  eight 
children  : 

I.  WILLIAM,  b.  in  Ireland,  1720,  m.  Elizabeth  Wallis,  also  of 
Irish  birth,  who,  with  her  mother,  came  to  this  country  with  the 
Littles.  William  resided  at  Worcester  until  two  of  his  children 
wei'e  born,  when  he  removed  to  Shirley  and  settled  in  a  central 
part  of  his  father's  estate,  his  house  standing  a  little  to  the  west  of 
the  present  residence  of  Mr.  Masters.  In  1 763  and  i  764  he  held 
the  office  of  a  selectman  of  the  town,  but  in  general  he  abstained 
from  public  trusts  or  was  not  trusted  by  the  public  ;  at  any  rate, 
the  more  quiet  duties  of  the  private   citizen    absorbed   his  chief 


GENEALOGY. LITTLE.  503 

attention.  He  was  one  of  the  eighty  that  marched  at  the  call  of 
April  19,  1775.  He  died  July  20,  1797.  His  widow  died  Aug. 
3,  1802.     He  had  five  children  : 

1.  Wallis,  b.  at  Worcester,  March  16,  1751,  m.  Jane  Shearer  of 
Sufiield,  Conn.,  1780.  He  inherited  his  father's  estate,  and 
erected  the  buildings  that  are  now  upon  it,  which  Mr.  Masters 
owns  and  occupies.  In  intellectual  capacity  he  was  above  the 
average  of  his  day.  He  possessed  a  large  private  library,  which 
contained  several  law  books,  by  whose  contents  he  sought 
instruction,  and  was  enabled  to  meet  the  demands  of  duty  as  a 
justice  of  the  peace  (which  office  he  held)  with  greater  readi- 
ness than  most  in  that  position  at  the  time.  He  was  not,  how- 
ever, popular  with  his  fellow-townsmen,  and  received  at  their 
hands  but  few  appointments  of  official  trust.  He  was  a  volun- 
teer among  those  who  marched  on  the  alarm  of  April  19th,  1775. 
He  died  April  25,  1823.  His  widow  died  Feb.  7,  1826.  They 
had  seven  children  : 

(i.)  Betsey,  b.  at  Shirley  April  5,  1781,  m.  Hon.  James  Wilson 
of  Peterboro',  N.  H.,  pub.  Aug.  30,  1810.  In  1815  her 
family  removed  to  Keene,  N.  H.,  where  she  died  Sept.  30, 
1830.  She  had  three  children:  i.  "Robert,"  b.  at  Peter- 
boro', Sept.  24,  181 1,  d.  at  Keene,  April  8,  1870;  2.  "Eliza- 
beth Jane,"  b.  at  Peterboro',  Sept.,  1815  ;  3.  "Sarah  Mary 
Ann,"  b.  at  Keene,  1821. 
(2.)  Jenny,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  25,  1783,  m.  Matthew  Perkins, 
Esq.,  of  Keene,  July  11,  181 6.  She  passed  the  most  of  her 
married  life  in  Sanbornton,  N.  H.,  but  d.  at  Wilton,  N.  H., 
Aug.  7,  1854.  She  had  one  child  :  i.  "Matthew,"  b.  at  San- 
bornton, Nov.  I,  182 1  ;  he  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Caroline 
Bowen,  June,  1844  ;  she  d.  April,  1851  ;  he  m.  (second)  Har- 
riet Worcester  of  Chnton,  May  17,  1854,  d.  April  23,  1865. 
(3.)  William,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  7,  1 786,  m.  Betsey  Hammond 
of  Shirley,  Nov.  23,  1820.  He  d.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  13,  1858  ; 
his  widow  still  lives,  and  has  a  home  with  a  daughter  at 
Winchester,  Mass.  (1882.)  Mr.  Little  had  five  children:  i. 
"Jane  Elizabeth,"  b.  at  Sliirley,  Dec.  1 1,  1824,  d.  April  3,  1851  ; 
2.  "VViUiam  Wallis,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  3,  1827,  d.  April  13, 
183^  ;  3-  "Amanda  Malvina,"  b.  Dec.  26,  1830,  m.  Albert 
Worcester  of  Shirley,  May  12,  1853.  She  has  had  one  child  : 
I.  Charles,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  9,  1855;  4.  "Mary  Eme- 
line,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  13,  1833,  m.  George  P.  Brown  of 
Groton,  Nov.  29,  i860,  r.  Winchester  (1882).  She  has  had 
five  children:  i.  Frank  Little,  b.  at  Ayer,  Dec.  14,  1862;  2. 
Helen  Porter,  b.  at  Winchester,  June  19,  1865,  d.  March  27, 
1S69;  3.  George  Henry,  b.  at  Winchester,  Sept.  6,  1867,  d. 
July  20,  1868;  4.  Grace  Mitchell,  b.  at  Winchester,  June  11, 
1869;  5.  Harry  Webster,  b.  at  Winchester,  March  10,  1874. 
5.  "James  Henry,"  b.  at  Shirley,  June  29,  1838,  m.  Mary  k. 
Howe  of  Sterling,  Nov.  14,  i860,  d.  at  Titusville,  Pa.,  Aug. 
18,  1879;  his  wife  d.  July  4,  1877;  they  had  five  children: 
I.  Jane   Elizabeth,   b.   at  Shirley,  Nov.  12,  1861  ;    2.  Carina 


504  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Hammond,  b.  at  Titusville,  Feb.  i6,  1866  ;  3.  Arthur  Wilson, 
b.  at  Titusville,  Aug.  8,  1867;  4.  Ora  Howe,  b.  at  Titusville, 
June  25,    1869;    5.  Mary   Helen,  b.   at  Titusville,   June    24, 

1875- 
(4.)  Abijah  Brooks,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  25,  1789,  d.  at  Towns- 
end,  Sept.  2,  181 1.  He  was  a  member  of  Harvard  college 
for  a  time,  but  did  not  graduate.  His  death  was  self-inflicted. 
The  following  "Rhapsody"  was  found  in  his  handwriting, 
among  his  papers,  after  his  death  : 

"  As  I  mused  with  myself 

I  said  to  myself, 
And  myself  again  said  to  me, 

Look  to  thyself, 

Have  a  care  for  thyself, 
For  nobody  cares  for  thee." 

On  reading  this  rhapsody  which  Mr.  Little  left  upon  his 
desk,  a  gentleman  wrote  underneath  it  the  following  extempore 
imitation  : 

"  As  I  thought  of  Little, 
I  little  thought 

How  big  a  little  thing  might  be ; 
But  thinking  a  little  more 
That  a  big  thing  was  so  little, 

Was  a  little  more  amazing  to  me." 

Mr.  Little  had  a  thoughtless  mind,  that  would  not  seriously 
consider  duty,  or  apprehend  coming  peril, — the  result  of 
present  gratification, — and  suffered  his  errors  to  increase  until 
they  produced  despair,  ruin  and  suicide. 

(5.)  Sukey,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  20,  1791,  d.  Dec.  24,  1791. 

(6.)  Ebenezer,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  12,  1793,  m.  Abigail  H.  But- 
trick  of  Shirley,  Feb.  18,  1818.  He  removed  from  Shirley  to 
Arcadia,  N.  Y.,  at  the  time  of  his  marriage,  where  he  lived 
until  1832,  when  he  went  to  Bowen's  Prairie,  Jones  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  died  Jan.  14,  1876.  He  had  six  children  : 
I.  "Theodore  W.,"  b.  at  Arcadia,  N.  Y.,  July  4,  18 18,  r. 
Bowen's  Prairie,  Iowa  (1878);  2.  "Abby  Alisia,"  b.  at  Arca- 
dia, Aug.  28,  1820,  d.  Oct.  13,  r82i  ;  3.  "Charles  Ebenezer," 
b.  at  Arcadia,  March  30,  1822  ;  4.  "Abby  Ann,"  b.  at  Arca- 
dia, Nov.  17,  1824,  d.  March  30,  1843;  5.  "Frances  Jane," 
b.  at  Arcadia,  July  8,  1827,  d.  April  6,  1828;  6.  "Frances 
Ann,"  b.  in  Arcadia,  Feb.  20,  1829. 

(7.)  Wallis,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  27,  1800.  He  was  thrice  m., 
but  is  now  a  widower,  r.  at  Strawberry  Point,  Clayton  county, 
Iowa  (1878),  the  place  to  which  he  removed  on  leaving  Shir- 
ley. He  m.  (first)  Martha  Hammond  of  Shirley,  May  27, 
1823;  she  d.  June  16,  1832;  he  m.  (second)  Catharine 
Tobias,  May  28,  1837;  she  d.  Nov.  16,  1843;  he  m.  (third) 
Almira  Speed,  Feb.  24,  1845  ;  she  d.  March  9,  1877.  He 
has  had  seven  children  :  i.  "  Wallis  Hammond,"  b.  at  Shirley, 
March  25,  1824,  d.  Feb.  11,  1825  ;  2.  "Martha  Ann,"  b.  at 
Shirley,  Dec.  25,  1825,  d.  Feb.  27,  1827  ;  3.  "James  Wilson," 
b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  16,  1827  ;  4.  "William  Ebenezer,"  b.  Jan. 


GENEALOGY. LITTLE.  505 

25,  1838,  m.  Jane  Speed,  Jan.  21,  1857;  5.  "Charles  Wallis," 
b.  June  23,  1839,  m.  Marion  Hill,  Nov.  8,  1865  ;  6.  "Tristam 
Henry,"  b.  Dec.  15,  1840,  m.  Anna  L.  Clough,  Nov.  7,  1877  ; 
7.  "Albert  Tobias,"  b.  Sept.  30,  1842,  m.  Amanda  Parker, 
March  22,  1864. 

The  real  estate  of  Thomas  Little,  Sen.,  (that  has  been 
described  as  composing  five  farms  at  the  present  time,)  with 
the  exception  of  that  part  which  lies  in  Lunenburg,  now  the 
property  of  John  Fairbanks,  passed  into  the  possession  of 
William,  son  of  Thomas,  and  from  WilHam  it  passed  to  his 
eldest  son,  Wallis,  and  he  in  his  turn  divided  it  among  his 
sons,  William,  Ebenezer,  and  Wallis,  Jr.  William  received 
the  central  farm,  where  Mr.  Masters  now  lives,  with  all  the 
buildings  thereon,  and  the  appurtenances  of  the  ancient 
household.  Ebenezer  was  settled  on  the  north-westerly 
portion  of  the  original  estate,  upon  which  he  erected  good 
farm  buildings,  all  of  which  soon  passed  into  other  hands, 
when  he  left  the  home  of  his  birth  for  a  residence  in  the 
West.  The  house,  which  he  builded  with  great  care  and 
expense,  was  eventually  torn  from  its  place  and  carried  to 
wh^t  is  now  the  town  of  Ayer,  and  the  farm  has  ceased  to 
exist  as  a  homestead.  Its  lands  have  been  divided  among 
different  owners.  On  the  southerly  side  of  the  original  estate, 
a  farm  was  set  off  for  the  use  of  Wallis,  Jr.,  and  buildings 
erected  thereon ;  but,  after  some  ten  years'  residence  upon 
the  patrimony  of  his  father,  he  sold  it  to  strangers,  and 
removed  to  Iowa,  as  before  stated.  John  W.  Thacher  is 
present  owner  and  occupant  of  the  farm. 

In  the  year  1863  the  central  farm  in  the  estate  of  Wallis 
Little,  Esq.,  on  the  death  of  his  son  William,  who  was  of  the 
fourth  generation  from  Thomas  the  immigrant,  passed  into 
other  hands,  and  the  name  of  Little  has,  among  the  inhab- 
itants of  Shirley,  become  extinct. 

There  is  something  singular  in  the  fact  that  three  of  the 
four  sons  of  Wallis  Little,  Sen.,  should  from  their  childhood 
be  deprived  of  the  sense  of  hearing  and  of  a  knowledge  of 
sound  ;  but  such  was  their  unhappy  fate. 

2.  William,  b.  at  Worcester,  1752,  d.  in  some  portion  of  the  West 
Indies. 

3.  Elizabeth,  b.  1754.  She  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Jonas  Parker 
of  Shirley,  pub.  March  17,  1774;  he  d.  Feb.  15,  1794;  she  m. 
(second)  Benjamin  Lawrence  of  Pepperell,  pub.  Aug.  12,  1798; 
she  d.  March  19,  1821. 

■1.  Rebecca,  b.  at  Shirley,  1756,  m.  Ephraim  Jackson  of  Newton, 
pub.  Nov.  15,  1783.     She  had  one  child  : 
(i.)    William,  b.  Jan.  16,  1784,  d.  Nov.  25,  1785. 

5.  Thomas,  b.  at  Shirley,  1758,  d.  Aug.  31,  1771,  while  a  member 
of  Harvard  University. 
64 


506  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

II.  JANE  or  PEGGY.  There  is  a  doubt  concerning  the  true 
name  of  the  second  born  of  Thomas  and  Jean  Little.  Jane  is  a 
slight  change  in  the  orthography  of  Jean,  the  name  of  the  mother, 
but  the  next  daughter  bears  the  same  name,  though  she  was 
usually  called  Jeannet  in  her  native  land.  It  would  hardly  seem 
that  two  children  in  the  same  family  would  receive  names  alike  ; 
and  besides,  the  tradition  of  the  Little  family  is  that  her  parents 
gave  her  the  name  of  Peggy,  and  that  she  was  known  only  by  this 
name  in  her  father's  house.  But  the  family  derived  from  her  mar- 
riage knew  her  as  Jane.  She  has  that  name  attached  to  her  in  the 
household  records,  and  that  appears  on  the  headstone  that  marks 
her  resting-place  in  the  cemetery  of  Palmer, — the  town  wliere  she 
passed  her  married  life,  and  where  she  died.  Perhaps  that  dis- 
liking the  paternal  choice  of  Peggy,  she  might  arbitrarily  change 
it  for  Jane  when  her  new  relations  commenced. 

She  was  born  in  Ireland,  in  1723,  and  immigrated  with  her 
parents  to  America,  and  with  the  family  of  the  man  whom  she 
afterwards  married.  She  m.  John  Shearer  in  1737.  He  was  born 
in  1706.  They  were  probably  married  soon  after  their  arrival  in 
this  country,  and  Palmer,  Mass.,  was  the  town  in  which  they 
passed  the  residue  of  their  lives.  Mrs.  Shearer  died  Aug.  2,  1793  ; 
her  husband  died  Jan.  12,  1802.  They  had  ten  children,  all  b. 
at  Palmer  : 

1.  John,  b.  at  Palmer,  m.  Jane  White  of  Peterboro',  N.  H.,  d.  in 
1816  ;  his  wife  d.  in  Aug.,  1815. 

2.  Joseph.     3.  Thomas.     4,  Willi.a.m.     o.  David. 
6.  Noah.     7.  Jonathan.     8.  Daniel. 

9.  Jane,  m.  Wallis  Little  of  Shirley,   1780,  d.  in  Shirley,  Feb.  7, 
1826. 

10.  Betsey,    b.  Aug.  4,    1754,  m.   William  White   of  Peterboro', 
June  12,  1777,  d.  July  14,  1836.     She  had  seven  children  : 

(i.)  John  S.,  b.  at  Peterboro',  June  9,  1778,  m.  Jean  Gray,  Dec. 
2,  1813,  and  d.  Feb.  22,  1855.  He  had  two  children:  i. 
"Elizabeth  P.,"  b.  at  Peterboro',  June  24,  1817,  m.  James 
Swan,  March  17,  1846;  2.  "John  Kelso,"  b.  at  Peterboro', 
July  2,  1819,  m.  Mary  H.  Swan,  r.  at  Hanover,  111.  (1875). 

(2.)  fane,  h.  at  Peterboro',  May  30,  1780,  d.  Dec.  22,  1849, 
unm. 

(3.)  Fo//y,  b.  at  Peterboro',  Sept.  24,  1783,  d.  at  Hanover,  III, 
Sept.  8,  1856,  unm. 

(4.)  Betsey,  b.  at  Peterboro',  Sept.  29,  1785,  m.  William  Stearns 
of  Temple,  N.  H.,  Nov.  17,  1808,  d.  May  7,  1818. 

(5.)  William  L.,  b.  at  Peterboro',  April  13,  1789,  m.  Jane  White, 
June  6,  181 1  ;  he  had  two  children:  i.  "Sarah  E.,"  b.  July 
18,  1817,  m.  Thomas  Upton,  d.  at  Reading,  Mass.,  June  3, 
1840;  2.  "Lucinda,"  b.  Sept.  28,  1819,  m.  Joseph  B.  Pierce. 

{6.)  Jonathan,  b.  at  Peterboro',  March  17,  1792,  m.  Sarah  B. 
Goss  of  Amherst,  N.  H.,  Jan.,  181 7  ;  she  lived  to  number  105 
years. 


GENEALOGY. LITTLE.  507 

(7.)  Nellie,  b.  at  Peterboro',  June   16,  1797,  m.  Dexter  D.  Car- 
ley,  d.  at  Hanover,  III.,  Jan.,  1874. 

III.  THOMAS,  second  son  of  Thomas  the  immigrant,  was  b.  in 
Ireland  in  1727,  and  came  to  America  with  the  family  of  his 
father,  when  a  lad  of  ten  years.  For  what  further  relates  to  this 
branch  of  the  Little  family — in  the  way  of  facts  or  dates — this 
record  is  indebted  to  two  sources,  viz. :  The  town  records  of 
Shirley,  where  Mr.  Little  passed  a  portion  of  his  married  life,  and 
Smith's  History  of  Peterboro',  where  he  ( Little  )  resided  in  his 
latter  days.  There  is  a  discrepancy  between  the  statements  of 
these  respective  sources  of  information,  which  will  not  mislead  the 
cautious  reader  who  properly  examines  the  facts  in  the  case.  The 
records  of  Shirley  ought  to  be  rehable  for  the  entries  made  while 
he  resided  there,  and  the  History  of  Peterboro'  has  the  like 
responsibility  while  his  residence  was  in  that  town. 

Thomas  Little,  Jr.,  m.  Susanna  Wallace,  who,  with  her  parents 
and  maternal  grandmother,  lived  in  Peterboro',  and  died  there, 
and  their  remains  repose  in  a  group  of  graves  in  the  ancient  ceme- 
tery of  that  town.     She  d.  March  6,  1822. 

The  records  of  Shirley  imply  that  the  first  residence  of  Mr. 
Little,  after  his  marriage,  was  Peterboro',  for  they  say  that  William, 
his  first  child,  was  born  there  ;  but  Mr.  Smith's  history  says  he  was 
born  at  Shirley.  His  second  child,  born  in  1755,  the  Shirley 
records  say  in  Lunenburg,  while  the  Peterboro'  history  gives  her 
birth  to  Shirley.  The  next  four  of  his  children  were  born  at 
Shirley,  and  the  seventh  and  eighth  at  Peterboro'.  From  these 
accounts  the  following  facts  may  be  legitimately  deduced.  That 
at  and  after  his  marriage  Mr.  Little  resided  in  Peterboro',  cer- 
tainly until  after  the  birth  of  his  first  child  ;  that,  before  the  year 

1755,  he  lived  in  Lunenburg.  In  the  easterly  part  of  that  town, 
bordering  on  the  western  line  of  Shirley,  his  father  owned  and 
lived  on  a  farm  which  was  adjoining  his  extensive  lands  in  Shirley. 
It  is  probable  that  his  son,  between  leaving  Peterboro'  and  settling 
in  Shirley,  might  call  at  his  paternal  home  and  stop  for  a  season 
before  establishing  himself  in  this  town,  as  his  father  had  a  well- 
provisioned  home,  and,  in  his  old  age,  might  be  glad  to  entertain 
the  family  of  his  son  for  a  season.  Certain  it  is,  however, 
that  Thomas  Little,  Jr.,  was  an  inhabitant  of  Shirley  as  early    as 

1756,  where  he  lived  until  after  the  year  1763,  when  he  returned 
to  Peterboro',  which  became  his  home  for  the  remainder  of  his 
life.  His  place  of  residence  in  Shirley  was  on  the  road  leading 
from  the  center  to  the  South  Village,  about  midway  between  the 
present  residences  of  Dr.  James  O.  Parker  and  Mr.  W.  P.  Wilbur. 
Mr.  Little  died  at  Shirley,  while  here  on  a  visit  to  his  relatives,  and 
his  remains  were  interred  in  the  old  cemetery  of  this  town  ;  he 
died  June  6,  1808.  He  had  eight  children;  the  births  of  six  of 
them  have  been  entered  upon  the  records  of  Shirley,  and  the  other 
two  may  be  found  in  the  history  of  Peterboro'. 

\.  William,  b.  at  Peterboro',  Oct.  20,  1753.     "He  was  a  physician, 
studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Young,  was  settled  at  Hillsboro',  and 


508  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

was  drowned  in  the  Contoocook  river.     He  had  two  children  : 
Dea.  VVillam  Little  of  Antrim,  and  a  daughter,  unm." 

2.  Esther,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Jan.  30,  1755.     Smith's  history  omits 
this  name. 

3.  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  19,  1756,  m.  William  Blair,  Dec. 
2,  1787.     Smith's  history  calls  her  name  Betsey. 

4.  Susanna,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  21,   1759.     Smith's  history  calls 
her  name  Sally,  and  says  she  was  b.  in  1758. 

5.  Joseph,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  22,  1760;  Smith's  history  says  1761. 

G.  Thomas,    b.   at   Shirley,  May   11,    1763,   m.    ReHef  White  of 

Leominster,  April,  1793.     She  was  b.  July  4,  1776,  d.  Sept.  21, 

1839.     Mr.  Little  removed  to  Belmont,  Me.,  where  a  number  of 

his  children  were  born,  but  he  returned  to  Peterboro',  and  spent 

his  last  days  in  that  town.     He  d.  Oct.  19,  1847.     He  had  eight 

children  : 

(i.)  Relief,  b.  at  Peterboro',  Dec.  3,  1800,  m.  Oliver  Heald, 
Esq.,  in  1858. 

(2.)  Betsey,  b.  at  Belmont,  Me.,  May  10,  1803,  m.  Alvah  Ames, 
May  21,  1828,  d.  March  27,  1872. 

(3.)  Jane,  b.  at  Belmont,  April  3,  1804.  She  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  William  Youngman,  March  30,  1826  ;  he  d.  Nov.  29, 
1833;  she  m.  (second)  Benjamin  Read  of  Newport,  Nov., 
1834;  she  d.  Feb.  12,  1866. 

(4.)  Harriet,  b.  at  Belmont,  April  14,  1806,  d.  Dec.  10,  1833. 

(5.)  Thomas,  b.  at  Peterboro',  Sept.  22,  1808.  He  has  been 
twice  m.,  (first)  to  Lucretia  Munson ;  she  d.  Nov.  2,  1874; 
he  m.,  (second)  Mrs.  Mary  W.  Leathers  of  East  Jaffrey, 
N.  H.,  Dec.  5,  1875.  He  had  three  children:  i.  "Louisa 
W.,"  b.  Aug.  19,  1833,  d.  March  20,  1834;  2.  "Thomas  J.," 
b.  May  25,  1835,  m.  Louisa  Stearns  of  Greenfield  ;  3.  "  Louisa 
W.,"  b.  Aug.  14,  1837.  She  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Lieut.  Timothy  K.  Ames,  2d,  April  i,  1858;  he  was  first 
Heutenant  of  Company  K,  Sixth  Regiment  New  Hampshire 
Volunteers,  and  was  killed  in  the  second  Bull  Run  battle,  Aug. 
29,  1862  ;  she  m.  (second) Peaslee,  1875. 

(6.)  Mary,  b.  Sept.  14,  1810,  m.  Frederic  Loring,  d.  Feb.,  1848. 

(7.)  John  Wallace,  b.  at  Peterboro',  Feb.  28,  1812,  m.  Clarissa 
Parker,  Oct.  26,  1837,  d.  Sept.  23,  1867. 

(8.)  Jesse  C,  b.  Sept.  26,  1815,  m.  Eliza  G.  French,  Sept.  29, 
1840.  He  removed  in  1852  to  Salt  Lake  City.  He  is  a  pro- 
fessed Mormon,  and  has  a  number  of  additional  wives.  He 
has  held  important  offices  in  that  community,  and  is  now  one 
of  the  leading  men. 

7.  John,  b.  at  Peterboro',  1 764,  m.  Lucinda,  daughter  of  Joshua 

Longley,  Esq.,  of  Shirley,  Aug.  27,  1809,  d.  Sept.  19,  1850;  she 

d.  Sept.  13,  1850  ;  they  had  three  children  : 

(i.)  John,  Jr.,    b.    at  Peterboro',  Aug.   7,   18 10,   m.   Mary   R. 

Hunt,  Dec.   i,  1837,  r.  Peterboro'  (1878).     He  has  had  six 


GENEALOGY. LITTLE.  509 

children:  i.  "Mary  Lucinda,"  b.  at  Peterboro,'  Oct.  19, 
1838,  d.  Aug.  10,  1865  ;  2.  "Ann  Maria,"  b.  at  Peterboro', 
Jan.  30,  1840,  d.  July  i,  1869;  3.  "Lydia  Carloener,"  b. 
Nov.  28,  1 84 1,  d.  Nov.  28,  1862  ;  4.  "Lucretia  Jane,"  b.  at 
Peterboro',  Aug.  22,  1846  ;  5.  "John,"  b.  at  Peterboro',  May 
21,  1848,  d.  April  13,  1866;  6.  "Carrie  Wallace,"  b.  at 
Peterboro',  March  7,  185 1,  d.  Aug.  3,  1865.  All  of  the  above 
d.    of  consumption,  but  Lucretia  Jane. 

{2.)  Joshua  L.,  b.  at  Peterboro',  Sept.  8,  181 2,  m.  Dorothy 
Carter,  April  27,  1837;  she  was  b.  at  Leominster,  Jan.  30, 
18 14;  he  d.  at  West  Wilton,  Sept.  8,  1846.  He  had  two 
children:  i.  "John  L.,"  b.  March  3,  1838,  m.  Ann  Lakin, 
Aug.,  1862  ;  he  removed  to  Hancock,  where  he  had  one 
child:  I.  William  L.,  b.  March  19,  1864.  2.  "Charles  C," 
b.  May  12,  1843,  m.  Mary  W.  Lakin,  Oct.  18,  i860;  he  has 
had  three  children  :  i.  Minnie  M.,  b.  at  Hancock,  March  21, 
1861,  d.  July  25,  1861  ;  2.  Annie  M.,  b.  April  14,  1864;  3. 
Ellen  D.,  b.  Oct.  26,  1867. 

(3.)  Lucinda,  b.  at  Peterboro',  Sept.  16,  1814,  m.  Ezra  Peavey, 
April  14,  1836;  she  d.  March  12,  1847.  She  had  three 
children  :  i.  "John,"  b.  Dec.  12,  1837  ;  2.  "Henry,"  b.  Aug., 
1839;  3.  "Wallace,"  b.  1841. 

8.  Walter,  b.  at  Peterboro',  1766.  "A  graduate  of  Dartmouth 
college.  He  was  a  clergyman,  and  was  settled  as  the  first  min- 
ister of  Antrim,  1800;  remained  till  1804,  when  he  changed  his 
surname  to  Fullerton,  and  subsequently  went  to  the  state  of 
Maryland,  where  he  died  in  1815.  He  did  not  sustain  his  good 
character  until  the  last,  as  I  have  learned  of  those  who  knew 
a  little  of  him ;  but  both  he  and  his  errors  are  now  consigned 
to  oblivion." — History  of  Peterboro'. 

IV.  JEAN,  or  Jeannet,  as  she  was  called  in  her  native  land,  was 
b.  in  Ireland  in  1729.  She  lived  in  her  father's  family  at  Lunen- 
burg until  her  marriage,  in  1751,  with  David  Steele  of  London- 
derry. She  lived  at  Londonderry  ten  years,  when  she  removed  to 
Peterboro',  where  she  passed  the  residue  of  her  life.  She  d.  Sept. 
30,  1 81 6.     She  had  eight  children  : 

1.  Thomas,  b.    at    Londonderry,    March    5,    1754;    he    m.    Ann 

Moore,  and  r.  at  Peterboro'  during  life.     He  was  a  very  useful 

man,  held  the  office  of  selectman  eighteen  years,  and  was  town 

clerk  for  nineteen  years.     He  d.  Nov.  11,  1847.     He  had  eight 

children,  all  b.  at  Peterboro'  : 

(i.)  Ann,  b.  June  5,  1786,  d.  April  28,  1858,  unm, 

(2.)   yeretniah  S.,  b.  Feb.  29,   1788,   m.    Irene   Felt,   April    29, 

1823;  he  d.  Sept.  30,  1856.     He   had  eight  children,   b.   at 

Peterboro'  :   i.  "James,"  b.  Feb.  9,  1824,  m.  Mary  J.  Lindsey, 

Nov.  7,  1854,  r.  Chester,  111.;   2.  "Samuel  M.,"  b.  Nov.   17, 

1825,  m.  Lizzie  Montroy,  April,    1866,   d.  at  Hamilton,  111., 

in  1874;  3.  "Margaret,"  b.  Oct.  6,  1827,  d.  Jan.   11,   1828; 

4.  "Cyrus  Felt,"  b.  May  i,   1829,  m.  Susan  Cockran,  May, 


510  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

1856,  r.  Carthage,  111.;  5.  "Mary  Ann,"  b.  March  13,  1831, 
d.  Feb.  5,  1858,  unm. ;  6.  "Charlotte  J.,"  b.  April  22,  1833, 
m.  Harrison  A.  Rice,  June  18,  1868;  7.  "George,"  b.  July 
II,  1836;  8.  "Charles  E.,"  b.  July  23,  1838;  he  has  been 
twice  m.,  (first)  to  Mary  E.  Smith  of  Norwich,  Vt.,  Oct.,  1859  ; 
m.  (second)  Alma  Fletcher,  Nov.,  1870. 

(3.)  Margaret,  b.  April,  1790,  d.  Feb.  4,  1824. 

(4.)  yonathafi,  b.  Feb.  8,  1792.  He  graduated  from  Williams 
college  in  1811,  was  a  lawyer  by  profession,  and  resided  at 
Epsom,  N.  H.,  after  his  preparation  for  the  bar,  during  life. 
He  m.  Elizabeth  McClary,  and  d.  Sept.,  1S58.  He  had  five 
children:  i.  "Charles;"  2.  "John;"  3.  "Michael  M. ;"  4. 
"Thomas;"  5.  "Elizabeth." 

(5.)  David,  b.  Nov.  27,  1793,  m.  Lydia  Burnham,  and  lived  in 
New  Durham,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  the 
law.  In  1867  he  removed  to  Dover,  where  he  resided  in 
1876.  He  has  had  two  children:  i.  "Thomas;"  2. 
"George."     The  latter  d.  in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion. 

(6.)  yanet,  b.  Nov.  27,  1795,  m.  Dr.  John  Ramsey  of  Green- 
field, Oct.  I,  1829. 

(7.)  Samuel,  b.  Sept.  i,  1797,  d.  at  Montebello,  111.,  Nov.,  i860. 

(8.)  Betsey,  b.  Aug.  6,  1799,  d.  1877,  unm. 

2.  Jane,  b.  at  Londonderry,  Sept.,  1756,  m.  Samuel  Gregg  of 
Sharon,  d.  Aug.  15,  1850. 

3.  David,  b.  at  Londonderry  in  1758.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Lucy  Powers  of  HolHs,  N.  H.,  in  1784;  she  d.  Jan.  27,  1795  ; 
he  m.  (second)  Sarah  Gregg;  she  d.  Jan.  15,  1822.  He  was  a 
major  general  in  the  New  Hampshire  militia,  and  held  important 
town  offices.  He  d.  March  19,  1836.  He  had  three  children  : 
(i.)  Stephen  Palmer,  \).  July   26,    1784,   m.  Jane   McCoy.     He 

was  a  lawyer,  and  practiced  his  profession  in  his  native  town. 

He  d.  July    22,    1857.      He   had  one  child:    i,  "Stephen 

Powers,"  b.  at  Peterboro',  June  14,  1850. 
(2.)  David,  b.  Sept.  30,  1787.     He  was  a  graduate  of  Williams 

college,    1 8 10,  studied  law,   and  practised  his  profession   at 

Hillsboro'  for  many  years.     He  m,  Catharine  Kendall,  and  d. 

Dec.  10,  1866. 
(3.)  yanet,  b.  May  24,  1790,  m.  Samuel  Swan. 

4.  Jonathan,  b.  at  Peterboro',  Sept.  3,  1760.  He  practised  law, 
having  studied  his  profession  \\\  the  office  of  Gen.  John  Sullivan. 
For  a  time  he  was  a  judge  of  the  superior  court  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. He  m.  Lydia  Sullivan,  Jan.  23,  i  788,  and  d.  Sept.  3,  1824. 
He  had  two  children  : 

(i.)  yanet,  b.  June  14,  1794,  d.  in  Durham,  1870. 

(2.)  Richard,  b.  Jan.  6,  1797.  He  graduated  from  Dartmouth 
college  in  181 5.  "He  was  educated  a  physician,  and  was  a 
bright  and  intelligent  man,  but,  ruined  by  intemperance,  died 
at  Durham,  1870." — History  of  Peterboro'. 

5.  M.^rtha,  b.  1763,  m.  Benjamin  Mitchell. 


GENEALOGY. LITTLE.  511 

.  Elizabeth,  b.   1766,  m.  James  Wilson,  a  distinguished  lawyer, 
who   practised   his  profession  at  Peterboro',  and  afterwards  at 
Keene,  and  was  a  representative  in  Congress  during  the  admin- 
istration of  President  Madison.     She  d.   at  Peterboro',  Nov.  4, 
1806.     She  had  two  children,  both  b.  at  Peterboro'. 
(i.)   Charlotte,  b.  May,  1794,  d.  March  26,  1796. 
(2.)  yames,  yr.,  b.  March  18,  1797,  m.  Mary  L.  Richardson. 
He  was  a  lawyer  of  distinguished  ability,  and  was  known  as 
such  beyond  the  limits  of  his  own  state  ;  he  was  a  political 
leader  of  great  note,  being  an  eloquent  stump  speaker.     He 
was  often  a  member  of  the  New  Hampshire  legislature,  and 
was  at  one  time  a  candidate  for  governor.     He  was  also   a 
major  general  of  the    New  Hampshire    militia.     When   past 
middle  life  he  resided  several  years  at  California,  but  returned 
to  Keene  to  spend  his  last  days.     He  d.  May  29,  1881.     He 
had  seven  children,  all  born  in  Keene.       i.  "Mary  E.,"  b. 
Oct.  27,  1826,  m.  John  Sherwood  of  New  York ;    2.  "James 
E.,"  b.  July  28,  1829,  d.  March  9,   1832;    3.  "William  R.," 
b.  Nov.  22,    1830,  d.   March    17,    1834;    4.  "Anna  F.,"  b. 
Sept. '23,  1832,  m.  Col.  Francis  S.  Fisk ;  5.  "Charlotte  J.," 
b.  Aug.  31,   1835,  "^-  Frank  S.  Taintor  of   New   York;    6. 
"James  H.,"  b.  Dec.  31,  1837  ;    7.  "Daniel  W.,"  b.  Feb.  13, 
1841,  d.  Jan.  18,  1846. 
-  Margaret,  b.  at  Peterboro',  Jan.  3,   1771,  m.  John  Smith  of 
Peterboro',  Dec.  i,  1791.     He  had  great  influence  in  town,  and 
was  often  elected  to    places  of  official  trust.     His  death,  which 
occurred  Aug.   7,   182 1,  caused  a  general   and  deep   affliction 
among  all  classes  of  his  fellow-citizens.     His  death  was  occa- 
sioned by  a  fall  from  a  load  of  hay.     Margaret  Smith  d.  Sept. 
30,  1830.     She  had  eight  children,  all  b.  at  Peterboro'. 
(i.)   Harriet,  b.  Nov.  3,  1792,  d.  May  17,  18 18. 
(2.)   Louisa,  b.  May  9,    1795.     She  was  twice   m.,    (first)    to 
Joshua   Fifield  of  Franklin,  Sept.  18,  1827;    he  d.  at  Alton, 
111.,  Nov.  27,  1840;  she  m.  (second)  George  Kellenbenger, 
who  d.  Jan.  4,  1866;    she  r.   at  Alton  (1882),   and  has  had 
three  children  :   i.  "Mary  Mansfield,"  b.  Feb.   8,    1835;    2. 
"Anna;"  3.  "Edith." 
(3.)   yohn,  b.  April  16,  1797.     He  was  a  young  man  of  much 

promise,  and  d.  at  Northfield,  Mass.,  Oct.  8,  1822. 
(4.)  yane,  b.   March    14,   1800,    m.  John  Cavender,  Jan.    26, 
1823,  d.  at  St.  Louis,  Dec.  5,  1858.     She  had  two  children  : 
I.  "Robert;"  2.  "John  S." 
(5.)  Robert,  b.  June  12,  1802,  m.  Sarah  P.  Bingham  of  Demp- 
ster, N.  H.     He  removed  to  the  West,  and  engaged  success- 
fully in  manufacturing,  near  what  is  now  the  city  of  St.  Louis. 
He    was  a  skillful  politician,   and  became  a  member  of  the 
lower  house  in  Congress  in  1843,  which  place  he  held  for  six 
years.      He   died  at  Alton,  111.,  Dec.  21,  1867.     He  had  two 
children  :    i.  "Robert  Bingham,"  b.  July  31,  1838  ;   2.  "Sarah 
Bingham,"  b.  May  27,  1843. 
(6.)  James,  b.  Oct.  28,   1804,  m.  Persis  Garland  of   Frankhn, 
May  15,  1832. 


512  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(7.)  Jeremiah,  b.  Oct.  i,  1806,  d.  April  6,  1816. 

(8.)  William  H.,  b.  Dec.  26,  1808.  He  has  been  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Lydia  Pettengill  of  Salisbury,  Nov.  5,  1837  ;  she  d. 
at  St.  Louis,  Feb.  10,  1841  ;  he  m.  (second)  Ellen  Smith, 
Sept.  13,  1843,  r.  Alton.  He  has  had  three  children, — "Wil- 
liam Eliot,"  b.  Dec.  31,  1844,  m.  Alice  Cole  of  Alton,  1873, — 
and  two  daughters,  both  of  whom  are  dead. 

8.  John,  b.  at  Peterboro',  Feb.,  1773.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Polly  Wilson:  she  d.  Feb.  9,  1819;  he  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Hep- 
zibeth  Hammond  of  Swanzey,  who  d.  April  22,  1836.  He  was 
a  soldier  in  the  war  of  181 2,  and  was  subsequently  a  major- 
general  in  the  New  Hampshire  militia.  He  was  likewise  a 
selectman  of  the  town  for  seven  years,  and  for  fourteen  years  he 
was  clerk  of  the  town.     He  d.  Aug.  10,  1845. 

The  dates  and  most  of  the  facts  in  the  foregoing  record  of 
the  family  of  Janet  (Little)  Steele,  may  be  accredited  to  Smith's 
History  of  Peterboro'. 

V.  JOHN,  born  soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  family  in  ,this  country 
in  1737,  m.  Margaret  Park  of  Groton.  He  passed  his  active  Hfe 
on  that  part  of  his  father's  estate  that  was  situated  in  Lunenburg, — 
the  paternal  homestead, — and  was  the  temporal  support  upon 
which  his  parents  leaned  in  their  years  of  helpless  age. 

He  was  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  held  the  office  of 
captain.  At  the  battle  of  White  Plains  he  commanded  a  company, 
almost  every  member  of  which  was  slain.  As  a  man  and  a 
Christian  he  merited  and  received  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
his  fellow-citizens.  He  d.  Dec.  13,  1824;  his  widow  d.  Dec.  16, 
1834.  Both  were  interred  in  the  old  cemetery  at  Shirley,  where 
their  remains  now  rest.  He  had  three  children,  all  b.  at  Lunen- 
burg. 

1.  Joseph,  b.  Jan.  3,  1768,  d.  April  26,  1776. 

2.  Jenny,  b.  Jan.  i,  1770.  She  lived  with  her  parents,  at  Lunen- 
burg, until  after  the  death  of  her  father,  when  the  homestead 
was  sold,  and  she,  with  her  aged  mother,  removed  to  Shirley, 
and  became  the  owners  of  that  pleasant  home,  in  the  center  of 
the  town,  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Henry  Stone.  Here  she  passed 
the  residue  of  her  days.     She  d.  July  2,  1845,  unm. 

Miss  Little  was  a  lady  of  the  old  school  of  thought,  believed 
in  a  distinction  of  society  derived  from  birth,  and  endeavored 
to  maintain  that  dignity  of  character  and  position  that  proved  a 
faith  in  hereditary  reputableness.  She  was  a  professor  of  religion, 
and  a  strict  adherent  of  the  Calvinistic  scheme  of  faith.  She 
was  instrumental  in  building  a  church  for  the  worshippers  of  her 
belief  in  Shirley ;  and,  in  the  end,  distributed  her  worldly  sub- 
stance for  the  benefit  of  charitable  associations  connected  with 
her  sect. 

3.  John,  b.  Nov.  17,  1772,  m.  Mary  Prescott  of  Groton.  They 
removed  to  Gorham,  Me.,  where  he  resided  until  his  death. 


GENEALOGY. LITTLE-LIVERMORE.  513 

VI.  ELIZABETH,    b.  at   Lunenburg,    in    1740.      She   m.   Samuel 
Hazen,  2d,  of  Shirley,  d.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  11,  1814. 

VII.  MARTHA,    b.    at    Lunenburg,    1743,   m.    Henry    Haskell  of 
Shirley,  Dec.  21,  1772,  d.  Sept.  20,  1778. 

VIII.  MARY,  in.  Paul  Hale  ;  he  was  a  volunteer  in  the  band  called 
from  Shirley  by  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775.     They  had  one  child  : 

1.  Polly,  b.  Jan.,  1775,  d.  March  22,  1785. 


LIVERMORE. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1634,  John  Livermore,  then  twenty-eight 
years  old,  embarked  at  Ipswich,  England,  for  New  England,  in  the 
ship  Francis,  Capt.  John  Cutting,  master.  He  came  in  the  same 
.vessel  with  Richard  Holden, — the  ancestor  of  the  numerous  families 
who  have  borne  that  name  in  the  records  of  Shirley, — and  as  early  as 
1642  he  (Livermore)  had  become  an  inhabitant  of  VVatertown,  which 
proved  his  home  for  life.     Previous  to  leaving  England,  he  married 

Grace ,  who  came  with  or  after  him  to  America,  and  survived 

him  for  many  years.  He  was  a  potter  by  trade,  and  was  held  in  high 
esteem  by  his  fellow  townsmen,  and  was  frequently  called  to  serve 
them  in  official  positions  of  honor  and  responsibility.  He  had  nine 
children,  and  died  April  14,  1684. 

John  Livermore,  Jr.,  was  the  fourth  child  born  of  John,  Sen.  He 
was  born  in   1638,  lived   in   that  part   of  Watertown  now   known   as 

Weston,  and  was  twice  married,  (first)   to  Hannah  ,  who  was 

the  mother  of  all  his  children, — nine  in  number ;  married  (second) 
Elizabeth  Grout  of  Sudbury,  and  died  Feb.  9,  1718. 

Daniel  Livermore  was  the  fifth  of  the  family  of  John,  Jr.,  and  was 
born  at  Watertown,  June  8,  1677.  He  was  by  trade  a  potter.  He 
was  twice  married,  (first)  to  Mary  Coolidge,  May  28,  1697  ;  she  died 

in  childbed,  Dec.  10,  1702  ;  he  married  (second)  Mary ,  and 

died  Nov.  16,  1820.     He  had  eight  children. 

Oliver  Livermore  was  the  eldest  born  of  Daniel's  family.  He  was 
born  at  Watertown,  Mar.  11,  1697.  He  was  twice  married,  (first)  to 
Ruth  Stearns  of  Lexington  ;  she  died  in  childbed,  Feb.  8,  1725  ;  he 
married  (second)  Mrs.  Ruth  Bowman  of  Cambridge,  Aug.  4,  1726. 
He  had  eleven  children,  and  died  at  Watertown,  Nov.  18,  1754. 

UlUcrmort,  <?llliJCr,  Jr.,  the  sixth  born  of  his  father's 
family,  and  of  the  fifth  generation  from  the  immigration,  (Oliver,  Jr.,'"" 
Oliver,'*  Daniel,"  John,  Jr.,-  John,^)  was  born  at  Watertown,  June  2, 
1735,  married  Katharine  Bond  of  Watertown,  June  2,  1758.  He 
was  first  settled  in  Watertown,  where  he  remained  until  about  the 
year  1767,  when  he  removed  to  Shirley  and  purchased  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Sidney  Benjamin,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  June 
16,   1782.     His  widow  died  June  11,  1800. 


514  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Mr.  Livermore  had  a  higher  intellectual  standing  than  an  average 
of  the  people  of  his  time,  and  by  his  urbane  manners  and  condescen- 
sion of  spirit,  secured  a  corresponding  influence.  He  was  in  the 
midst  of  active  hfe  during  the  conflict  of  the  American  Revolution, 
and  lent  his  aid  on  the  side  of  the  patriot  revolters.  He,  however, 
manifested  greater  prudence  than  warmth,  and  thus,  in  a  measure, 
incurred  the  suspicion  of  his  fellow-citizens.  'I'hey  intrusted  him, 
nevertheless,  with  important  official  duties.  In  1778  and  1779  he 
was  one  of  the  selectmen  of  the  town,  and  for  eight  years  was 
the  treasurer  of  the  town,  and  died  while  in  that  office.  He  had  ten 
children  : 

I.  CATHARINE,  b.  at  Watertown,  Aug.  25,  1759,  d.  1781,  unm. 

II.  OLIVER,  b.  at  Watertown,  Sept.  18,  1761,  d.  1782,  unm. 

III.  DANIEL,  b.  at  Watertown,  Jan.  18,  1764,  m.  Lucy  Longley 
of  Shirley,  pub.  Jan.  13,  1793  ;  she  d.  in  1794,  without  issue.  He 
ever  after  lived  unm.  He  pursued  a  course  of  action  based  on 
moral  virtue  in  his  private  capacity,  and  was  much  respected  as  a . 
public  official.  He  was  a  selectman  in  1800  and  in  1801.  He  d. 
July  27,  1821. 

IV.  NATHANIEL,  b.  at  Watertown,  Jan.  24,  1766,  was  an  infant 
when  his  father's  family  removed  to  Shirley,  and  never  left  the 
paternal  homestead  while  he  hved.  He  was  the  supporter  of  his 
parents  through  all  their  latter  years,  and  served  them  with  filial 
regard  and  affection.  By  a  strict  maintenance  of  a  just,  upright 
and  generous  character,  he  won  the  confidence  of  his  fellow-towns- 
men, and  received  their  united  suffrages  for  places  of  trust  and 
honor.  He  was  a  selectman  from  1807  to  1822,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  year.  He  was  a  neat  and  thrifty  farmer,  and  acquired 
much  credit  as  a  stone-mason.  He  m.  Abigail  Jones  of  Lunen- 
burg, in  1 81 2,  and  d.  Jan.  2,  1830. 

V.  JONAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  27,  1768,  m.  Polly  Kelsey  of  Shirley, 
March  29,  1796.  He  continued  his  residence  in  Shirley  unto  the 
year  18 14,  when  he  removed  to  Marietta,  Ohio,  where  he  passed 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  and  where  the  remains  of  himself  and 
wife  were  buried.  Like  the  most  of  his  father's  family,  he  pos- 
sessed a  mind  susceptible  of  strong  culture,  and  a  heart  matured 
in  virtuous  principles,  which  qualified  him  for  correct  action,  both 
as  a  public  functionary  and  private  citizen.  He  was  a  selectman 
during  the  five  years  preceding  his  removal  to  the  VVest,  and  in  his 
official  career  proved  that  the  public  confidence  reposed  in  him 
was  not  misplaced.  He  d.  in  October,  1822.  He  had  six  chil- 
dren : 

1.  Jonas,  Jr.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  i,  1797,  m.  Sarah  Willis  of  Wash- 
ington county,  Ohio,  Sept.  2,  1827.     He  had  ten  children  : 
(i.)  Maria,    b.  at  Marietta,  July  30,    1828,  m.  Thomas  \Valler 

and  removed  to  Oregon  in  1848. 
(2.)  Harriet,  b.  at  Marietta,  Oct.,  1829. 
(3.)  Naomi,  b.  at  Marietta  in  the  autumn  of  1831. 


GENEALOGY. I.IVERMORE.  51/) 

(4.)  /on as,  b.  at  Marietta,  1833. 
(5.)  Luther,  b.  at  Marietta,  1835. 

At  this  period  the  father  removed  to  Pike  county,  111.,  where 
the  remainder  of  his  children  were  born. 
(6.)   Leonard.     (7.)    IViHiam.     (8.)  Mary. 
(9.)  Ellen.     (10.)  Ann. 

In  1850,  Mr.  Livermore,  with  the  surviving  members  of  his 
family,  followed  his  eldest  daughter,  who  had  lived  two  years  in 
the  territory  of  Oregon,  and  established  himself  in  a  new  home. 
He  d.  in  1856. 

2.  Oliver,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  27,  1798.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Nancy  Williams  of  Madison  county,  111.,  who  d.  1830;  m. 
(second)  Clarinda  Robson.     He  has  had  five  children  : 

(i.)  A  Son,  who  d.  in  infancy. 

(2.)  Mary,  b.  Jan.,  1826,  d.  1863. 

(3.)  Louisa,  b.  Nov.  12,  1827,  d. 

(4.)  Jane,  b.  1829,  d.  in  1830. 

(5.)  Elizabeth,  r.  in  Highland,  111.  She  has  made  school-teach- 
ing the  business  of  her  life,  having  now  (1877)  spent  twenty 
years  in  that  employment.  For  the  last  seven  years  she  has 
been  at  the  head  of  an  institution  numbering  sixty  pupils. 

3.  John,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  24,  1800,  d.  Feb.  6,  1810. 

4.  Andrew,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  10,  1806,  m.  Betsey  Fuller  of 
Marietta,  Sept.  9,  1827,  r.  Point  Pleasant,  Warren  county,  111. 
He  has  had  ten  children,  six  of  whom  were  b.  at  Marietta. 

(i.)   Oliver,  b.  July  29,  1828,  d.  Aug.  28,  1842. 

(2.)  Derrick,  b.  Aug.  28,  1830,  m.  Elizabeth  Stevens  of  Kelly, 

111.,  and  has  six  children. 
(3.)  Russell,  b.  April  3,  1832,  d.  Aug.  28,  1850. 
(4.)  Andrew  Park,  b.  Aug.  28,  1834. 
(5.)  John  Kelsey,  b.  Aug.  9,  1836. 
(6.)  Weston  Thomas,  b.  Dec.  29,  1838. 
(7.)  Jonas  Jasper,  bi  June  19,  1841,  d.  May  8,  1862. 
(8.)  Socrates,  b.  Nov.  10,  1843. 
(9.)    Charles  Carroll.,  b.  Oct.  24,  1847. 
(10.)  IVilliani  Rufus,  b.  Oct.  6,  1850. 

All  of  these  seven  living  sons  but  the  sixth  and  eighth,  are 
married  and  have  families,  and  reside  in  and  near  the  town- 
ship of  the  paternal  home.  They  and  their  father  are  farmers, 
and  have  had  the  same  success  in  their  western  enterprise 
that  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  most  emigrants  from  New  England, 
especially  when  they  have  carried  with  them  habits  of  virtue 
and  frugality.  Andrew  Livermore  and  his  wife  have  been 
married  fifty  years  (1877),  ^^^^  have  enjoyed  health  and 
prosperity  in  an  unusual  degree. 

.">.  Walter,  b.  at  Marietta,  Aug.  23,  1810,  d.  Dec,  1810. 

(J.  Mary,  b.  at  Marietta,  Sept.  8,   181 6,  m.  Derrick  Fuller,  Oct., 
1838.     She  has  had  one  child,  and  r.  at  Roseville  (1878). 
{\.)  A  Son,  b.  Nov.  6,  1839. 


olG  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

VI.  WILLIAM,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  23,  1770,  m.  Betsey  Ames  of 
Groton,  1 799.  He  was  a  resident  of  Groton  from  the  time  of  his 
marriage  until  the  period  of  his  death.  During  the  early  years 
of  his  manhood  he  wrought  at  his  trade,  being  a  carpenter  and 
master-builder.  In  his  later  years  he  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits.  For  several  years  he  represented  Groton  in  the  state 
legislature,  and  was  a  wilHng  and  useful  actor  in  other  spheres  of 
public  trust.  He  d.  at  Groton,  March  2,  1846.  He  had  five  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  were  born  at  Groton. 

1.  Catharine,  b.  1800,  d.  April  9,  1877,  unm. 

2.  William,  b.  July  9,  1803.  He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Sarah  C.  Lawrence  of  Cohasset,  Sept.  7,  1830;  she  d.  Aug.  30, 
1831  ;  m.  (second)  Harriet  Livermore  of  Alstead,  N.  H.,  Sept. 
II,  1832,  r.  Groton  (1882).  He  lives  in  his  native  town,  a 
happy  and  successful  farmer,  and  sustains  the  office  of  deacon 
in  the  First  Congregational  church  of  that  town.  He  has  also 
represented  the  town  in  the  state  legislature.  He  has  had  four 
children  : 

(i.)  Ellen  Augusta,  b.  at  Groton,  Dec.  30,  1833,  ^-  March  15, 

1838. 
(2.)  Sarah  Elizabeth,    b.    Feb.    28,    1836,  m.  John    Gilson    of 

Groton,  Jan.  23,  1861.     She  has  had  six  children  :   i.  "Annie 

L.,"  b.  March  19,  1862  ;    2.  "William  J.,"  b.  Sept.  17,  1865  ; 

3.  "Isabella  H.,"  b.  March  4,  1868;  4.  "Robert  F.,"  b.  Jan. 

21,  1871  ;  5.  "Henry  Robbins,"  b.  Oct.  28,  1874  ;    6.  "John 

Lincoln,"  b.  Jan.  29,  1877. 
(3.)   William  Henry,  b.  Sept.  11,  1840,  d.  June  24,  1846. 
(4.)   George  Stearns,  b.  July  12,  1846,  d.  Nov.  17,  i860, 

3.  Daniel,  b.  March  26,  1805,  m.  Abigail  Tuck  of  Beverly,  May 
15,  1 83 1.  He  lived  in  Groton  several  years  of  his  married  life, 
but  removed  to  Shirley  in  1869,  where  he  remained  until  his 
death.  He  d.  at  Orange,  at  the  house  of  his  daughter,  while  on 
a  visit,  Jan.  9,  1882.  Mr.  Livermore  was  much  respected  in 
town,  was  a  deacon  of  the  Second  Congregational  church,  and 
was  called  to  suffer  severe  bereavement  in  the  death  of  his  wife 
and  the  most  of  his  children,  who  passed  on  before  him  to  the 
spirit  land.     He  had  seven  children,  all  b.  at  Groton. 

(i.)  William,  b.  July  i,  1832,  m.  Louisa  F.  Dickson  of  Waka- 
rusa,  Kansas,  Sept.  30,  i860,  d.  at  Shirley,  March  30,  1879. 
He  had  five  children  :  i.  "Alice  E.,"  b.  Oct.  27,  1861  ;  2. 
"Albert  M.,"  b.  July  28,  1863;  3.  "Fanny  K.,"  b.  Oct.  9, 
1869,  d.  Aug.  15,  1870  ;  4.  "Eugene  N.,"  b.  Feb.  12,  1872  ; 
5.  "Edwin  H.,"  b.  Nov.  21,  1875. 

(2.)   Charles,  b.  April  26,  1834,  d.   at  Shirley,    Feb.    16,    iSSi, 

unm. 
(3.)  DeWitt  Clinton,  b.  July  16,  1836,  d.  aged  eight  months. 
(4.)  DeWitt  Clinton.,  b.  Feb.  16,  183S,  d.  aged  ten  months. 
(5.)  Rufus,  b.  Nov.  I,  1839,  m.  Martha  E.  Todd,  Jan.  22,  1863, 

had  one  child. 


GENEALOGY. LIVERMORE.  517 

(6.)  Albert,  b.  May  20,  1842,  d.  Oct.  27,  i860. 

(7.)  Abbie  M.,  b.  June   13,  1850,  m.  Charles  Howe  of  Orange, 

Dec.  22,  1869.     She  has  had  two  children:    i.  "Willie,"  b. 

July  6,  1871,  d.  July  i,  1873  ;  2.  "Frederick  L.,"  b.  May  13, 

1874,  r.  Orange  (188 1). 

4.  Luther,  b.  Feb.  17,  1809,  d.  May  24,  1834. 

5.  Betsey,  b.  Aug.  29,  181 1,  m.  Charles  Prescott,  May  3,  1835,  d. 
Jan.  I,  1 87 1,     She  had  three  children  : 

(i.)    Charles,  b.  Feb.  22,  1836,  d.  Oct.  2,  1837. 
(2.)   Ellen  A:,  b.  Aug.  18,  1838,  d.  March  22,  1840. 
(3.)    Charles,  b.  May  26,  1844. 

VII.  JOHN,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  22,  1772,  d.  1784. 

VIII.  LUCY,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  24,  1776.  She  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Enoch  Huse  of  Grafton  ;  (second)  to  Jeremiah  Dyer  of 
Grafton  ;  she  d.  without  issue. 

IX.  DAVID,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  19,  1778,  m.  Lucinda,  daughter  of 
Capt.  John  Kelsey  of  Shirley,  Sept.  28,  1800.  He  was  a  selectman 
of  the  town  in  181 2,  and  town  treasurer  in  1833.  ^''^  '834  he  was 
the  candidate  of  the  Masonic  political  party  for  representative  to 
the  state  legislature  ;  but  the  party  was  unsuccessful  in  the  election, 
and  Mr.  Livermore  would  not  allow  his  name  to  be  used  in  this 
connection  a  second  time.  Still,  there  was  no  man  better  qualified 
by  nature,  observation  or  education,  for  public  preferment,  than 
David  Livermore  ;  and  yet,  few  men  have  been  so  distrustful  of 
themselves, — have  shrunk  back  from  public  services  with  a  more 
decided  no,  than  he  has  done, — services  that  he  might  have  per- 
formed with  honor  to  himself  and  usefulness  to  his  fellow-citizens. 

As  a  professor  of  religion  he  was  intelligent,  practical  and  con- 
sistent, free  from  bigotry  and  repulsive  sectarianism.  As  a  man 
and  citizen  he  was  careful,  thoughtful,  and  decisive.  He  never 
received  opinions  on  trust,  and  never  said  yes  to  a  proposition 
because  yes  was  the  echo  of  the  popular  voice  ;  nor  yet  did  he 
reject  the  old  because  it  was  old,  nor  negative  what  was  consistent, 
though  it  might  originate  in  an  opposite  party ;  was  never  impulsive 
or  overbearing,  but  constantly  aimed  to  secure  the  higher  purposes 
of  life,  and  a  larger  measure  of  usefulness.  Few  better  moral 
examples  have  been  presented  than  have  appeared  in  his  quiet 
efficiency,  his  instructive  conversation,  and  useful  action.  He  d.  at 
Ayer,  in  the  house  of  his  daughter,  Sept.  22,  1866.  He  had  eight 
children,  four  of  whom  preceded  him  to  the  grave.  His  children 
were  b.  at  Shirley. 

1.  Sally,  b.  Dec.  16,  1800,  d.  at  Shirley,  unm.,  Sept.  24,  1843. 

2.  LucL\DA,  b.  Sept.  19,  1802,  m.  Almond  Morse  of  Lunenburg, 
June,  1823,  and  d.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  7,  1832.  She  had  two  chil- 
dren : 

(i.)  Jane  Lucinda,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  24,  1824,  m.  Oliver  N. 
Wing  of  Shirley,  Oct.  9,  185 1,  d.  April  26,  1856.  She  had 
one  child  :   i.  "Almond  M.,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  5,  1853. 


518  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(2.)  Mary  Park,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  11,  1828,  m.  E.  Dana  Ban- 
croft, Jan.  I,  1849,  d.  at  Ayer,  Sept.  27,  i860;  she  had 
four  children:  i.  "Mary  Jane,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  12,  1849, 
r.  Ayer,  unm.  (1883) ;  2.  "Kate  Eliza,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  16, 
1852,  m.  Jacob  P.  Hazen  of  Shirley,  Nov.  14,  1875,  r.  Shirley 
(1883) ;  3.  "Anna,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  21,  1854  ;  4.  "Clara," 
b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  12,  1858. 

3.  Catharine,  b.  Nov.  11,  1806,  m.  Nathaniel  Hoklen  of  Shirley, 
Dec.  17,  1835,  ""•  Shirley,  a  widow  (1883). 

4^.  David  Bond,  b.  Aug.  2,  1808,  m.  Persis  W.  Evans  of  Rocking- 
ham, Vt.,  June  15,  1850,  r.  Rockingham  (1880).  He  had  one 
child  : 

(i.)  Charles  Bond,  b.  at  Rockingham,  April  8,  1852,  d.  June  9, 
1866.  . 

5.  Jane  Park,  b.  Dec.  2,  1811,  m.  Abel  Longley  of  Shirley,  Aug. 
16,  1835,  removed  to  western  New  York,  where  she  d.,  Aug.  27, 
1847  ;  she  was  buried  in  Shirley. 

G.  Charles,  b.  March  24,  1814,  m.  Lucy  E.  Merriam  of  Fitchburg, 
Dec.  2,  1847,  ^i^d  had  four  children.  He  followed  the  occupa- 
tion of  shoe-making,  and  d.  in  the  town  of  Tully,  Onondaga 
county,  N.  Y.  His  children  were  all  b.  in  Fitchburg,  where 
Mrs.  Livermore  still  resides  (1883). 
(i.)  Nellie  Frances,  b.  June  3,  1849,  r.  in  Fitchburg,  and  is  en 

gaged  in  teaching. 
(2.)    Charles  William,  b.  March  24,  1852,  d.  Aug.  19,  1853. 
(3.)   Geoi-ge  Eihuard,  b.  April  4,  1854,  r.  Worcester,  unm.     He 

is  pursuing  studies  preparatory  to  the  practice  of  medicine. 
(4.)  Frederick  Herbert,  b.  March  5,  1856,  d.  Sept.  3,  i860. 

7.  Margaret,  b.  Oct.  25,  1819,  m.  Robert  Woods,  Jan.  3,   1850, 
r.  Philadelphia  (1880).     She  has  had  three  children  : 
(i.)  Lucy  Livermore,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  9,  1850. 
(2.)  Alice  Parker,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  11,  1852. 
(3.)  An  Infant,  b.  at  Shirley,  and  d.  in  infancy. 

■S,  Lucy  Huse,  b.  Oct.  2,  1822,  d.  Dec.  26,  1846. 

X.  JONATHAN,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  10,  1781,  m.  Susan  Platts, 
1816,  became  a  resident  of  Boston,  and  passed  his  life  in  that 
city,  engaged  in  the  carpenter's  trade.  He  d.  Jan.  20,  1845.  He 
had  three  children  : 

1,  Jonathan,  b.  at  Boston,  181 7,  d.  at  Boston,  April  13,  1878. 
The  Boston  Post  contained  the  following  notice  of  Mr.  Liver- 
more : 

"  He  was  a  painter,  and  was  widely  known  and  esteemed. 
He  was  a  member  of  Franklin  Lodge,  No.  25,  L  O.  O.  F.,  and 
Grand  Representative  to  the  United  States  Grand  Lodge  of  the 
same  order,  and  has  held  almost  every  subordinate  office  within 
the  gift  of  his  fellow-members." 

2.  Sl'san.     3.  Lucy. 


GENEALOGY. LIVERMORE-LONGLEY.  519 

The  facts  and  dates  relating  to  the  Livermore  family,  up  to  the 
settlement  of  Oliver  in  Shirley,  are  taken  from  Bond's  History  of 
Watertown. 


LOCKE. 


Deacon  William  Locke  was  b.  at  Stepney  Parish,  London,  England. 
Dec.  13,  1628.  He  emigrated  to  this  country  in  the  ship  Planter,  in 
1635,  when  he  was  seven  years  of  age.  It  is  supposed  he  lived  at 
Charlestown  during  his  years  of  minority,  when  he  removed  to 
Woburn,  which  remained  his  place  of  residence  for  life.  He  m. 
Margaret  Clark  of  Woburn,  Dec.  27,  1655  ;  she  d.  at  Woburn,  July 
18,  1 715.     He  d.  June  16,  1720.     He  had  ten  children. 

James  Locke  was  the  ninth  in  the  order  of  birth,  and  was  born  at 
Woburn,  Nov.  14,  1677,  m.  Sarah  Cutter  of  Cambridge,  Dec.  5, 
1700.     He  d.  Dec.  11,  1745.     He  had  eight  children. 

James  Locke,  Jr.,  was  his  second  son,  and  was  b.  at  Woburn,  June 
17,  1703,  m.  Elizabeth  Burnap  of  Reading,  July  11,  1727.  He  lived 
first  in  Hopkinton,  and  afterwards  at  Ashby,  where  he  d.  Sept.  i, 
1783.     He  had  ten  children.     The  fourth  of  these  was 

John  Locke,  b.  at  Hopkinton,  Dec.  16,  1733,  m.  Beulah  Newton 
of  Southborough,  and  had  ten  children.     The  eldest  of  these  was 

..  HOCfeC,  35€$tll0Cl,  b.  at  Hopkinton,  Dec.  8,  1766,  m.  Catharine 
Learned,  Oct.  19,  1796.  He  was  of  the  fifth  generation  from  the 
immigrant.  (Bezaleel,'  John,''  James,  Jr.,''  James,-  William.')  He 
came  to  live  in  Shirley  at  the  time  of  his  marriage,  but  afterward 
removed  to  Cambridge.  He  was  a  carpenter,  and  d.  at  Greenbush, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  had  gone  on  business,  July  24,  1S24.  He  had  four 
children,  all  but  one  of  whom  were  b.  at  Shirley. 

L  .  JOHN,  b.  Dec.  12,  1797,  m.  Lucy  Turner,  Nov.  12,  182 1. 

n.     HANNAH,  b.  April  16,  1801,  m.  Frederick  Dehon  of  Boston, 
had  one  child  that  d.  young;  she  d.  Feb.  24,  1823. 

HL     CATHARINE,  b.  May  9,  1803,  d.  July,  1845,  """i- 

IV,     HARRIET,  b.  at   Cambridge,  m.  Franklin  Rollins  of  Maine, 
lived  at  Lynn,  where  both  she  and  her  husband  d. 

See  records  of  Shirley,  and  "Book  of  the  Lockes." 


LONGLEY. 

Among  the  early  settlers  of  Shirley,  the  Longley  families  held  a 
conspicuous  position.  The  descendants  of  these  families,  of  the  fifth 
and  sixth  generations,  in  large  numbers,  still  retain  residences  within 
the  town  and  vicinity.  At  the  commencement  of  the  present  century 
they  were  so  numerous  that  a  large  portion  of  the  population  could 
claim  affinity  with  them.     They  have  not  only  filled   a  large  place, 


520  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

numerically,  in  our  community,  but  they  have  also,  as  a  general  fact, 
maintained  a  useful  and  honored  citizenship.  There  have  been 
many  titled  personages  since  the  Norman  conquest,  of  the  names  of 
Longley  and  Langley,  that  have  figured  in  the  annals  of  Brittany  ; 
but  whether  the  humble  settler  in  Lynn,  of  that  name,  was  a  de- 
scendant of  any  of  these  personages,  time  has  not  fully  revealed, 
though  some  efforts  have  been  made  to  show  this,  to  which  we  may 
refer  in  another  place. 

Richard  Longley,  the  supposed  original  of  all  of  that  name  in  New 
England,  was  settled  at  Lynn,  as  early  as  1635.  He  had  children, 
among  whom  were  WiUiam  and  Jonathan,  and  perhaps  others.  His 
future  history  is  rather  blind,  but  he  is  presumed  to  have  lived  and 
died  at  Lynn.  His  posterity  have  sometimes  called  themselves 
Langley,  though  this  orthographical  distinction  is  no  proof  of  dis- 
tinction of  families.* 

William  Longley,  supposed  to  be  a  son  of  Richard,  removed  with 
his  family  from  Lynn  to  Groton,  and  was  a  resident  proprietor  of  the 
extensive  territory  that  bore  that  name.  When  the  land  was  equitably 
divided  among  the  shareholders,  he  became  the  owner  of  a  large 
amount  of  native  forest,  which  was  eventually  divided  into  farms,  and 
occupied  by  his  descendants.  According  to  a  manuscript  record 
left  by  the  late  Rev.  James  D.  Farnsworth,  William  Longley  settled 
in  Groton  as  early  as  1659.  His  name  is  found  in  the  records  of 
that  town  in  1663,  and  in  1665  he  was  chosen  selectman.  He  died 
at  Groton,  Nov.  29,  1680.  How  many  children  he  had  does  not 
fully  appear,  but  he  had  one  son  : 

William  Longley,  Jr.,  who  was  probably  born  at  Lynn,  and  married 
in  Groton,  and  had  five  children  ;  or,  as  one  tradition  has  it,  eight 
children.  He  held  a  reputable  position  among  his  fellow-townsmen, 
and  was  appointed  town  clerk  in  1666,  and  was  continued  in  that 
office  until  his  death,  in  1694.  At  this  period  he  and  his  family  be- 
came the  victims  of  Indian  depredation,  and  all  were  slain  but  three 
of  the  children,  who  were  carried  into  captivity.  The  house  was 
rified  and  burned,  and  near  where  it  stood  the  mutilated  remains  of 
the  murdered  family  were  buried,  and  a  small  stone,  even  with  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  was  the  only  monument  to  mark  the  place  of 
their  interment  for  almost  two  centuries.  Recently,  however,  a  more 
imposing  structure  has  been  erected  to  hallow  the  spot  of  such  sad 
historical  interest.  Mr.  Butler  gathered  the  traditions  of  this  tragedy 
from  the  older  inhabitants  of  his  time,  and  condensed  them  into  the 
following  account,  which  is  taken  from  his   History  of  Groton,  pages 

93  a^fi  94  : 

"  I'he  Indians,  having  lurked  about  the  premises  undiscovered,  the 
day  previous  to  the  slaughter,  watching  a  favorable  opportunity  to 
effect  their  purpose,  early  in  the  morning  of  the  fatal  day  turned  the 
cattle  out  of  the  barnyarrl  into  a  cornfield,  and  lay  in  ambush.  This 
trick  had  the  desired  effect  to  draw  out  some  of  the  family,  probably 
Mr.  Longley  and  his  sons,  unarmed,  to  drive  the  cattle  from  the  corn. 


*See  Appendix  .\A. 


GENEALOGY. LONG  LEY.  521 

The  Indians  then  rose  upon  them,  and  killed  or  captured  the  whole 
family.  It  is  said,  however,  that  Jemima,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Longley, 
whom  they  had  tomahawked  and  scalped,  was  found  alive,  sitting 
upon  a  rock,  and  that  she  survived  many  years,  married,  and  had 
children." 

The  condition  of  the  killed  was  little  more  to  be  deplored  than  the 
fate  of  the  spared  members  of  the  family,  who  were  carried  into  cap- 
tivity. They  were  three  in  number,  Betty,  Lydia  and  John.  Betty 
died  in  her  captivity,  of  starvation.  Lydia  was  sold  to  the  French  in 
Canada,  and  upon  becoming  a  Catholic,  entered  a  nunnery  at  Mon- 
treal, where  she  remained  for  life.  She  became  very  much  attached 
to  her  order,  and  carried  her  zeal  for  her  faith  into  the  most  decided 
bigotry.  She  wrote  letters  to  her  brother  John,  expressing  her  sorrow 
that  he  should  remain  under  the  influence  of  a  heretical  faith  through 
which  none  could  obtain  salvation. 

A  milder  fate  awaited  the  third  captive,  John,  who  was  about 
twelve  years  of  age  when  his  family  was  massacred  and  himself  made 
prisoner  by  the  Indians.  It  is  said  that  after  proceeding  some  way 
with  his  captors  from  the  scene  of  their  devastation,  when  the  com- 
pany came  to  a  halt,  he  told  them  that  his  father's  sheep  were  shut 
up  in  the  barn,  and  would  starve  unless  they  would  permit  him  to 
go  back  and  let  them  out,  and  that  having  done  this  he  would  at 
once  return  to  them.  They  consented,  and  he  fulfilled  his  promise. 
Instead  of  lamenting  his  change  of  condition  the  lad  entered  into 
the  pursuits  of  his  new  state  with  a  relish,  and  during  the  five  years 
of  his  wild  life  that  followed  hoped  that  he  might  never  be  removed 
from  his  savage  to  his  former  civilized  position.  Accordingly,  when 
he  was  ransomed  by  government,  he  was  so  reluctant  to  leave  his 
new  and  cherished  pursuits,  that  force  had  to  be  added  to  persuasion 
to  bring  the  young  captive  from  barbarism  to  civilization. 

After  young  Longley  had  returned  to  his  former  home  in  Groton, 
and  had  become  somewhat  weaned  from  the  romance  of  his  captive 

state,   he    entered   into 

^        ^  ^  y\.  the   duties   of    civiliza- 

\\c>r^'^     o^onA^^  tion  with  the  same  zeal 

^J  ^      (JJ  that  he  had  manifested 

I  "y  O^T"  '"  '^^^  savage  life.  He 
'  '  was  twice  married,  (first) 
to  Sarah  Prescott  of  Groton,  a  daughter  of  Jonas  Prescott,  Esq.,  by 
whom  he  had  five  children, — three  sons  and  two  daughters.  She  was 
a  sister  of  Hon.  Benjamin  Prescott,  who  was  the  father  of  Col.  Wil- 
liam Prescott, — of  Bunker  hill  memory, — of  Col.  James  and  Dr. 
Oliver  Prescott  of  Groton.  Sarah,  the  first  wife  of  John  Longley, 
died  March  8,  1718.  He  married  (second)  Deborah  Houghton,  by 
whom  he  had  seven  children.     She  died  Nov.  7,  1763. 

Mr.  Longley  was  the  clerk  of  the  town  for  six  years,  and  had  three 
elections  to  the  office  of  representative  to  the  general  court.  He 
was  a  deacon  of  the  church  twenty-eight  years,  a  good  man,  and  an 
exemplary  Christian.     He  died  May  25,  1750, 

It  has  been  seen  that  William  Longley,  Sen.,  the  grandfather  of 
66 


522  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

John  of  Indian  memory,  was  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of 
Groton,  and  with  two  exceptions  he  was  the  largest  proprietor.  It  is 
highly  probable  that  when  the  territory  was  divided  among  the  pro- 
prietors, according  to  their  number  of  shares  in  the  stock,  a  large 
tract  of  land  lying  in  what  is  now  the  southern  part  of  Shirley  was 
awarded  to  him,  as  his  children  of  the  third  generation  became  per- 
manent settlers  there. 

The  three  eldest  sons  of  the  redeemed  captive,  John,  emigrated  to 
Shirley,  in  company,  in  the  year  1751.  This  was  thirty  years  after  the 
settlements  had  commenced  in  Shirley,  and  but  two  years  before  the 
town  was  incorporated  as  a  district.  As,  however,  the  northern  and 
eastern  sections  of  the  town, — being  nearer  the  center  of  Groton,  and, 
of  course,  nearer  the  paternal  homes  of  most  of  the  Shirley  settlers, — 
were  first  inhabited,  and  as  the  progress  of  settlement  was  .slow,  but 
few  families  were  supposed  to  be  living,  in  1750,  south  of  what  is  now 
known  as  the  "Pound-hill"  school-house.  Hence  the  three  farms  of 
the  Longleys  were  in  a  wild  state,  and  covered  with  a  primitive  growth 
of  pine,  oak  and  chestnut,  the  progress  of  whose  huge  bodies  had 
never  been  disturbed  except  by  wind  and  age. 

The  younger  of  these  three  brothers  had  previously  lived  within 
the  limits  of  what  now  constitutes  Shirley,  as  his  name  appears  on 
the  list  of  the  petitioners  for  a  separate  town,  in  1747  ;  but  he  had 
probably  returned  to  his  paternal  home  in  Groton,  and  prepared  for 
a  final  settlement  on  his  Shirley  inheritance,  with  his  older  brothers, 
in  1751. 

More  than  forty  years  ago  the  daughter  of  Jonas,  (the  younger 
brother  of  the  emigrants,)  then  past  eighty  years  of  age,  related  to  the 
compiler  of  this  history,  an  account  of  the  removal  of  her  father  and 
his  brothers  from  Groton  to  Shirley,  their  new  home.  She  said  her 
father  liked  to  often  repeat  this  relation  to  his  family,  as  the  most 
notable  adventure  of  his  life. 

The  distance  in  a  direct  course  could  not  have  exceeded  eight  miles. 
But,  although  rude  bridges  had  been  thrown  over  the  intervening 
streams  at  certain  places,  and  a  highway  had  been  surveyed  from 
Groton  to  Lancaster,  the  bridges  were  too  far  down  the  stream  to  be 
available,  and  the  highway  was  so  far  east  as  to  leave  the  territory  of 
Shirley  untouched.  They  could  travel  a  short  distance  on  the  road 
leading  from  Groton  Centre  to  Chelmsford  ;  then  they  must  make  a 
right-angle  in  their  way,  and  take  a  southerly  direction,  and  pass  over 
the  territory  that  now  forms  the  town  of  Ayer,  towards  the  dwelling 
of  the  late  Abel  L.  Holden.  There  the  banks  of  the  intervale  were  so 
low  that  the  river  could  be  safely  forded,  and  passing  over  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Charles  Dodge,  they  would  reach  the  borders  of  their 
own  estates. 

When  the  day  of  their  departure  arrived  they  assembled,  with  their 
wives  and  children,  their  cattle,  farming  utensils  and  household  gear, 
taking  such  a  store  of  provision  as  was  demanded  for  present  want, 
and  commenced  their  trying  journey,  some  ten  or  more  miles  through 
the  wilderness,  to  what  proved  permanent  earthly  homes  for  them- 
selves and  for  some  generations  of  their  posterity.     They  made  good 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  •  523 

progress  while  they  travelled  east,  but  when  they  turned  the  angle  to 
the  south  they  found  imperfect  cart-paths  and  narrow  bridle-ways, 
with  obstructions  at  every  turn ;  these  were  succeeded  by  an  untrod- 
den forest  in  its  natal  wildness.  Huge  logs  lay  across  their  path  ; 
stony  pitfalls,  concealed  by  pitiless  jungle,  were  obstacles  in  their 
way  ;  so  that  the  spade  as  well  as  the  axe  were  required  to  open  a 
passage  for  their  overburdened  teams.  Almost  three  entire  days  were 
required  to  complete  this  undertaking.  But,  as  the  father  of  my  in- 
formant stated,  "The  weather  was  warm  and  clear,  so  that  our  healths 
were  uninjured,  yet  we  thought  it  a  terrible  long  i^y'ge  T  This  narra- 
tive of  the  removal  of  the  Longleys  exhibits  some  of  the  lighter  trials 
endured  by  the  fathers  in  the  early  settlements  of  the  country. 
The  Shirley  genealogy  of  these  families  commences  with 

Honflleg,  212IlUiam.  (William,^  John,^  WiUiam,^  William,^ 
Richard.^)  He  was  the  eldest  son  of  John  and  Sarah  (Prescott) 
Longley,  and  was  born  at  Groton,  Feb.  7,  1708,  and  married  Mary 
Parker  of  Groton,  Jan.  4,  1734.  He  settled  in  what  is  now  the  South 
Village  in  the  town.  According  to  the  most  consistent  tradition,  his 
house  was  situated  on  the  north  side  of  the  Catacunemaug,  on  the 
side  of  the  hill,  about  half  way  between  the  river  and  the  bed  of  the 
Fitchburg  railway.  Mr.  Longley  was  a  man  of  enterprise  and 
efficiency,  but  either  from  a  want  of  ability,  or  inclination,  or  taste,  or 
popularity,  his  name  appears  in  no  place  of  public  trust  or  employ- 
ment ;  yet,  with  his  countrymen  generally,  he  nourished  that  inbred 
spirit  of  patriotism  which  secured  in  his  day  the  independence  of  the 
United  States,  a  work  that  older  and  abler  men  had  desired  to  see 
effected,  but  who  had  died  without  the  sight. 

There  is,  however,  one  event  that  must  give  prominence  to  the 
reputation  of  William  Longley  as  long  as  the  history  of  Shirley  shall 
exist.  In  connection  with  Samuel  Hazen  he  builded  the  first  grist- 
mill that  existed  within  the  town,  to  which  a  saw- mill  was  afterward 
appended.  Tradition  is  strong  in  the  position  that  the  grist-mill 
stood  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  stream,  where  its  successor  since 
stood  ;  that  incontestable  relics  of  the  fact  have  been  discovered  there 
and  seen  by  living  witnesses.  There  is,  however,  evidence  stronger 
than  tradition,  though  sustained  by  relics  unearthed  upon  the  sup- 
posed site  of  the  former  mill.  It  is  as  follows  :  The  half  of  the 
property  owned  by  Mr.  Hazen  was  conveyed,  directly  or  indirectly, 
to  William  Longley,  Jr.,  son  of  the  other  proprietor ;  and  in  1 764  the 
other  half  was  deeded  to  Elijah  Wilds.  According  to  the  instrument 
of  conveyance,  both  mills,  (that  is  one-half  of  both,)  including  thirty- 
five  acres  of  land  belonging  to  the  firm,  were  sold  to  said  Wilds  for 
"  forty  Pound."  The  deed  says  that  the  land  was  bounded  on  the 
east  by  land  lately  claimed  by  Buckston,  (probably  not  an  inhabitant 
of  the  town,)  northerly  by  land  owned  by  Samuel  Flood  ;  westerly  by 
land  of  Thomas  Trowbridge ;  southerly  by  Catacunemaug  brook. 
This  is  almost  positive  evidence  that  the  mills  both  stood  upon  the 
north  side  of  the  river. 

William  Longley  died  in  Shirley,  May  15,  1788.  He  had  twelve 
children  : 

I.     WILLIAM,  b.  at  Groton,  Jan.  24,  i  734,  d.  young. 


524  ♦  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

II.  MARY,  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  13,  1736,  d.  in  1749. 

III.  WILLIAM,  b.  at  Groton,  May  23,  1738,  and  was  thirteen 
years  old  when  his  father  removed  to  Shirley.  He  m.  Lydia  War- 
rensford  of  Lancaster,  Aug.  8,  1763.  He  lived  in  a  house  at  the 
north-east  corner  of  the  door-yard  of  the  present  residence  of  the 
widow  of  the  late  Thomas  Hazen.  He  followed  in  the  footsteps 
of  his  father,  both  as  a  miller  and  an  agriculturist,  and  wore  the 
dusty  coat  of  his  craft  unto  old  age.  He  d.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  9, 
1 81 3.     He  had  nine  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

1.  EzEKiEL,  b.  March,  [1763,]   m.  Mary  Swan,  pub.  Oct.  3,  1784. 
He  lived  in  Harvard,  Shirley,  and  Lancaster.     At  the  last-named 
town  his  wife  d.  ;  soon  after,  his  home  was  broken  up  and  his 
children  were  scattered  abroad.     He  finally  settled  in  Chitten- 
den, Vt.,  where  he  passed  most  of  his  remaining  years,  but  d.  at 
Pittsford,  Vt.,  in  March,  1834.     He  had  eight  children  : 
(i.)  David,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  27,  1786. 
(2.)  Mary,  b.  at  Harvard,  Feb.  25,  1788,  m.  Ira  Pinson. 
(3.)    William,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  23,  1790. 
(4.)  Emery,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  11,  1792. 
(5.)  Joseph,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  29,  1794. 

(6.)  Jacob,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  i,  1801.  When  but  a  little  past 
infancy,  he  was  taken  up  by  a  Mr.  Samuel  Morrison,  and 
carried  to  the  home  of  said  Morrison,  at  Stoddard,  N.  H.,  and 
finally  became  his  son,  by  adoption,  without  a  change  of 
name.  Eventually  Mr.  Morrison  removed  to  Peterboro', 
where  he  d.,  and  where  Mr.  Longley  lived  in  1878.  He 
(Longley)  m.  Hepzibah  Ames,  March  10,  1831.  He  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  and  was  a  justice  of  the  peace.  His 
wife  d.  Sept.  13,  187 1.  He  had  four  children,  all  b.  at  Peter- 
boro' :  I.  "George  H.,"  b.  April  4,  1832,  m.  Sarah  M.  Kim- 
ball, June  I,  1854;  he  has  had  three  children:  i.  George 
Wason,  b.  March  23,  1855  ;  2.  Fred  Kimball,  b.  Aug.  31, 
1856;  3.  Jacob  W.,  b.  Feb.  13,  1862.  2.  "William  Hiram," 
b.  June  7,  1834,  m.  Mary  White,  Dec.  11,  1856,  r.  Peterboro' 
(1878);  he  has  had  four  children:  i.  Frank  White,  b.  May 
20,  1858,  d.  Sept.  29,  1858;  2.  William  H.  C.,  b.  Sept.  20, 
1862  ;  3.  Samuel  P.,  b.  Oct.  20,  1864;  4.  Henry  C.,  b.  June 
20,  1867.  3.  "Timothy  M.,"  b.  May  9,  1837,  m.  Emma 
Converse,  Feb.  28,  i860,  r.  Peterboro'  (1878);  he  has  had 
three  children  :  i.  Edith,  b.  Jan.  6,  1861  ;  2.  Arthur,  b.  Aug. 
20,  1863;  3.  Maurice,  b.  April  9,  1865.  4.  "Stillman 
Parker,"  b.  April  8,  1841,  m.  Sarah  S.  Converse,  1867,  r. 
Peterboro'  (1878);  he  has  had  two  children:  i.  Frank,  b. 
March  13,  1869;  2.  Albert,  b.  Oct.  12,  1871. 
(7.)  Solomon,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  20,  1804,  r.  Chittenden,  Vt. 
(1878);  he  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Hannah  Pike,  March  5, 
1824;  m.  (second)  Caroline  M.  Davenport,  Sept.  to,  1856. 
He  has  had  six  children:  i.  "Josephine  M.,"  b.  Sept.  27, 
1829,  m.  Seth  Boutwell,  r.  Stockbridge,  Vt.  (1878);  2. 
"Rosaline,"  b.  July  25,   1831,  m.   Emery  Brown,  d.  July   19 


ISRAEL  LONGLEY,  ESQ. 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  525 

1875  ;   3.  "Sullivan  S.,"  b.  July  14,  1834,  m.  Marcia  Eggles- 

ton,  r.  Stockbridge  (1878) ;  4.  "Justin,"  b.  Dec.  27,  1835,  m. 

Jane  Morgan,  d.   Feb.   21,    1873;    5-  "Amanda  Malvina,"  b. 

March  22,  1842,  m.  Martin  Durfee,  r.  Pittsford,  Vt.  (1878);  6. 

"Solomon,"  b.  March   12,   1859.     The  children  of  Solomon 

were  b.  at  Chittenden. 
(8.)    Osmyn,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  16,  1806. 
All  the  children  of  Kzekiel  Longley  are  d.   except  Jacob   and 

Solomon. 

2.  Abigail,  b.  i  764,  became  a  Shaker,  and  d.  in  that  communion, 
June  2,  181  7. 

3.  Israel,  b.  Nov.  2,  1766,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Lucy  Conant  of 
Harvard,  pub.  Feb.  2,  1794  ;  she  d. ;  he  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Sally 
Tarbell,  June  6,  1799;  ^^  '^-  ^^  Shirley,  Aug.  24,  1819;  he  was 
a  man  of  enterprise  and  thrift;  his  widow  d.  April  11,  1S26. 
He  had  two  children  : 

(i.)    Walter,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  2,  1801,  drowned  Aug.  16,  1813. 

(2.)  Israel,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  i,  1803,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 

Sophia  Bullard,  May  2,   1830;  she  d.  Nov.  15,  1830;  he  m. 

(second)  Sarah  Hazen  Parker,  May  29,   1836,  and  d.  March 

24,  1871. 

It  has  been  said,  on  another  page  of  this  history,  that 
Joseph  Edgarton,  Esq.,  was  the  pioneer  of  the  Shirley  manu- 
facturing enterprise  ;  and,  with  equal  truth  it  may  be  here  said 
that  Israel  Longley  stood  second  in  this  laudable  work.  His 
father  had,  in  a  small  way,  commenced  the  undertaking  into 
which  he  vigorously  entered  as  soon  as  he  attained  his  years 
of  majority  ;  and  this  was  not  far  from  the  time  that  our  cotton 
manufactories  were  receiving  an  impulse,  by  the  invention  and 
introduction  to  use  of  the  power  loom.  Cotton  spinning, 
through  the  agency  of  Mr.  Edgarton,  had  for  a  time  been  in 
successful  operation  in  Shirley,  and,  to  some  extent,  the  power 
loom  had  been  introduced  ;  yet  it  was  attended  with  so  many 
imperfections,  in  its  incipient  stages,  as  to  bring  partial  dis- 
couragement over  the  enterprise.  It  seemed,  therefore,  to 
belong  to  Mr.  Longley,  by  a  separate  effort,  an  effort  indepen- 
dent of  all  previous  attempts,  to  enlarge  the  system  and  bring 
it  to  a  higher  state  of  perfection.  He  accordingly  suggested 
and  became  the  leader  of  what  is  called  the  Fredonia  Com- 
pany. This  company  builded  and  furnished  the  largest  cotton 
manufactory  that  had  ever  appeared  in  town  until  the  erection 
of  the  Phoenix  mill  in  1850. 

Mr.  Longley  continued  his  interest  in  the  Fredonia  Com- 
pany as  long  as  he  lived,  and  had  an  interest,  likewise,  in 
many  of  the  smaller  factories  that  stood  along  the  banks  of 
the  Catacunemaug,  the  most  of  which  have  since,  from  time 
to  time,  been  destroyed  by  fire. 

For  many  years  the  manufacture  of  cottons  was  of  such 
variable  success  as  to  cover  the  hearts  and  hopes  of  its  actors 
with  seasons  of  gloom  and  sunshine,  alternately  gathering  and 


526  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

scattering  such  hopes,  and  raising  and  discouraging  pubh'c 
expectations.  The  subject  of  this  notice,  notwithstanding, 
continued  to  sustain  the  system  and  give  it  due  prominence. 
He  made  it  his  hfe-work,  and  hved  to  behold  it  a  complete 
success. 

He  also  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  construction  of  the 
railway  from  Fitchburg  to  Boston,  which  passes  through  the 
South  Village  in  Shirley.  He  was  a  large  subscriber  to  the 
stock  of  the  company,  and  for  several  years  was  one  of  its 
directors. 

At  different  times  he  held  offices  of  town  appointment,  the 
duties  of  which  he  performed  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  con- 
stituents. He  was  a  selectman  six  years.  He  was  two  years 
a  member  of  the  town  school  committee,  and  he  represented 
his  fellow-townsmen  in  the  legislature  of  the  state  in  1833  and 
1834. 

In  his  personal  appearance  Mr.  Longley  maintained  a  neat- 
ness to  which  few  persons  aspire.  In  his  social  relations  he 
was  mild  and  courteous,  endeavoring  to  receive  and  impart 
ease  and  comfort  by  speech  and  demeanor.  In  early  life  he 
seemed  to  give  little  thought  to  experimental  religion,  but  in 
later  years  he  exhibited  a  change  in  this  respect,  and  united 
with  the  Universalist  church  ;  but,  in  his  last  sickness  he  was 
led  to  a  partial  modification  of  his  religious  faith.  At  his 
death  the  branch  of  the  William  Longley,  Jr.,  family,  to  which 
he  belonged,  laid  away  its  last  representative. 

4.  Lydia,  b.  in   [1768],  m.  Asa  Gale  of  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  Sept. 
29,  1800. 

5.  Sarah,  b.  in  1773,  became  a  Shaker,  and  d.  in  that  communion, 
Sept.  14,  1 81 8. 

G.  Ivory,  b.  1775,  m.  Lydia  Munroe  of  Harvard,  April  5,  1797. 
He  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  in  attempting  to  cross  the 
Catacunemaug,  upon  a  dam,  he  slipped  from  -his  icy  footing,  and 
perished  in  the  stream  below.  He  d.  Jan.  14,  1808  ;  his  widow 
d.  April  9,  1859.  He  had  four  children  : 
(i.)  Lucy,  b.  at   Harvard,  May  18,  1797,   m.    Darius    Emery   of 

Shirley,  Dec.  24,  1865,  d.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  27,  1878. 
(2.)  Nancy,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  2,  1801,  d.  Nov.  5,  1805. 
(3.)  Lydia,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  26,  1803,  m.  Darius   Lmery,  May 

14,  1824,  d.  at  Shirley,  July  31,  1863.     She  had  one  child  :    i. 

"Hiram,"  b.  at  Shirley,  March  22,  1825  ;    he  was  twice  m., 

(first)  to  Eliza  A.  Gay,  Oct.  19,  1849  j  ^'"^^  <^-  ^'^  Lowell,  Feb. 

19,  1859;  he  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Lazure,  March  20,  1867;  he 

d.  at  Springfield,  June   26,    1874.      He   had  one   child:     i. 

Lucy,  b.  at  Lowell,  March  23,    1850,   m.  George   F.    Fuller, 

Nov.  20,  1872,  r.  Springfield  (1882). 
(4.)  Hiram,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.   31,    1805,   m.    Mary  A.   Farns- 

worth  of  Harvard,  May  3,  1838.     Mr.  Longley  was  a  man  of 

enterprise    and  of  a  peculiar    executive  ability.     For  several 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  527 

years  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  goods  in 
Shirley  Village,  which,  in  the  end,  proved  not  a  successful 
operation.  After  some  changes,  he  went  to  Chicago,  111.,  and 
became  the  proprietor  of  a  large  hotel  called  the  Massasoit 
House,  where  he  did  an  extensive  and  proiitable  business. 
Having  acquired  property  sufficient  to  justify  the  undertaking, 
he  returned  to  Shirley  and  purchased  the  large  and  elegant 
residence  of  the  late  John  K.  Going,  Esq.,  with  the  purpose 
of  making  it  his  life-residence.  But  the  great  fire  at  Chicago 
destroyed  a  large  portion  of  his  property,  and  in  his  endeavors 
to  resuscitate  his  condition  he  overtaxed  his  strength,  and 
became  the  victim  of  his  efforts.  He  d.  Feb.  15,  1877.  His 
widow  retains  a  home  at  Shirley  (1882).  With  the  death  of 
Hiram  Longley,  the  male  descendants  of  the  branch  of  the 
family  represented  by  Ivory  Longley  became  extinct. 

7.  William,  Jr.,  b.  at  Shirley,  m.  Rebecca  Munjoy  of  Harvard,  Sept. 
20,  1794.  He  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  and  wrought  at  his 
craft  in  Shirley,  and  in  other  places,  without  the  success  necessary 
to  secure  a  competent  livelihood  for  himself  and  dependents. 
In  a  fit  of  discouragement  he  wandered  away  from  home,  but 
was  eventually  brought  back  in  a  state  of  extreme  destitution, 
and  required  assistance  from  the  town.  At  the  annual  town 
meeting  he  was  made  the  subject  of  the  barbarous  custom  of 
boarding  with  the  man  who  would  provide  for  him  at  the  lowest 
auction  price.  He  openly  rebelled  against  the  custom,  defied 
the  authorities,  and  resolutely  left  the  town  to  return  no  more. 
He  finally  became  a  dweller  in  Chittenden,  Vt.,  where  his  elder 
brother,  Ezekiel,  had  previously  settled.  He  there  resumed  his 
work  at  his  trade,  and  secured  for  himself  an  independent  liveli- 
hood. He  d.  at  Pittsford,  Vt.,  in  1836.  His  wife,  Rebecca,  d. 
at  Shirley,  April  7,  182 1  ;  she  was  buried  in  the  old  cemetery  of 
the  town,  and  her  grave  is  surrounded  by  a  durable  enclosure, 
within  which  is  a  simple  yet  beautiful  monument,  all  of  which 
were  reared  by  the  hand  of  an  affectionate  daughter.  Mr.  Long- 
ley  had  nine  children  : 
(i.)  Stedman,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  16,  1794. 
(2.)  Lydia,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  15,  1796. 
(3.)  Dexter,  b.  at  Harvard,  Oct.  23,  1798. 

(4.)  Betsey,  b.  at  Lancaster,  Oct.  9,  1800,  m.  Samuel  Gambels  of 
Waltham,  181 8,  d.  at  Chicopee,  March  2,  1846.  She  had  six 
children  :  i.  "Samuel,"  b.  at  Waltham,  d.  young;  2.  "Eliza," 
b.  at  Waltham,  d.  young;  3.  "Rachel,"  b.  at  Waltham,  Jan., 
1822;  4.  "Sarah,"  b.  at  Waltham,  1825,  m.  Lysander 
Howard,  1843;  5-  "Charles,"  b.  at  Waltham,  1827,  d.  Nov. 
27,  1872;  6.  "Elizabeth,"  b.  at  Waltham,  1830,  m.  Horace 
Favor,  1850,  r.  West  Springfield,  1879. 
(5.)    William,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  24,  1804. 

(6.)  Luther,  b.  at  Marlboro',  Feb.  7,  1807,  m.  Eliza  Jane  Wilder, 
April  7,  1836,  r.  Leominster  (1878).  He  has  had  five  chil- 
dren:  I.  "  Ellen  S.,"b.  July  8,    1844,   d.   Oct.   8,    1845;    2. 


528  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

"George  Luther,"  b.  July  27,  1846,  d.  Feb.  24,  1848;  3. 
"George  Luther,"  b.  Aug.  10,  d.  Aug.  21,  1848;  4.  "Eliza- 
beth K.,"  b.  July  14,  1849,  d.  July  29,  1850;  5.  "Mary  E.," 
b.  July  16,  1850. 

(7.)  Rebecca,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  31,  1810,  m.  George  Lawrence, 
d.  at  Springfield,  March  29,  1878. 

(8.)  Sarah,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  11,  181 2,  m.  Thomas  W.  Wason, 
Nov.,  1837;  he  d.  at  Springfield,  Aug.  27,  1870;  he  was  a 
builder  of  railroad  cars,  a  very  skilfiil  mechanic,  and  was 
called  away  from  life  in  the  midst  of  his  days  and  usefulness. 
His  widow  survives  (1882)  ;  she  has  two  children  :  i.  "Sarah 
Jenny,"  b.  Sept.  19,  1839,  m.  Henry  S.  Hyde  of  Detroit, 
Mich.,  Dec.  4,  1863;  2.  "George  Thomas,"  b.  April,  1846, 
m.  Alice  Thomas  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Dec,  1864. 

(9.)  Samuel,  b.  at  Shirley,  April,  1815,  d.  April  7,  1876. 

8.  Elijah,  b.  July  15,  1778,   m.   Betsey  Stone,  and  lived  on   the 
estate  now  owned  by  Dexter  Bruce,  where  he  d.  Aug.  18,  1821. 
He  had  seven  children  : 
(i.)   Otis,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  6,  1806,  m.  Nancy  Goodhue,  Dec. 

23,  1830.     He  has  had  three  children  :   i.  "Charles  Otis,"  b. 

Nov.  24,  1831  ;  2.  "Albert  M.,"  b.  Sept.  9,  1840,  d.  July  18, 

1843  ;  3-  "Albert  Warren,"  b.  Oct.  12,  1848. 
(2.)  yonas,  b.  Oct.  1,  1808,  m.  Mary  D.  Bowers  of  Townsend, 

Jan.,  1840,  r.  Lunenburg  (1878)  ;  he  has  had  two  children  :    i. 

"Hiram  VV.,"  b.  Jan.  7,  1841  ;   2.  "Charles  B.,"  b.  April  23, 

1845. 
{t,.)  Levi,  b.  Dec.  11,  1810,  d.  July  18,  1843,  innii- 
(4.)  Nahutn,  b.  March  16,  1813,  m."  Elizabeth  Cass. 
(5.)  Serena,  b.  Oct.   14,  1815,  m.  Chaney   L.   Burnell,   Feb.   5, 

1843. 
(6.)  Elizabeth,  b.    June    10,    18 18,    m.  William   Stanford,   Aug., 
,    1855. 
(7.)  Sarah  Ann,  b.  Aug.    30,    1820,  m.   Edward    French,  Nov., 

1842. 

'.).  Luther,  b.  at  Shirley,  m.  Mary  Bartlett,  daughter  of  William 
and  Lois  (Cook)  Bartlett,  pub.  Nov.  6,  1807.  He  lived  on  the 
Bartlett  farm,  near  the  jjresent  residence  of  Sidney  Benjamin  ; 
but  at  length  became  so  straitened  in  his  pecuniary  circumstances 
as  to  ask  town  assistance  toward  the  support  of  himself  and  fam- 
ily. He  d.  June  25,  1833  ;  his  wife  d.  July  31,  1813.  He  had 
three  children  : 
(i.)  Mary,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  28,  1808,  m.  John   Folsom,   Nov. 

14,   1834,  r.  Lowell    (1878);    she   has   had  two  children:     i. 

"John,"  b.  April  13,  1838,  d.    May   6,    1841  ;    2.  "Mary,"  b. 

Jan.  30,  1847. 

(2.)  Lucy  Bartlett,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  14,  1S12,  d.  June  15,  1827. 

(3.)  Lois  Bartlett,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  14,  181  2,  m.  Thomas  Eaton 
of  Shirley,  June  27,  1835,  r.  Peoria,  111.  (1878.)  She  has  had 
five  children:    i.   "William  O.,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  31,  1836; 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  529 

he  has  been  twice  m.,  r.  Clinton  (1878).  2.  "Sarah  A.,"  b.  at 
Shirley,  Jan,  9,  1839,  m.  C.  H.  Stockwell,  Nov.  27,  i860;  she 
has  had  six  children  :  i.  Sybil  A.,  b.  at  Boston,  April  25,  1865, 
d.  at  Peoria,  111.,  Dec.  31,  1865  ;  2.  Frank  E.,  b.  at  Peoria, 
Dec,  31,  1867  ;  3.  Eddie  E.,  b.  at  Bushnell,  Conn.,  Aug. 
25,  1869;  4.  Ida  E.,  bom  at  Lawrence,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  15, 
1871  ;  5.  Charles,  b.  at  Monmouth,  111.,  July  8,  1875;  6. 
Mabel  F.,  b.  at  Monmouth,  111.,  July  3,  1877.  3.  "Mary  F.," 
b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  31,  1841,  d.  Nov.,  1856.  4.  "Thomas  A.," 
b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  30,  1843,  m.  L.  A.  Holbrook,  Nov.  30, 
1863;  he  has  had  three  children:  i,  Nettie,  b,  at  Peoria, 
Sept.  25,  1866;  2.  Sybil  A,,  b.  at  Peoria,  Oct.  27,  1868;  3. 
Charles  L.,  b,  at  Peoria,  June  22,  1872,  d.  July  31,  1873. 
5.  "Sybil  A.,"  b.  at  Clinton,  March  26,  1849,  d-  March  31, 
1856. 

IV,  SARAH,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  18,  1740.  She  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  James  Willard,   by  whom  she  had  two   children,  James 

LoNGLEV,  and   another  son ;    she    m.    (second)    Hall  of 

Swansey,  and  d.  when  about  forty  years  of  age. 

V,  ANNA,  b,  at  Groton,  March  10,  1742,  m,  Samuel,  son  of 
Nicholas  Bartlett  of  Shirley,  and  d.  at  Hopkinton,  N.  H.,  April  18, 
1826, 

VI,  LYDIA,  b.  at  Groton,  Dec.  31,  1743,  m.  Thomas  Bennett  of 
Lancaster,  d.  at  Turin,  N.  Y.,  1828.  She  had  three  children  b.  at 
Lancaster  : 

1.  Bathsheba,  b.  June   2,    1767,   m.   Abijah  Wheelock,  Nov.   20, 
1788. 

2.  Thomas,  b.  Jan.  31,  1769,  m.  Asabel  Phelps,  Aug.  19,  1792. 

3.  Lydia,    b.  June    i,    1771,   m.   Benjamin    Houghton,  Sept.   27, 
1796. 

VII,  ISRAEL,  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  12,  1745.  The  following  account 
of  Israel  Longley  is  from  his  grandson,  Isaac,  who  resided  in  Para- 
dise, Nova  Scotia,  in  1879:  "In  or  about  the  year  1759  or  1760, 
there  came  from  Shirley  a  man  by  the  name  of  Longley,  bringing 
with  him  a  son  named  Israel,  who  was  my  grandfather.  His  father, 
after  stopping  one  or  two  seasons,  and  liking  the  country,  returned 
home  to  Shirley,  with  the  intention  of  removing  his  family  to  Nova 
Scotia,  and  making  that  place  his  permanent  home,  but  he  did  not 
live  to  effect  his  purpose." 

The  readers  of  this  history  have  learned  something  of  the  quaint- 
ness  of  the  words  and  ways  of  William  Longley,  by  allusions  that 
have  been  made  to  him,  and  will  be  prepared  to  recognize,  as 
characteristic  of  him,  the  following  anecdote  that  occurred  while 
he  was  abroad.  In  crossing  the  Annapolis  river,  on  a  boat  loaded 
with  brick,  the  crew  and  cargo  went  down,  and  it  required  consid- 
erable effort  to  save  the  passengers  from  drowning.  Sometime 
after,  the  question  was  asked,  "  Mr.  Longley,  what  were  your 
67 


530  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

thoughts  while  under  water?"  His  answer  was,  "A  Hving  man  has 
no  right  to  complain." 

He  left  his  son,  Israel,  behind  when  he  returned  to  the  States, 
whom  he  apprenticed  to  a  man  by  the  name  of  Parker  to  learn  the 
carpenter's  trade.  The  boy  was  then  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  he 
made  Nova  Scotia  the  place  of  his  life-residence.  He  m.  Anna 
Kent,  had  fourteen  children,  and  d.  Sept.  i6,  1824. 

There  is  a  well-founded  tradition  in  relation  to  Mr.  Longley,  that 
deserves  a  place  here.  Soon  after  his  marriage  he  decided  to  make 
his  Shirley  kindred  a  visit,  and  again  look  upon  the  home  of  his 
childhood,  from  which  he  had  been  long  absent.  From  his  home 
in  Nova  Scotia  he  had  some  twenty-five  miles  to  travel  before  he 
came  to  water  transport.  He  there  cut  up  a  sapling  willow  for  a 
cane,  and  traveled  to  the  bay,  having  crossed  which,  he  landed 
in  Maine,  and  proceeded  overland  to  Shirley.  He  planted  his 
cane  in  the  ground  when  he  had  come  to  town,  a  few  rods  east  of 
Mr.  Davis'  saw-mill,  in  Shirley  Village.  It  took  on  roots  and  grew 
to  be  a  great  tree,  and  is  the  supposed  progenitor  of  all  the  trees 
of  its  species  within  the  town.  At  this  writing  (1879)  the  trunk  of 
this  huge  willow  lies  upon  the  ground  in  a  state  of  remarkable  pres- 
ervation, having  been  felled  about  twenty  years.  A  few  feet  from 
where  this  gigantic  tree  grew  stands  another,  a  progeny  of  the 
original,  of  large  dimensions,  at  the  base  of  which  is  a  water-spring 
of  excellent  quality.  I  have  sometimes  thought  that  the  fountain 
and  its  tree-guardian  should  bear  the  name  of  the  planter  of  the 
original  willow.     The  children  of  Israel  Longley  were  : 

1.  Isaac,  b.  July  2,  1771,  and  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Dorcas  Bent, 
Sept.  16,  1794;  she  d.,  and  he  m.  (second)  Freelove  Dodge, 
May  26,  1813.  He  d.  Oct.  12,  1855.  He  had  twelve  children  : 
(i.)  Mafia.     (2.)   Israel.      (3.)  Diadima.     (4.)  Lavice. 

(5.)  Ann.     (6.)  Lucy.     (7.)  David.     (8.)  Elizabeth. 
\()^  John  Fletcher.     (10.)  Dorcas.      (11.)  Minetta. 
(12.)  Isaac,  b.  at  Paradise,  Dec.  16,  1823. 

2.  Anna,  b.  Feb.  23,  1773,  m.  Joseph  Bent,  and  d.  Sept.  12, 
i860.     She  had  ten  children  : 

(i.)    Warren.     (2.)  Lucy.     (3.)  Susan. 

(4.)  Amelia.     (5.)  Israel. 

(6.)  Fletcher,  who  is  a  Methodist  preacher  (1878). 

(7.)    William.     (8.)  Mary.     (9.)   Gilbert.      (10.)  John. 

3.  William,  b.  March  10,  1775,  m.  Esther  Dodge,  Jan.  13,  1802, 
d.  March  24,  1842.     He  had  three  children  : 

(i.)   Bethiah.     (2.)   Susanna.      (3.)    Warren. 

4.  Asaph,  b.  Nov.  26,  1776.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Grace 
Morse,  (second)  to  Dorcas  Poole,  d.  June  3,  1853.  He  had 
seven  children  : 

(i.)    Warren. 

(2;)  Ellen,  m.  Ebenezer  Balcom. 

(3.)   Caroline,  m.  John  Hall. 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  531 

(4.)  Harriet.      She    was   twice    m.,    (first)    to    George    Brown, 

(second)  to  William  Sprawl. 
(5.)  Israel,  d.  Sept.,  1871. 
(6.)  Avard. 
(7.)    William,  d.  young. 

5.  Susanna,  b.  Oct.  27,  1778,  m.  Jonathan  C.  Morse,  d.  Oct.  11, 
1842.  She  had  seven  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morse  d.  within 
two  weeks  of  each  other. 

(i.)  Edward.     (2.)  Israel.     (3.)  Eliza.     (4.)  Lucy. 
(5.)    Caroline.     (6.)  Minetta.     (7.)  Mary  Cecilia. 

6.  Israel,  b.  Sept  28,  1780,  m.  Mary  Bath,  who  d.  Nov.  29,  1842. 
He  d.  Nov.  29,  187 1.     He  had  nine  children  : 

(i.)    Tamer  Cecilia. 

(2.)  John  Bath.     He  was  keeper  of  the  penitentiary,  St.  Johns, 

N.  B.,  d.  1880. 
(3.)  Israel  James,  r.  Greenville,  Nova  Scotia  (1878).      He  had 

one  child:   i.  "Robert  Bath,"  b.  [1841,]  d.  Sept.  4,  1861. 
(4.)  Lucy  Ann,  m.  Delancy  Grenever. 
(5.)  Samuel  Charles,  b.  Oct.  3,  18 15,  m.  Eliza  Isabella  Fowler, 

r.  Greenville,  Nova  Scotia.     He   has   had    four  children  :    i . 

"Mary  Matilda,"  b.  Aug.  16,  1841  ;    2.  "William  Fletcher," 

b.  July,    1844;    3.  "Caroline   Eliza,"  b.  July    10,    1848;    4. 

"Anna  Gallandlet,"  b.  Feb.  18,  1852. 
(6.)  NehemiaJi  Fletcher,  b.  18 18,  d.  Feb.  24,  1844. 
(7.)  An  Infant,  who  lived  but  a  few  days,  unnamed. 
(8.)  Robert  Wesley,  b.  July  19,  182 1,  m.  Charlotte  Harris,  Nov. 

27,  1844,  r.  Grantville,  Nova  Scotia. 
(9.)  Mary  Elizabeth,  m.  John  Millbury  of  Digby,  Nova  Scotia. 

7.  DiADiMiA,  b.   Dec.    17,    1782,   m.  John  McNeal  of  Halifax,   a 
hatter  by  trade.     She  had  seven  children,  and  d.  June  2,  i860, 
(i.)   Israel,  r.  Newfoundland  (1872). 

(2.)   Henry,  d.  at  Halifax. 

(3.)   Diedem.     (4.)   Susan.      (5.)  Margaret.      (6.)   Warren. 

(7.)   Edward,  lost  at  sea. 

H.  Christina,  b.  March  20,  1785,  m.  John  Chesley,  lived  in  An- 
napolis county.  Nova  Scotia,  had  seven  children,  and  d.  May  9, 

1855. 

(i.)  Ambrose.     (2.)   Nelson.     (3.)  Benjamin. 

(4.)   Eliza,  m.  Allen  Morse. 

(5.)   Phebe.     (6.)  Diedem.     (7.)   Berthia. 

9.  Elizabeth,  b.  1788,111.  John  Tupper,  had  seven  children,  d. 
July  23,  1850. 

(i.)  Susan,  m.  Henry  Randall,  r.  Newburyport  (1878-). 
(2.)  Miner. 
(3.}  Marv  Eliza,  m.  Capt.  Peter  McRay,   r.  Bridgetown,   Nova 

Scotia  (1878). 
(4.)  Harriet,  m.  Edward  Foster. 
(5.)  Alvira,  m.  George  Murdock  of  Bridgetown,  Nova  Scotia. 


532  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(6.)  Israel,  was  drowned. 
(7.)  Mayhe7v. 

10.  Lucy,  b.  1 789,  d.  young. 

11.  Wesley,  b.  1794,  lost  at  sea  in  the  year  1818. 

12.  13.  14.  Triplets,  d.  unnamed. 

VIII.  NEHEMIAH,  b.  at  Groton,  Sept.  4,  1747,  m.  Miriam  Saw- 
tell  of  Shirley.  He  had  nine  children.  Two  birth-dates  have  been 
entered  upon  the  records  of  Shirley,  and  no  further  account  of  the 
family  can  be  given  in  these  pages. 

1.  Obadiah,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  3,  1773.      He  was  a   Quaker  by 
profession. 

2.  Miriam,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  9,  1774. 

IX.  MARY,  b.  at  Groton,  Nov.  4,  1749,  m.  John  Priest  of  Lancas- 
ter. She  was  removed  to  Westminster,  Vt.,  where  she  had  children, 
and  where  she  d.  March  22,  1822. 

X.  JOSHUA,  b.  at  Groton,  July  23,  1751,  m.  Bridget  Melvin  of 
Concord,  March  20,  1770.  She  was  the  youngest  daughter  of 
Eleazer  and  Mary  Melvin  of  Concord,  and  was  b.  Dec.  9,  1751.* 
They  passed  their  lives  in  Shirley,  where  he  d.  Nov.  7,  1814  ;  she 
d.  Feb.  27,  181 7.  Their  remains  were  interred  in  the  old  ceme- 
tery at  Shirley,  and  a  beautiful  marble  headstone  marks  the  place 
of  their  graves, — erected  by  a  grandson,  the  late  Samuel  Chase,  of 
Pepperell. 

The  different  members  of  the  Longley  families  had  a  general 
reputable  standing  in  this  town,  where  they  lived,  as  their  fathers 
had  in  the  town  where  they  were  born.  In  their  lives  was  pre- 
sented, it  is  true,  the  various  phases  of  character  that  belong  to  our 
common  humanity,  from  the  grave  to  the  gay,  and  from  the  mild 
to  the  severe  ;  yet  but  few  of  them  failed  to  appreciate  the  duties 
of  life,  and  to  discharge  these  duties  according  to  the  dictates  of 
a  well-regulated  conscience. 

But,  of  all  who  have  borne  that  name  in  Shirley,  Joshua,  (the 
tenth-born  of  William,  the  eldest  son  of  the  redeemed  captive, 
whose  family  register  is  here  under  consideration,)  was  the  most 
illustrious.  His  father  removed  from  Groton  to  Shirley  the  year  he 
was  born  ;  hence  his  childhood  and  boyhood  were  passed  at  that 
inauspicious  period  when  no  schools  existed  within  the  town.  Of 
course  he  almost  necessarily  grew  up  without  a  knowledge  of 
letters.  Tradition  saith  that  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  could  not 
write  or  even  read.  But  such  was  his  strength  of  intellect,  and 
such  the  bias  of 'his  inclinations,  that  he  could  not  see  an  honor- 
able and  useful  call  to  business,  beyond  the  reach  of  his  present 
ability,  without  an  effort  to  qualify  himself  for  the  calling.  He 
therefore  labored  with  an  assiduity  that  finds  no  immovable  obsta- 
cles in  the  way  of  success.     With  such  means  as  he  had  at  his 


*See  Appendix  BB. 


CO 

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GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  533 

command,  he  furnished  himself  with  that  kind  of  education  which 
the  exigence  of  his  situation  demanded,  and  devoted  his  acquire- 
ments to  the  best  possible  advantage  in  all  his  active  course,  giving 
his  mind  but  little  respite  until  its  purposes  were  effected. 

In  1780,  when  he  was  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  he  was 
appointed  a  selectman  of  the  town,  and  for  twenty-one  years  he 

was  re-appointed  to  the  same 
Gy*-</f  /  /^         important   official  station.      He 

JrOynyua  csUm^W^  was  the  town-clerk  for  fifteen 
//  u^       /       years,  and  was  a  civil  magistrate 

^  during  a   large    portion   of    his 

business  life.  He  was  also  called  to  discharge  legal  duties  of  a 
more  private  character,  such  as  solemnizing  marriages,  drawing 
business  instruments,  presiding  over  petit  courts  of  justice,  and 
thus  had  a  general  as  well  as  a  business  and  social  influence  which 
few  have  attained.  In  1775  he  was  a  volunteer  on  the  alarm  of 
the  19th  of  April. 

He  builded,  during  his  life,  two  large  dwelling-houses  after  the 
same  pattern  ;  they  were  of  the  largest  which  the  town  could  then 
boast.  They  were  faced  to  the  south,  and  neither  of  them  fronted 
upon  the  streets  on  which  they  were  located.  He  was  also  the  first 
occupant  of  the  only  water-privilege  within  the  town  upon  the 
Nashua  river,  where  he  builded  saw  and  corn-mills,  which  property 
soon  passed  to  the  hands  of  other  owners.  The  farm  dwellings, 
where  himself  and  family  usually  resided,  are  yet  all  standing,  in 
good  repair,  and  have  been  heliotyped  to  embellish  the  pages  of 
this  history. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Longley  was  almost  without  warning.  It  was 
a  fine  autumnal  afternoon,  and  the  voters  of  the  town  had  assem- 
bled for  a  public  business  meeting  in  the  old  church  ;  the  purpose 
of  which  meeting  was  to  take  into  consideration  the  situation  of 
Rev.  Phinehas  Whitney,  who  had  become,  permanendy,  an  invalid, 
and  to  relieve  him  of  a  part,  or  all,  of  his  ministerial  duties,  by  set- 
tling with  him  a  colleague.  The  meeting  had  proceeded  so  far  as 
to  resolve  upon  the  measure,  and  to  pass  a  vote  extending  an  invi- 
tation to  Rev.  William  Bascom,  then  of  Fitchburg,  to  fill  the 
position.  At  this  point  it  was  announced  that  Mr.  Joshua  Longley 
— who  was  in  his  usual  health,  as  far  as  any  that  were  there  had 
been  advised — was  dead,  having  just  expired  at  his  own  mansion, 
but  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away.  Whereupon,  Wallis  Little,  Esq., 
arose,  and,  after  expressing  a  surprise  at  the  suddenness  of  the 
event,  so  fruitful  of  regret  to  a  widespread  community,  and  after 
briefly  recounting  the  merits  of  the  deceased,  moved  an  adjourn- 
ment of  the  meeting,  and  a  general  suspension  of  business  until  the 
remains  of  their  distinguished  friend  and  fellow-townsman  should 
receive  the  rites  of  sepulture.  Joshua  Longley  had  eight  children, 
b.  at  Shirley. 

1.  LoviNA,  b.  May  9,  1771,  d.  Aug.  11,  1777. 

2.  Anne,  b.  Sept.  17,  1773,  d.  Aug.  9,  1777. 


584  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

3.  Anna,  b.  Aug.  20,  1776;  she  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Samuel 
Chase  of  Shirley,  April  3,  1795;  he  d.  at  Pepperell,  Nov.  6, 
1808;  she  m.,  (second)  William  Hall  of  Brookline,  N.  H.,  Oct. 
3,  1826,  and  d.  at  Hollis,  N.  H.,  June  6,  1866, 

4.  Stephen,  b.  Feb.  25,  1779  ;  he  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Rhoda, 
daughter  of  James  and  Sarah  (Dickerson)  Parker  of  Shirley,  Jan. 
7,  1798;  she  d.  Dec.  7,  1833;  ^e  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Nancy 
Butler  of  Shirley,  Nov.  11,  1840,  and  d.  July  17,  1847. 

Stephen  Longley  was  thirty-five  years  old  at  the  period  of  his 
father's  death,  and  was  well  entered  upon  that  course  of  activity 
which  was  continued  until  his  latter  years. 

Hitherto  he  acted  under  parental  supervision  ;  now  he  was 
ready  to  receive  and  wear  the  mantle  of  public  service,  which 

had  so  long  graced  the 
shoulders  of  his  hon- 
ored parent,  which  was 
readily  understood  by 
an  appreciative  constituency.     It  is  true  he  had  not  the  genius 
and  executive  ability  of  his  father,  and  yet  he  had  a  business 
talent  which  was  noted  and  improved  by  his  fellow-townsmen. 
He  held  the  office  of  selectman  for  six  years,  and  was  honored 
with  other  responsible  positions.     His  chief  excellence,  however, 
seemed  to  consist  of  an  ability  and  readiness  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  a   civil   magistrate.     These  duties  engaged  his  occa- 
sional attention  almost  as  long  as  he  lived. 

As  a  man  of  sympathetic  action  he  had  few  equals.  Wherever 
he  could  help  the  sick  and  suffering,  he  invariably  appeared  with 
a  tender  of  his  services.  In  181 6  a  fever  of  great  malignancy 
broke  out  in  a  family  that  occupied  what  was  afterward  the  town 
almshouse,  pervading,  to  some  extent,  the  entire  neighborhood, 
and  numbering  persons  of  different  ages  among  its  victims.  As 
the  sickness  was  considered  infectious,  many  people  were  kept 
by  their  fears  from  those  offices  of  charity  and  sympathy  of 
which  the  sufferers  stood  in  great  need.  Without  stopping  to 
consider  personal  danger,  he  entered  boldly  into  scenes  of  pain 
and  helplessness,  and,  day  after  day  and  night  after  night,  was 
found  at  his  post  of  duty  and  usefulness.  It,  however,  proved 
to  him  a  post  of  danger,  for  he  imbibed  the  infection,  and  after 
weeks  of  suffering,  under  which  he  was  brought  near  the  door  of 
death,  he  partially  recovered,  but  never  overcame  the  disability 
which  his  sickness  occasioned. 

His  later  years  were  troubled  with  pecuniary  difficulties,  arising 
from  losses  and  misfortune.  His  inability  to  meet  and  cancel 
his  liabilities  produced  a  regret  so  mortifying  and  repulsive  of 
his  better  nature  as  to  greatly  sadden  his  declining  years.  This 
was  a  state  of  mind  unknown  in  many  modern  bankruptcies, 
where  every  species  of  rascality  is  perpetrated  under  a  protec- 
tion of  legal  forms.  Mr.  Longley  had  six  children,  all  born  in 
Shirley. 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  535 

(i.)  Edmund,  b.  June  4,  1799.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Cynthia  Jones  of  Lancaster,  pub.  April  4,  1819  ;  she  d.  Sept. 
4,  1838;  he  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Adeline  Stevens  of  Groton, 
pub.  Aug.  25,  1840;  he  d.  June  13,  1844.  He  had  five  chil- 
dren, b.  at  Shirley:  i.  "Sarah  Parker  Jones,"  b.  Sept.  26, 
1819,  d.  March  i,  1836.  2.  "Cynthia  Ann,"  b.  Oct.  4,  1824, 
ni.  Henry  Edgarton  of  Shirley,  July  23,  1844,  r.  Shirley  (1883), 
3.  "  Malvina  Amanda,"  b.  May  4,  1830,  m.  Albert  Butler  of 
Shirley,  Nov.  27,  1849,  d.  Aug.  26,  1865  ;  she  had  three  chil- 
dren :  I.  Carrie  Isabel,  b.  at  New  Castle,  Del.,  March  19, 
1856,  d.  Sept.  7,  1856;  2.  Hattie  May,  b.  at  New  Castle, 
March  12,  1858,  d.  May  14,  1866  ;  3.  Genie  Anna,  b.  at  New 
Castle,  Nov,  22,  i860.  4.  "Jane  A.,"  b.  July  25,  1833,  m. 
Charles  A.  Edgarton  of  Shirley,  June  17,  1852,  r.  Shirley 
(1883).  5.  "Josephine,"  b.  May  30,  1838,  d.  Aug.  7,  1838. 
(2.)  Stephen  Melvin,  b.  Aug.  11,  1802,  m.  Mary  F.  Gfbson  of 
Lunenburg,  Dec.  31,  1832.  He  conducted  the  noble  farming 
establishment  which  had  been  in  the  family  for  the  two  pre- 
ceding generations,  and  which  is  now  in  the  possession  of  his 
children  (1883).      He  d.  Aug.  16,  i860. 

It  is  seldom  that  three  successive  generations,  of  the  same 
family,  can  each  produce  a  representative  competent  to  serve 
the  public  in  official  positions  and  give  satisfaction  in  that 
service  ;  but  such  was  the  case  with  the  Longleys,  whose  reg- 
istry is  here  given.  Stephen  M.  Longley  walked  in  the  steps 
of  his  grandfather  and  of  his  father,  without  intending  it, 
as  a  town  official  and  private  adviser.  He  was  chosen  a 
selectman  on  five  occasions,  and  in  1834  he  was  appointed 
treasurer  of  the  town. 

He  gave  all  subjects  submitted  for  his  examination,  a  care- 
ful consideration,  and  acted  according  to  the  convictions  of  a 
mature  understanding,  not  often  finding  reason  to  cancel  or 
modify  his  opinions.  He  died,  as  some  other  members  of  his 
family  had  done,  of  consumption.  For  several  years  previous 
to  his  death  he  was,  more  or  less,  under  the  influence  of  this 
malady.  It  preyed  upon  his  constitution,  paralyzed  his 
strength,  benumbed  his  spirits,  and  suspended  physical  action, 
so  that  he  was  unable  to  continue  those  private  engagements 
and  public  duties  to  which  his  life  had  been  devoted.  His 
domestic  relations  were  of  a  tender  character,  and  so  esteemed 
was  his  position  in  his  family,  that  his  death,  though  long  pre- 
meditated, produced  a  shock  afflicting  to  witness,  and  hard  to 
overcome. 

Mr.  Longley  had  eight  children  :  i.  "Charles  Albert,"  b.  at 
Shirley,  Aug.  7,  1834,  m.  Hannah  Powers  of  Shirley,  May  5, 
1855,  r.  Shirley  (1883)  ;  he  has  had  three  children  :  i.  Lilly 
M.,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  18,  1858  ;  2.  Charles  C,  b.  at  Shirley, 
Dec.  25,  1859  ;  3.  Alice  G.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  24,  1862.  2. 
"Stephen  Webster,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  i,  1836,  m.  Sara  E. 
Sylvester  of  Tovvnsend,  Dec.  11,  1867,  d.  at  Wilkesbarre,  Pa., 
Sept.  I,  1872  ;  he  had  three  children:   i.  Frank  Lester,  b.  at 


536  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Newfield,  N.  J.,  Sept.  19,  1868;  2.  Welcome  Hathaway,  b.  at 
Newfield,  July  16,  1870;  3.  Stephen  Laroy,  b.  at  Shirley, 
Dec.  13,  1872;  his  widow  r.  Shirley  (1883).  3.  "Nelson 
Parker,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  18,  1838,  d.  Aug.  24,  1838.  4. 
"Mary  Maria,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  9,  1839.  5-  "Ellen  Eliza," 
b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  10,  1842,  d.  May  27,  1866.  6.  "Clara 
Melissa,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  i,  1845,  m.  Gilbert  M.  Ballou  of 
Shirley,  Nov.  25,  1878,  r.  Shirley  (1883).  7.  "Melvin  Whit- 
temore,"  b.  in  Shirley,  Feb.  2,  1849.  8.  "  Marette  Frances," 
b.  at  Shirley,  June  17,  1853. 

(3.)  Rhoda  Maria,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  19,  1805,  m.  Nathaniel 
Holden,  Jr.,  pub.  July  21,  1822,  d.  Oct.,  1831. 

(4.)  Anna,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  22,  181 1,  m.  Joseph  Hazen  of 
Shirley,  June  30,  1825,  r.  Shirley  (1883). 

(5.)  James  Parker,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  13,  18 14,  m.  Lucy  Chap- 
lin of  Shirley,  Dec.  15,  1835.  He  r.  in  Shirley  (1883).  Since 
the  first  pages  of  this  volume  went  to  press  the  wife  of  M^r. 
Longley  has  been  called  to  her  final  resting-place.  She  d.  May 
15,  1882.  Home  is  a  blessed  institution,  and  especially  so 
when  presided  over  by  one  possessing  the  quiet,  orderly  and 
industrious  habits  and  persevering  energy  which  characterized 
Mrs.  Longley.  She  maintained  a  consistent  character  in  all 
the  relations  of  life.  She  attended  faithfully  to  the  wants  of 
her  own  household,  meeting  the  requirements  of  husband, 
children  and  friends,  as  they  came  to  her  notice,  while  at  the 
same  time  the  social  duties  due  to  kindred,  acquaintances  and 
strangers  outside  the  family  circle,  were  not  left  undone. 
Wherever  she  cast  her  eyes  the  beams  of  peace  and  encour- 
agement went  forth  to  gladden  all  around  ;  and,  if  it  can  be 
said  that  any  one  has  lived  a  Christian  life  and  died  a  Christian 
death,  that  surely  may  be  said  of  Mrs.  James  P.  Longley. 
They  had  two  children  :   i.  "Savillion,"  b.  at  Shirley,  July  7, 

1841,  r.  Shirley  (1883),  unm. ;  2.  "Harriman,"  b.  at  Shirley, 
Aug.  19,  1843,  "^-  Sarah  Eliza  Brown  of  Fitchburg,  March  i, 
1877,  r.  Shirley  (1883). 

(6.)  Lydia,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  15,  18 19,  d.  March  25,  1827. 

5.  Lavina,  b.  Aug.  15,  1781,  m.  Abel  Tarbel  of  Groton,  Jan.   31, 
1802,  d.  at  Groton,  Oct.  i,  1808. 

(!.  LuciNDA,   b.  March  30,   1785,  m.  John   Little  of   Peterboro', 
N.  H.,  pub.  Aug.  27,  1809,  d.  at  Peterboro',  Sept.  13,  1850. 

7.  RuFUS,    b.  Sept.   2,   1788,   m.  Margaret  Bartlett  of   Haverhill, 
Nov.  5,  181 9,  settled  at  Haverhill  as  a  physician,  and  practised 
his  profession  in  that  town  until  his  death,  which  occurred  there 
March  12,  1855.     He  had  four  children,  all  b.  at  Haverhill, 
(i.)  Margaret    E.,    b.    Dec.    22,    1820,  d.  at    Haverhill,   Nov., 

1842,  unm. 

(2.)    William  Rufus,  b.  Dec.  26,  1822,  d.  at  San  FVancisco,  Cal., 

June  23,  1863,  unm. 
(3.)   Caroline  H.,  b.  Aug.  13,  1826,  r.  Haverhill,  unm.  (1878.) 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  537 

(4.)  James  Henry,  b.   Oct.  8,   1828,  d.  at   California,  June  6, 
1858. 

Margaret,  the  widow  of  Dr.  Rufus  Longley,  r.  Haverhill  (1878). 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Hon.  Bailey  Bartlett,  and  belonged  to  a 
family  of  fifteen  children,  five  sons  and  ten  daughters.  She, 
and  one  sister  and  two  brothers,  are  all  that  now  live.  She  is  in 
the  enjoyment  of  a  green  old  age,  in  good  health,  and  in  the 
eighty-eighth  year  of  her  life. 

8.  LvDiA,  b.  May  20,  1792,  d.  Jan.  5,  1795. 

XL  JAMES,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  4,  1753,  m.  Molly  Bartlett  of 
Northborough ;  she  d.  Aug.  27,  1831  ;  he  r.  in  Boylston  during 
his  active  life,  and  d.  in  that  town,  Jan.  14,  1837. 

As  the  father  of  Mr.  Longley  had  a  large  family,  he  was  forced, 
in  very  early  boyhood,  to  cast  his  lot  among  strangers,  and,  at 
length,  found  a  home  in  the  town  of  Northborough,  and  was  bound 
to  the  service  of  Samuel  Gamble,  a  resident  of  that  town  and  by 
trade  a  carpenter. 

According  to  the  custom  of  the  time  he  was  to  remain  with  his 
guardian  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  then  receive  a 
written  discharge  which  was  a  testimonial  of  freedom.  During  his 
residence  with  Mr.  Gamble,  he  did  not  receive  a  day's  schooling, 
was  very  coarsely  and  inefficiently  clad,  and  was  subjected  to -in- 
conveniences and  disabilities  that  were  hard  to  be  borne,  and  that 
would  not  have  been  tolerated  at  a  later  period  of  our  history. 
He  went  on  bravely,  however,  bearing  his  ordinary  and  extraordi- 
nary burdens,  until  he  passed  the  season  of  his  minority,  and 
became  his  own  master. 

He  soon  obtained  a  position  with  the  proprietor  of  a  hotel  in 
Northborough,  and  arranged  with  a  private  teacher  to  assist  him  in 
acquiring  a  knowledge  of  letters.  He  commenced  as  the  child 
does,  with  the  alphabet,  but  passed  rapidly  along  through  the 
primary  departments  of  study,  and  did  not  dismiss  his  teacher 
until  he  had  learned  to  read,  write,  and  solve  the  problems  in 
common  arithmetic.  With  this  beginning  he  became  a  student  for 
life,  giving  special  attention  to  those  branches  of  instruction  that 
qualify  for  the  duties  of  social  and  business  enterprise. 

In  after  life  he  received  the  appointment  of  selectman  and 
assessor  for  a  long  series  of  years.  He  was  also  the  commander 
of  the  militia  of  his  town  during  the  usual  term  of  such  appoint- 
ments. He  was  for  nearly  half  a  century  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  for  several  years  represented  his  town  in  the  state  legislature. 

He  had  passed  his  years  of  minority  before  the  American  Rev- 
olution had  produced  a  war ;  and  he  at  once  threw  himself  into 
the  struggle,  that  he  might  assist  in  securing  the  independence  of 
his  country.  He  was  at  first  a  mariner  under  Commodore  Moody, 
and  made  several  successful  cruises.  He  afterward  joined  the  land 
forces,  and  was  in  that  dangerous  retreat  from  Long  Island,  under 
General  Sullivan.  He  was  in  the  battle  that  captured  Burgoyne. 
Near   the  close  of  the  war  he  settled  in  his   home   in   Boylston, 


538  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

which  proved  a  hfe  settlement ;  yet  he  held  a  commission  under 
General  Lincoln  for  the  suppression  of  the  Shays  rebellion  in  1787, 
and  was  in  that  night  march  from  Hadley  to  Petersham,  through  a 
blinding  storm  of  snow. 

During  the  last  years  of  his  life  he  was  cheered  by  the  recep- 
tion of  a  pension  from  government.  He  lived  long  and  saw  many 
good  days,  and  was  one  of  whom  his  friends  could  say,  "  He  hath 
had  neither  a  vain  nor  useless  existence."  Mr.  Longley  had  eleven 
children  : 

1.  Otis,  b.  Dec,   8,    1784,   m.   Lydia  Patch  of  Worcester,   May, 
1827,  d.  March  21,  1848.     He  was  b.,  lived  and  d.  at  his  pater- 
nal home  in  Boylston.     He  had  six  children,  all  b.  at  Boylston. 
(i.)  Joseph  Lyon,  b.  March  9,  1828,  m.  Ann  Bussell  of  Lawrence, 
Nov.  12,  1853,  r.  Wright  county,  Iowa  ;  has  had  four  children  : 
I.  "Otis  M.,"  b.   Dec.    18,    1856;    2.  "Charles   Edwin,"   b. 
May  21,  1859;    3.  "  Henry  Wilton,"   b.  March   17,   1862,  d. 
March  30,  1868;  4.  "Lydia  Mabel,"  b.  Nov.  8,  1869. 
(2.)  James  B.,  b.  Sept.  11,   1830,  m.  Caroline  E.  Lawrence  of 
West  Brookfield,  Feb.  9,  1853.     He  has  had  two  children  :   i. 
"Alice  Maria,"  b.  Aug.  27,  1854,  m.   Franklin   E.  Adams  of 
Rutland,  Vt,  Feb.  4,   1875,  r.  Waltham  (1882);    2.  "Emma 
E.,"  b.  Oct.  26,  1856. 
{3.)  Jane  C,  h.  Feb.  24,  1833,  d.  Aug.  23,  1859,  unm. 
(4.)  Jo/in  B.,  b.  May  4,  1835,  ^-  ^^  the  house  of  Joseph  L.,  in 

Iowa,  Feb.  4,  1873,  unm. 
(5.)  Granville  A.,  b.  Dec.  20,  1837,  m.  Elizabeth  L.  Bufifington 
of  Warren,  R.  I.,  June  6,  1864,  r.  Worcester  (1878).  He  has 
had  five  children  ;  i.  "Granville  A.,"  b.  Sept.  23,  1867;  2. 
"Bertha  E.,"  b.  April  3,  1870;  3.  "Hester  M.,"  b.  Aug.  11, 
1872;  4.  "  Henry  K.,"  b.  Nov.  i,  1874,  d.  Sept.  17,  1878; 
5.  "Mary  B.,"  b.  April  29,  1878. 
(6.)  Henry  G.,  b.  Oct.  18,  1841,  m.  Sarah  E.  Withinson  of  Wor- 
cester, Sept.  I,  1862,  d.  of  malarial  fever  at  Newbern,  N.  C, 
Feb.  24,  1863,  a  soldier  in  the  rebel  war. 

'2.  Mary,  b.  Feb.  18,  1786,  m.  Deacon  Abijah  Flagg  of  Boylston, 
Feb.  18,  1808,  who  d.  Dec.  22,  1850.  She  had  seven  children, 
all  b.  at  Boylston,  where  she  d.  March  3,  1863. 
(i.)  William  Frederick,  b.  April  2,  1808.  He  has  been  twice 
m.,  (first)  to  Sarah  Walker  of  Natick,  Feb.  13,  1832  ;  she  d. 
at  Bloomington,  111.,  Dec.  22,  1858  ;  he  m.  (second)  Margaret 
Catherine  Ryburn.  He  went  to  the  western  states  in  early 
life,  and  his  residence  is  still  there.  He  has  had  ten  children  : 
I.  "Edward  Payson,"  b.  Jan.  26,  1834  or  1835,  m.  Anna 
LaRice  of  Bloomington,  111.,  Oct.  i,  1861.  He  has  three 
children:  i.  Emma  Walker ;  2.  Mary  Elizabeth  ;  3.  x\nother 
daughter.  2.  "William,"  b.  Sept.,  1836,  d.  Sept.,  1837.  3. 
"William  Abijah,"  b.  Oct.  11,  1838,  is  m.,  and  lives  in  the 
southern  part  of  Illinois.  4.  "  Henry  Harrison,"  b.  Feb., 
1840,  d.  March,  1840.  5.  "Eugene  Emery,"  b.  Feb. 
26,  1842,  d.  in  California, "March  11,  1874,  unm.     6.  "Sarah 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  539 

Walker,"  b.  Dec.  22,  1844,  m.  Walter  M.  Bell  of  Blooming- 
ton,  III,  May  22,  1867  ;  she  has  had  three  children  :  i.  Wil- 
liam ;  2.  Eugene  Emlen  ;  3.  Another  son,  b.  Jan.,  1873.  7. 
"Frances  Emily,"  b.  Feb.  26,  1847,  m.  Thomas  P.  Phillips  of 
Bloomington,  Nov.  9,  1869,  had  one  child:  i.  William,  b. 
1871.  8.  "George  Lowell,"  b.  Oct.  i,  1849,  d.  Dec.  3,  1855. 
9.  "  W.  Frederick,"  b.  July  22,  1864,     10.  "Cora,"  b.  Jan.  4, 

1873. 

(2.)  Montraville,  b.  Jan.  31,  1810,  m.  Parney  Parker  Houghton 
of  Boylston,  Dec.  17,  1834,  r.  Boylston,  on  a  farm  lately 
owned  by  his  father.  He  has  had  nine  children  :  i.  "Lyman 
Munson,"  b.  March  17,  1836,  d.  Dec.  9,  1841.  2.  "Ellen 
Sanford,"  b.  Dec.  24,  1837,  m.  Dr.  George  W.  Warren,  and  is 
his  second  wife.  3.  "Cornelia  Ann,"  b.  Oct.  5,  1839,  d.  Dec. 
19,  1841.  4.  "Estus  Abijah,"  b.  Sept.  3,  1841,  d.  Jan.  12, 
1842.  5.  "Cornelia,"  b.  Jan.  6,  1843,  d.  Sept.  12,  1844,  6. 
"Rebecca  Moore,"  b.  Feb.  24,  1844;  a  widow,  without  chil- 
dren (1878),      7.  "Julietta  Naomi,"    b.  Sept.   27,   1846;    8. 

"Montraville,"  b.  Aug.  24,   1849,  m. Flagg,  and  has 

one  child  (1878).  9.  "Charles  Abijah,"  b.  Oct.  13,  1850,  d. 
Jan.  13,  1851. 

(3.)  NaJium  b.  July  15,  181 1,  m.  Hannah  Bracket  Wilson  of 
Worcester.     He  had  two  children  :   i.  "Jonathan  Wilson,"  b. 

May  3,  1840,  m. Andrews  of  Boylston,  who  has  d. ;  r. 

Worcester,  a  widower  (1878).  2.  "  Emma  Elizabeth,"  b.  Sept. 
27,  1842. 

(4.)  Israel  Longky,  b.  July  13,  1813,  d.  June  17,  181 7. 

(5.)   Abijah,  b.  May  20,  1815. 

(6.)  John  Dexter,  b.  Aug.  3,  181 7,  m.  Elizabeth  Davenport  of 
Boylston,  March  15,  1840,  r.  Boylston  (1878).  He  has  had 
six  children  :  i.  "  Estella  Viola,"  b.  Dec.  26,  1843.  ,  2.  "Har- 
riet Elizabeth,"  b.  Nov.  4,  1846.  3.  "George  Abijah,"  b. 
May  16,  1848.  4.  "Mary  Maria,"  b.  March  18,  1850.  5. 
"John  Dexter,"  b.  Oct.  15,  1815,  d.  July  25,  1853.  6.  "John 
Nathaniel,"  b.  Oct.,  1854. 

(7.)  Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  Sept.  17,  1823,  m.  Edwin  Stewart  of 
Amherst,  April  i,  1849,  r.  New  York,  N.  Y.  She  has  had  five 
children  :  i.  "Edwin  Abijah,"  b.  at  Oakham,  Dec.  9,  1849,  d. 
at  New  York,  Aug.  30,  1853.  2.  "Frederick  James,"  b. 
Nov.  19,  1851,  d.  March  18,  1856.  3.  "Frank  Hubert,"  b. 
at  New  York,  March  12,  1854,  d.  May  3,  1861.  4.  "Jessie 
Fremont,"  b.  at  New  York,  Dec.  25,  1855.  5.  "Merrett 
Lugar,"  b.  at  New  York,  Feb.  25,  i860. 

,  Jonas,    b.  Nov.   11,   1787,    m.   Susan  Smith  of  Northborough, 
Dec.  22,   1 81 2.     He  d.  at  Westborough,  Jan.   31,    1866.     His 
widow  d.  April  14,  1870.     He  had  four  children  : 
(i.)  James  Alfred,  b.  Jan.  6,    1814,  m.    Harriet  A.   Parker  of 
Southborough,  Nov.  i,  1843,  d.  at  Southborough,  March   8, 
1 86 1.     He  was  a  carpenter  and  architect.     He  had  five  chil- 
dren :   I.  "  Harriet  Elizabeth,"  b.   at   Westborough,   Oct.    28, 


540  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

1845  ;  she  m.  Irving  E.  Lewis  of  Westborough,  r.  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.  (1878).  2.  "George  Allston,"  b.  Dec.  31,  1847,  m. 
Julia  L.  Mirick  of  West  Brookfield,  Oct.  6,  1870.  3.  "  Ella 
Ada,"  b.  May  3,  1850.  4.  "Arthur  Edgar,"  b.  Feb.  22, 
1853.     5.  "Herbert  Parker,"  b.  Feb.  12,  1856. 

(2.)  Susan  Bartlett,  b.  May  13,  1818,  m.  Ansel  Lakin  of  Wor- 
cester, Sept.  12,  1853,  and  d.  at  Westborough,  June  i,  1877. 

(3.)  Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  Dec.  16,  18 19,  m.  Benjamin  Bayley 
Nourse  of  Westborough,  Oct.  19,  1843.  She  has  always  r. 
at  Westborough,  and  has  had  six  children  :  i.  "Henry  Bing- 
ham," b.  Feb.  26,  1850.  2.  "Frank  Longley,"  b.  Feb.  i, 
1852,  d.  Aug.,  1868.  3.  "Walter  Bayley,"  b.  Nov.  5,  1853. 
4.  "Emma  Susan,"  b.  Nov.  25,  1855.  5.  "Edward  Solon," 
b.  Nov.  25,  1855,  d.  Jan.  18,  1856.  6.  "Edward  Solon,"  b. 
May  8,  1859,  d.  Aug.  18,  1859. 

(4.)  Charles  Otis,  b.  July  20,  1824,  m.  Nov.  i,  1859,  Adaliza 
Merriam  Keyes  of  Westborough,  r.  Westborough  (1878),  and 
has  had  four  children,  all  b.  at  Westborough:  i.  "Mary 
Smith,"  b.  Dec.  11,  1850.  2.  "Ellen  Monroe,"  b.  June  22, 
1856.  3.  "Alfred  Henry,"  b.  Sept.  27,  1863.  4.  "Anna 
Brigham,"  b.  March  4,  1866. 

4.  Jonathan,  b.  June  21,  1789.  He  was  never  m.,  and  was  by 
profession  a  clergyman.  He  d.  at  the  house  of  his  brother-in- 
law,  Mr.  Joseph  Dudley,  Jan.  26,  1850.  The  following  notice 
of  him  was  written  by  Rev.  George  Allen  of  Worcester  : 

"  Mr.  Longley  was  a  man  of  strong  mind,  sound  learning,  and 
solid  worth,  with  more  modesty  than  was  convenient  for  him- 
self, and  therefore  more  merit  than  could  be  appreciated  by 
many  others.  Having  known  him  much  from  his  boyhood  on- 
ward through  life,  we  speak  with  the  more  freedom  and  the 
firmer  confidence.  He  had  an  every-day  conscience  pervading 
all  his  conduct.  A  more  reliable  man  is  not  often  found.  He 
had  much  more  and  better  scholarship  than  is  the  possession  of 
most  professional  men,  for  more  than  most  he  loved  learning 
and  was  patient  of  thought.  He  entered  Harvard  University  in 
1811,  and  took  a  high  stand  in  the  class  of  Sparks,  Palfrey, 
Francis,  Parsons,  Harris  and  others  well  known  for  their  attain- 
ments in  learning,  but  from  a  failure  of  pecuniary  means,  was 
compelled  through  life  to  regret  his  uncompleted  liberal  educa- 
tion. 

"  He  studied  theology  with  the  Rev.  Dr.  Emmons,  by  whom 
he  was  much  esteemed,  and  afterwards  was  principal  of  several 
respectable  academies,  in  this  state  and  New  York.  His  famil- 
iarity with  Jewish  and  American  history,  political  and  ecclesias- 
tical, was  such  as  many  would  covet,  but  few  really  possess.  His 
memory  was  more  like  a  book  than  that  of  any  man  we  have 
known.  It  was  surprisingly  and  conscientiously  accurate.  With 
a  multitude  of  opportunities  to  test  his  knowledge  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, we  can  think  of  no  instance  when  he  needed  any  other 
concordance  than  his  own  memory,  whether  the  passage  cited 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  541 

•or  inquired  for  was  in  the  Old  or  New  Testament,  and  whether 
doctrinal,  perceptive,  historical,  or  what  not.  Probably,  in  this 
respect,  to  no  man  in  New  England,  in  his  day,  could  these 
lines  in  the  quaint  epitaph  on  John  Cotton  be  so  truly  applied : 

'A  living,  breathing  Bible;  tables  where 
Both  covenants  at  large  engraven  were. 
Gospel  and  law  in  's  heart  had  each  a  column ; 
His  head  an  index  to  the  sacred  volumn.' 

"  He  read  his  Bible,  not  so  much  to  remember  its  words  as  to 
understand  its  truths  and  keep  them  in  his  heart.  He  of  course 
died  as  he  lived, — a  good  man." 

5.  James,  b.  June  22,  1791,  d.  June  10,  1793. 

6.  Israel,  b.  Nov.  21,  1792,  d.  June  6,  1793. 

7.  James,  b.  Sept,  3,  1794,  m.  Sally  Eustice  of  Boston,  July  3 
1838.  Mr,  Longley  lived  upon  his  father's  farm  in  Boylston  till 
about  1 8 14,  when  finding  his  health  not  sufficiently  firm  for  farm 
work,  he  went  to  Boston  and  was  for  a  short  time  engaged  at  the 
pottery  works  in  East  Cambridge,  on  the  site  of  the  present 
manufactory  of  the  New  England  Glass  Company.  Afterwards 
he  was  in  a  grocery  store  on  Leverett  street.  He  then  went 
as  a  clerk  to  the  Commercial  Coffee  House,  then  located  on 
the  northeast  corner  of  Milk  and  Batterymarch  streets,  remain- 
ing there  till  he  became  its  proprietor,  and  retiring  from  it  about 
1836;  from  which  time  he  was  not  engaged  in  active  business. 

He  served  his  fellow-citizens  in  a  variety  of  positions.  Being 
extensively  interested  in  manufacturing'  corporations,  he  often 
acted  as  a  director  in  these  institutions,  and  he  was  twice  elected 
on  the  board  of  aldermen.  His  health,  never  very  strong,  was 
by  care  and  prudence  preserved  and  sustained  in  such  manner 
that  he  was  seldom  confined  to  his  house  by  illness,  during  the 
last  thirty  years  of  his  life. 

Though  his  life  was  not  marked  with  more  than  ordinary 
action,  he  was  somewhat  widely  known  and  respected  by  his 
associates,  who  had  regard  for  his  judgment,  and  often  solicited 
his  advice.  Mr,  Longley  d.  at  Boston,  Jan,  13,  1867.  He  had 
two  children  : 

(i.)  Jatttes,  b.  at  Boston,  Jan,  13,  1840,  m.  Julia  Frances  Rob- 
inson of  Boston,  Oct.  24,  1866,  r.  Boston  (1879). 
(2,)   Theodore,  b.  at  Boston,  Aug,  8,  1841,  d,  March  3,  1843. 

8.  Israel,  b.  Nov.  8,  1795,  d,  Nov,  30,  181 2. 

t),  Betsey,  b.  May  28,  1799,  m,  Daniel  Barnes  of  Berlin,  in  which 
town  she  afterward  resided  while  her  husband  lived,  who  d.  Nov. 
6,  1854.  She  had  ten  children,  all  b,  at  Berlin.  Her  present 
residence  is  Boylston  (1879). 

(i.)  Mary  Sophia,  b.  June  12,  1822,  m.  Oliver  Carter  of  Berlin, 
Feb.,  1849.  She  has  had  four  children:  i,  "Mary  Dillay," 
b,  Nov.  28,  1849  ;   2.  "Samuel  Marshall,"  b.  March  4,  1851  ; 


542  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

3.    "Julia,"  b.   Oct.   30,    1853;     4.    "Ernest    Merriam,"    b. 
March  8,  1858. 

(2.)  Caroline  Elizabeth,  b.  Aug.  16,  1823,  m.  Levi  Lincoln 
Flagg  of  Boylston,  April  2,  1848.  She  is  a  widow  (1879), 
has  had  eight  children:  i.  "Eleanor  Elizabeth,"  b.  Jan.  3, 
1849;  2.  "Christopher  Lincoln,"  b.  June  23,  1850;  3. 
"Arthur,"  b.  Oct.  30,  185 1  ;  4.  "Joseph  Walter,"  b.  Aug.  14, 
1853;  5-  "George,"  b.  June  14,  1855;  6.  "Alice  Jane,"  b. 
June  7,  1857;  7.  "Jenny  L.,"  b.  May  9,  1859;  8.  "Mary 
Martha,"  b.  Dec.  11,  i860. 

(3.)  Israel  Longley,  b.  May  19,  1825,  m.  Martha  Maria  Bates  of 
Sutton,  May  11,  1869.  He  has  had  one  child:  i.  "Betsey 
Maria,"  b.  March  9,  1870. 

(4.)  Angenette,  b.  Dec.  10,  1826,  m.  Levi  Edward  Brigham  of 
Boylston,  April  i,  1849,  ^'""^  has  had  five  children  (1878)  :  i. 
"Edwin  Lawson,"  b.  Sept.,  18515  2.  "Daniel  Webster,"  b. 
July,  1854;  3.  "Ella  Jeanette,"  b.  July,  1857;  4.  "Isadore," 
b.  July,  1859  ;  5.  "Dolly  Ann,"  b.  July  13,  i860. 

(5.)  Rowena,  b.  Oct.  21,  1828,  m.  Charles  Whitcomb,  .April  17, 
1849,  ^vho  d.  at  Boylston,  April  16,  i860.  She  has  had  six 
children:  i.  "Oscar  Luke,"  b.  Oct.  4,  1851;  2.  "Mary 
Elizabeth,"  b.  May  30,  1853;  3.  "  Hannah  Sophia,"  b.  May 
14,  1854;  4.  " Fanny  Maria,"  b.  Jan.  13,  1856;  5.  "Lucy 
Ellen,"  b.  Sept.  11,  1858  ;  6.  "Mary  Jane,  b.  Feb.  2,  i860. 

(6.)  George  Henry,  b.  Dec.  18,  1833,  m.  Eliza  Ann  Bachelor  of 
Upton,  May  11,  1859,  r.  Berlin  (1879),  had  four  children  :  i. 
"Mary  Imogenia,"  b.  Oct.  22,  i860,  d.  Dec.  10,  1874;  2. 
"John  Henry,"  b.  April  26,  1864;  3,  "Lucy  Sophia,"  b. 
Nov.,  1865  ;  4.  "George  Daniel,"  b.  Dec.  25,  1868. 

(7.)  Hannah  Jane,  b.  Aug.  10,  1835,  m.  Samuel  H.  Hastings  of 
Berlin,  Jan.  i,  1854.  She  has  had  two  children  :  i.  "Matilda 
Jane,"  b.  Sept.,  1855  ;  2.  "Lunetta  Maria,"  b.  Dec.  30.  1858. 

(8.)  Martha,  b.  March  30,  1837,  unm.  (1879.) 

(9.)  Asenath  Moore,  b.  July  25,  1839,  m.  John  Francis  Bartlett, 
Nov.  9,  1859.  She  has  had  five  children:  i.  "Frank,"  b. 
Sept.  13,  i860;  2.  "Inez  May,"  b.  Aug.  2,  1862,  d.  April  13, 
1869;  3.  "Julia  A.,"  b.  July  18,  1865;  4.  "Solon,"  b.  April 
13,  1867;  5.  "John,"  b.  April  12,  1869. 

(10.)  David,  b.  Oct.  19,  1842,  m.  Miranda  Parker  of  Boylston. 

10.  Parker,  b.  Nov.  22,  1800,  m.  Lydia  D.  Green  of  North- 
borough,  April  3,  1832,  d.  May  2,  i860.  His  widow  d.  at 
Boylston,  Oct.  9,  1877.  He  had  four  children,  all  b.  at 
Boylston  : 

(i.)  Edivin,  b.  Oct.  3,  1833,  d.  Oct.  17,  1833. 
(2.)  Edwin  Era?tklin,  b.  Aug.  29,  1834,  m.  Emily  Stephenson 
of  Northborough,  Jan.  19,  1856.  He  has  had  three  children  : 
I.  "Nellie  Anna,"  b.  Sept.  4,  1857,  d.;  2.  "Edwin  Frank- 
lin," b.  Nov.  19,  1858,  d.  F'eb.  17,  1859;  3.  "Charles 
Herbert,"  b.  Dec.  28,  i860. 
(3.)    Charles  Israel,  b.  April  12,  1837. 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  543 

(4.)  Asahel  Parker,  b.  Nov.  11,  1840,  r.  Marlborough  (1878). 

11.  Lois,  b.  May  26,  1805,  m.  Joseph  Dudley,  April  29,  1829,  who 

d.  Feb.  25,  1866,  a  very  worthy  man,  and  his  death  was  much 

lamented.      Mrs.  Dudley  is  a  widow,    r.    Northbridge  (1878), 

where  her  children  were  b.     She  had  ten  children  : 

(i.)  Eliza  Ann,  b.  Sept.  13,  1830,  d.  July  3,  1832. 

(2.)  James  Edward,  b.  Sept.  13,  1832,  d.  at  Northbridge,  May 
10,  1866. 

(3,)  Mary  Eliza,  b.  Jan.  23,  1834,  d.  Jan.  6,  1836. 

(4.)  Charles  Joseph,  b.  Jan.  13,  1836,  m.  Mary  W.  Dudley  of 
Sutton,  March  20,  1878,  r.  Northbridge  (1878). 

(5.)  Ellen  Abbie,  b.  Feb.  28,  1838,  m.  Perley  Goddard  of  Graf- 
ton, Feb.  28,  1864,  r.  Grafton  (1878).  She  has  had  six 
children:  i.  "Emma,"  b.  Dec.  21,  1864;  2.  "Nellie,"  b. 
Oct.  23,  1866,  d.  Jan.  27,  1867;  3.  "Joseph  Dudley,"  b. 
April  28,  1868;  4.  "Lilhe  Mabel,"  b.  March  14,  1870;  5. 
"Edwin  Perley,"  b.  March  27,  1872;  6.  "Ella  Frances,"  b. 
Nov.  I,  1874. 

(6.)  Jane  Augusta,  b.  Dec.  12,  1839,  d.  May,  1845. 

(7.)  Edwin  Augustus,  b.  June  9,  1842,  d.  Feb.  5,  1845. 

(8.)  Emma  Ruth,  b.  June  25,  1844,  d.  Nov.  12,  1853. 

(9.)  Edwin  Augustine,  b.  May  29,  1846,  d.  Sept.  11,  1849. 

(10.)  Francis  Seth,  b.  Dec.  17,  1848,  unm.  (1878.) 

IX.     ABIGAIL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  i,  1755,  d.  Oct.,  1758. 

ILonfllfg,  JJOt)W)  ^  brother  of  William,  and  a  son  of  Dea.  John 
Longley  of  Groton,  the  redeemed  captive,  (John,^  John,'*  William,'" 
William,^  Richard.^)  He  was  b.  at  Groton,  Jan.  6,  17 10,  and  was  the 
second  of  the  three  brothers  that  removed  from  Groton  and  settled 
in  Shirley,  in  1751.  His  farm  was  upon  what  is  now  the  east  road 
from  Shirley  Centre  to  the  South  Village  of  the  town  ;  and  it  is  yet  in 
the  possession  of  the  family.  Its  present  owner  is  Elihu  D.  Longley, 
of  the  fourth  generation  from  John,  the  original  settler. 

Mr.  John  Longley  was  a  man  of  high  standing  and  character  for 
his  time  and  place.  Unlike  his  elder  brother,  William,  he  accepted 
public  trusts  when  called  to  them  by  the  votes  of  the  people,  and  the 
early  success  of  the  town  was  largely  due  to  his  care,  skill  and  in- 
dustry. He  was  town  clerk  eight  years,  he  was  one  of  the  selectmen 
eleven  years,  and  at  the  organization  of  the  town  militia  he  was 
appointed  captain.  Although  he  was  sixty-five  years  old  when  the 
muster  roll  of  volunteers,  to  join  the  American  army  at  Cambridge, 
was  drawn,  his  name  was  on  that  roll  as  one  of  the  eighty  in  Captain 
Haskell's  company ;  and  he  did  much  other  good  service  in  the 
cause  of  liberty  and  the  independence  of  the  country. 

He  was  of  the  number  that  constituted  the  church  at  its  formation 
in  1762,  and  was  chosen  deacon,  which  office  he  held  during  hfe. 
He  d.  March  17,  1792.  His  remains  were  interred  in  the  old  ceme- 
tery, but  no  stone  has  been  reared  to  mark  the  place  of  his  grave, — 
a  great  omission  on  the  part  of  his  kinsmen,  and  one  which  they 
should,  even  now,  make  a  united  effort  to  retrieve. 


544  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Dea.  Loiigley  was  twice  m.,  (first)  as  is  supposed,  to  Mary  Law- 
rence of  Groton,  Feb.  i,  1739.  There  is  no  record  of  any  children 
as  the  fruit  of  this  marriage,  nor  yet  is  there  any  registry  of  her  death. 
He  m.  (second)  EHzabeth  Patterson,  in  1751,  by  whom  he  had  eight 
children,  and  all  b.  at  Shirley. 

I.  MARY,  b.  July  5,  1752,  m.  Joseph  Brown  of  Shirley,  Nov.  24, 
1773.  d.  April  27,  1790. 

II.  JOHN,  b.  Nov.  5,  1753,  d.  young. 

III.  SUSANNA,  b.  Nov.  5,  1755,  m.  Israel  Willard,  1770,  d.  June 
i5»  1839. 

IV.  JOHN,  b.  May  26,  1758.  When  but  seventeen  years  old  he 
joined  the  volunteers,  with  his  father,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1775. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  ei^ht  months  men  in  the  company  of  Capt. 
Robert  Longley  of  Bolton.  His  last  enlistment  was  April  27, 
1775.  He  m.  Sally  Tarbell,  June  23,  1784,  and  lived  on  the  farm 
now  owned  and  occupied  by  Mr.  Joseph  Hazen.  He  had  three 
children  : 

1.  Alpheus,  b.  May  17,  1785,  removed  to  Hatfield,  had  a  family, 
and  d.  there. 

'i.  Sally,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  23,   1788,  m.   Salmon  Lawrence  of 
Groton,  July  25,  1816.     She  had  one  child  : 
(i.)  Salmon,  b.  Dec.  16,  1816,  r.  Groton,  unm.  (1879.) 

3.  Edmund,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  9,  1790,  m.  Clarissa  Dickenson  of 
Hatfield,  Dec.  16,  1818,  d.  Jan.  27,  1833.     His  widow  d.  Aug. 
30,  1849.     H^  had  one  child  : 
(i.)   Sarah,  b.  Feb.  11,  1820,  m.  Joseph   F.   Hall  of   Groton, 

Dec.  16,  1837.     She  has  had  four  children,  r.  Groton  (1879). 

I.  "Edward  B.,"  b.  Jan.  7,  1839  ;  2.  "Emily  Frances,"  b.  at 

Groton,  May  25,  1842  ;  3.  "Clara  Moors,"  b.  at  Groton,  Jan. 

3,  1845  ;  4.  "Alice  Ward,"  b.  at  Groton,  Nov.  14,  1852. 

V.  JOSEPH,  b.  Dec.  27,  1760,  m.  Mary  Pratt,  Feb.  15,  1787,  d. 
Sept.  20,  1813.  He  lived  on  the  farm  settled  by  his  father,  now 
owned  by  his  grandson,  Elihu.  He  had  eight  children,  all  b.  at 
Shirley.     They  were 

1.  Elizabeth,  b.  May  26,  1787,  m.  Marshall  Blood  of  Leom- 
inster, Dec,  1832,  d.  at  Leominster,  Nov.  17,  1855. 

2.  Joseph,  b.  June  i,  1789,  m.  Parmelia  Dickenson  of  Hatfield, 
Oct.  19,  1814,  d.  Sept.  24,  1826;  his  widow  d.  Jan.  23,  1866. 
He  had  four  children  : 

(i.)  Elihu  Dickenson,  b.  June  5,  181 6,  r.  Shirley,  unm.  (1882.) 

(2.)    Charles,  b.  Sept.  21,  1818,  d.  April  21,  1821. 

(3.)  Mary,  b.  June  17,  1820,   m.   William   F.    Hews,   Nov.    18, 

1850,  r.  Shirley,  has  had  four  children  :    i.  "Janet  Mary,"  b. 

at  Shirley,  Jan.  i,  1851,  d.  Jan.  i,  1856;  2.  "William  F.,"  b. 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  545 

at  Shirley,  Oct.  15,  1853,  m.  Jeanette  E.  Cummings  of  Far- 
numsville,  Nov.  2,  1879,  r.  Shirley  (1882);  3.  "Eddie  Long- 
ley,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  21,  1858;  4.  "Mary  C,"  b.  at 
Shirley,  March  7,  1861. 

3.  Horace,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  i,  1791,  d.  Sept.  25,  1819. 

4.  John,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  9,  1793,  m.  Olive  Adams,  d.  at  Athol, 
Aug.  24,  1835. 

5.  Polly,  b.  at  Shirley,  i7;7,  d.  Oct.  27,  1817. 

G.  Lucy,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  10,  1800,  m.  Thomas  Haynes,  d.  April 
8,  1855. 

7.  Susan  Willard,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  6,  1803,  m.  Varnum  Barrett 
of  Shirley,  Nov.  12,  1827,  d.  at  Lunenburg,  Jan.  21,  1857.  She 
ha'cl  three  children  : 

(i.)  George  Varnum,  b.  June  10,  1837,  m.  Nellie  Johnson  of 
Lunenburg,  Aug.  9,  1876,  r.  in  Ayer  (1882),  and  holds  the 
office  of  deputy  sheriff. 

(2.)  Mary  E.,  b.  Nov.  12,  1840,  m.  Orrin  M.  Bennett,  Nov.  18, 
1858,  d.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  30,  1869. 

(3.)  Josephine,  b.  July  12,  1843,  d.  at  Ayer,  July  9,  1876. 

8.  Edmund,  b.  Sept.  20,  1808,  m.  Mary  Ann  Manning  Reed,  Nov. 
23,  1847,  r.  Salem  (1879).     ^^  has  had  three  children  : 

(i.)  Mary  Louisa,  b.  June  6,  1851. 

(2.)  Anna  Prescott,  b.  April  17,  1855,  d.  July  4,  1866. 

(3.)  Edmund  Waters,  b.  March  30,  1863. 

VL     CALVIN,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  21,  1763,  d.  Aug.  21,  1803. 

VIL     LUCY,  b.  April  2,  1766,  m.  Daniel  Livermore  of  Shirley,  pub. 
Jan.  19,  1793,  d.  1794. 

VIIL     EDMUND,  b.  March  6,  1768. 

ILonfllrg»  Sottas,  b.  at  Groton,  Jan.  22,  1712.  He  was  the 
third  son  of  the  redeemed  captive,  Dea.  John  Longley,  and  a  younger 
brother  of  William  and  John,  with  whom  he  came  to  town,  as  before 
related.  He  m.  Esther  Patterson,  Nov.  20,  1751,  and  d.  Sept.  24, 
1799.  His  wife  d.  June  5,  1767.  Mr.  Longley  owned  the  farm  now 
in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Augustus  Holden,  and  passed  his  Shirley 
life  in  that  quiet  home.  The  first  public  school  was  set  up  in  his 
house,  and  was  continued  through  several  terms.  He  was  the  first 
treasurer  of  the  town,  being  elected  at  its  organization,  in  1753.  He 
held  many  other  places  of  trust  and  responsibility.  He  was  in  every 
respect  highly  esteemed  as  a  citizen,  being  a  man  of  unbending  integ- 
rity, large  benevolence,  and  of  fraternal  and  affectionate  manners. 
He  had  seven  children,  all  of  whom  were  b.  at  Shirley. 

L     JONAS,  b.  June  13,  1753,  d.  at  Groton,  being  killed  by  a  falling 
tree,  April  20,  1779.     He,  and  his  father,  were  among  the  eighty 
volunteers  called  out  by  the  alarm  of  x^pril  19,  1775. 
69 


546  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

II.  ESTHER,  b.  May  7,  1756,  m.  Deacon  Joseph  Brown,  Nov.  17. 
1 791,  d.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  22,  1838. 

III.  SARAH,  b.  July  12,  1758,  m.  Moses  Jennerson  of  Shirley, 
March,  1778.  Her  husband,  at  the  time  of  his  marriage,  was  en- 
tirely destitute  of  a  knowledge  of  letters,  but  she  taught  him  to 
read,  write  and  transact  common  business.  She  discharged  all  the 
duties  of  family  and  home  with  the  utmost  fidelity,  and  went  down 
to  an  honored  grave,  Oct.  10,  1842. 

IV.  ABEL,  b.  Jan.  23,  1760,  m.  Hannah  King,  Jan.  i,  1804.  He 
was  killed  at  Townsend,  by  a  falling  tree,  Jan.  28,  1828.  His  wife 
d.  Feb.  27,  1825. 

There  are  men  of  larger  capacity,  brighter  understanding,  and  of 
more  extended  genius  than  Mr.  Longley,  but  few  can  be  named 

that    have    excelled  him 
^  in   moral  goodness,  and 

"Vj^^  c/  ^/.  y  'i^  a  consistent  great- 
^  -^  ness  of  character,  or  that 
have  more  strictly  ad- 
hered to  the  principle  of 
the  golden  rule,  in  all  its  persistency  of  requirement.  He  was 
respected,  trusted,  loved,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  The  sick  and 
afflicted  found  in  him  a  helper,  the  poor  a  benefactor,  and  every 
tongue,  within  the  charmed  circle  of  his  intimate  acquaintance, 
was  ready  to  pronounce  him  blessed.  He  had  three  children  b.  in 
Shirley. 

1.  Jonas,  b.  Dec.  10,  1807,  m.  Anna  Phelps,  July  5,  1830,  d. 
March,  1851.      He  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  Jonas,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  14,  1830,  m.  S.  Angenette  King 
of  Shirley,  Nov.  3,  1859,  who  d.  May  27,  1866.  He  had 
three  children,  r.  Shirley,  remains  a  widower  (1882).  His 
children  were  :  i.  "Abbott  King,"  b.  at  Shirley,  March  16, 
i860,  d.  July  22,  i860;  2.  "Grace  Miranda,"  b.  at  Shirley, 
May  9,  1861,  d.  .'Vug.  17,  1861  ;  3.  "Angenette,"  b.  at  Shirley, 
June  I,  1863,  d.  Aug.  12,  1863. 

2.  Artemas,  b.  Aug.  29,  1809,  m  Roxalana  Wright  of  Pepperell, 
Jan.  17,  1832,  r.  Nashua,  N.  H.  (1882.)  He  has  had  seven 
children  : 

(i.)  Elvira  L.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  14,  1834.  She  has  been  twice 
m.,  but  is  now  a  widow,  r.  Nashua,  N.  H.  (1S82.)  She  m. 
(first)  Horace  Anderson  of  Nashua,  Dec.  20,  1861,  who  d. 
Feb.  21,  1862  ;  m.  (second)  Isaiah  Faxon  of  Boston,  Nov.  15, 
1866,  who  d.  May  25,  1876.  She  had  two  children:  i. 
"Edward  Henry,"  b.  at  Boston,  .'Vug.  16,  1867;  2.  "Helen 
L.,"  b.  at  Boston,  April  16,  1871,  d.  June  19,  1875. 

(2.)  Frances  D.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  28,"  1836,  d.  at  Nashua,  Oct. 
13,  1852. 

(3.)  Edward  J/.,  1).  at  .Shirley,  Dec  29,  1839,  d.  at  Nashua, 
Nov.  12,  1842. 


'Pb   P„  rsitdtl«-- 


ARTEMAS  LONGLEY. 


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GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  547 

(4.)   Charles  N.,  b.  at  Nashua,  Feb.  26,  1842,  d.  May  26,  1845. 

(5.)  Roxanna  IV.,  b.  at  Nashua,  Jan.  24,  1844,  a  teacher  in 
Boston  (1882). 

(6.)  Mar/a  K.,  b.  at  Nashua,  Aug.  6,  1846,  m.  Fitz  Henry 
Smith  of  Boston,  June  21,  1866,  r.  Boston  (1882).  She  has 
had  five  children  :   i.  "Annie  L.,"  b.   Jan.  25,   1868,  d.  Dec, 

19,  1868;  2.  "Mabel  M.,"  b.  Sept.  30,  1869,  d.  April  24, 
1874  ;  3.  "Fitz  Henry,"  b.  Nov.  20,  1873  ;  4.  "Clarence  L.," 
b.  Dec.  9,  1875,  d.  Sept.  6,  1876  ;    5.  "Marion  Ellen,"  b.  Feb. 

20,  1878.  , 

(7.)   Otis  IF.,  b.  at  Nashua,  July  10,  1848,  d.  Nov.  14,  1877. 

3.  Abel,  b.  March  5,  181 1,  m.  Jane  P.  Livermore  of  Shirley,  Aug. 

16,  1835.      He  removed   from   Shirley  to   Montezuma,   N.  Y., 

where  his  wife  d.  Aug.  27,  1847.     He  had  three  children,  and 

when  on  a  journey  overland  to  California   was    murdered    and 

robbed,  June  2,  1856.     His  children  were  : 

(i.)  Margaret  B.,  b.  May  22,  1836,  m.  Samuel  Farnsworth, 
April  14,  1859,  r.  Ayer. 

(2.)  yulia  Clark,  b.  at  Montezuma,  N.  Y.,  April  18,  1839,  m. 
Oliver  N.  Wing,  Nov.  13,  1862,  r.  Chelsea  (1882).  She  has 
had  one  child  :  i.  "Edward  Longley,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  19, 
1866. 

(3.)  Lillian  Ella,  b.  at  Montezuma,  April  18,  1845,  d.  at  Savan- 
na, Wayne  county,  N.  Y.,  March,  1862. 

V.  ASA,  b.  July  10,  1762,  m.  Sarah  Hazen  of  Shirley,  pub.  April 
9,  1785.  He  lived  on  the  farm  east  of  the  centre  of  the  town, 
which  descended  to  his  eldest  son,  and  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
a  grandson,  Samuel  Longley,  Esq.  He  had  nine  children,  all  b.  in 
Shirley  : 

1.  Artemas,  b.  Feb.  11,  1787,  m.  Desire,  daughter  of  Dr.  Benja- 
min Hartwell  of  Shirley,  March  24,  181 5.     He  d.  July  10,  1824. 

The  early  part  of  his  manhood  was  partially  devoted  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits  and  partially  to  the  instruction  of  youth.     He,  for 
several  terms,  presided  over  the  district  schools  in  town,  as  their 
teacher,  but  d.  before  he  arrived  at  the   meridian   of  manhood, 
and  before  he  could  give  full  proof  of  the  usefulness  predicted 
of  him.     He  had  four  children  b.  at  Shirley  : 
(i.)  Artemas,  b.  Oct.  19,  1815,  m.  Elizabeth  Barrett  of  Shirley, 
May  18,  1845,  ^-  at  Groton,   Feb.    26,   1876.      He  had    five 
children:    i.  "Elizabeth,"   b.   at   Shirley,  July    12,    1847;     2. 
"Harriet  Going,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  19,  1849;  3-  "Emily," 
b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.   21,    1852,  d.  at  Groton,   Oct.    17,    1866; 
4.  "Jennie,"  b.  at  Groton,  Aug.  11,  1857  ;    5.  "George  Arte- 
mas," b.  at  Groton,  Sept.  29,  i860. 


548  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(2.)  Emily,  b.  June  10,  1819,  m.  Thomas  Page,  Dec.  29,  1840, 
d.  Sept.  19,  1850. 

(3.)  Sarah  H.,  b.  Aug.  27,  1821,  d.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  30,  1S69, 
unm. 

(4.)  Samuel,  b.  Dec.  2,  1823,  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  EHza- 
beth  Hathaway  of  Grafton,  March  19,  1855  ;  she  d.  May  29, 
1859;  m.  (second)  Ellen  H.  Fay  of  Grafton,  May  18,  i860, 
r.  Shirley  (1882).  He  has  had  seven  children  :  i.  "Charles," 
b.  May  30,  1856  ;  2.  "Elizabeth,"  b.  April  20,  1859,  m.  Rev. 
Francis  S.  Bickford  of  Townsend,  Dec.  13,  1881,  r.  Towns- 
end  (1882);  3.  "Samuel  H.,"  b.  Jan.  11,  1861  ;  4.  "Ellen 
J.,"  b.  Dec.  15,  1864;  5.  "Francis  B.,"  b.  Oct.  26,  1870;  6. 
"John  A.,"  b.  July  15,  1872;  7.  "Mary  E.,"  b.  Feb.  22, 
1875- 
2.  Jenney,  b.  Nov.  7,  1788,  m.  Caleb  Putnam  of  Wilton,  N.  H., 

Dec.  22,  1812.     She  d.  at  Wilton,  Jan.   2,    1854.      Mr.  Putnam 

d.  Sept.  8,  1862. 

In  the  lives  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Putnam  we  have  an  exhibition 
of  that  thrift  which  may  be  secured  by  New  England  agricul- 
turists, where  a  purpose  has  been  deliberately  established  and 
perseveringly  pursued.  Mr.  Putnam  was  unable  to  begin  his 
course  of  real  thrift  until  he  was  thirty-five  years  of  age,  when 
he  found  himself  located  on  the  hills  of  New  Hampshire,  the 
sterile,  stony  soil  of  which  required  purpose,  will  and  muscle  to 
bring  it  into  a  proper  state  of  tilth  and  fertility ;  but  all  of  the 
obstacles  that  lay  in  his  way  of  success  were  removed  or  over- 
come, so  that  from  his  labor  he  derived  ability  to  sustain  a  family 
of  eleven  children,  and  to  die  possessed  of  property  to  the 
amount  of  about  twelve  thousand  dollars,  with  no  other  resource 
of  gain  but  that  derived  from  the  labor  of  his  hands  in  his  farm- 
ing operations.  In  all  of  his  course,  it  should  be  added,  he  was 
aided  by  the  labors  of  a  wife  early  trained  to  the  duties  of  her 
position  in  a  home  where  free  industry,  honest  action,  consistent 
economy,  and  persevering  effort  were  taught  by  precept  and 
example. 

Although  from  the  necessities  of  the  case  the  life  of  Mr. 
Putnam  was  mainly  passed  at  home  or  within  the  precincts  of 
his  own  estate,  and  devoted  to  his  personal  interests,  he  by  no 
means  neglected  the  calls  of  social  duties  and  public  trusts.  He 
animated  the  unfortunate  to  new  efforts  and  trials,  encouraged 
the  virtuous,  and  helped  the  indigent  and  infirm.  During  the 
greater  part  of  his  active  life  he  held  official  positions  in  his 
town,  and  this,  too,  at  a  time  when  the  honor  that  came  of  the 
appointment  constituted  the  only  recompense.  He  also  had  a 
proclivity  for  military  pursuits,  was  a  private  in  the  cavalry  of  the 
twenty-second  New  Hampshire  regiment  of  troops,  and  at 
length  became  its  commanding  officer,  and  here  manifested  the 
same  energy  of  character  he  had  displayed  in  other  pursuits. 
By  skill  and  address  he  greatly  enlarged  the  number  and  im- 
proved the  discipline  of  his  command,  and  made  it  an  honor  to 


^  ■  "''  ^«nt,  w.  P.  Ai,t.E^.  Ga^A^"' 


SAMUEL  PUTNAM,  Esq, 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  549 

that  branch  of  the  state  mUitia  with  which  it  was   connected. 

He  was  an  ornament  of  the  town  where  he  lived,  and  left  a 

precious    memory  at   his  death.      His    children  were  all  b.   at 

Wilton,  and  were  : 

(i.)  Lydia,  b.  Sept.  3,  18 13,  m.  Samuel  Goldsmith,  April  30, 
1844.  She  has  had  six  children,  all  b.  at  Wilton,  r.  Wilton 
(1882).  I.  "Lydia  H.,"  b.  Feb.  24,  1845,  m.  Cyrus  O.Whit- 
ney of  Hartford,  Vt.,  Dec.  16,  1868,  had  two  children  :  i. 
Henry  G.,  b.  April  20,  1870;  2.  James  E.,  b.  Sept.  18,  1873. 
2.  "Caleb  S.,"  b.  June  28,  1847.  3.  "Sarah  J.,"  b.  July  15, 
1849  ;  she  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Abel  B.  Currier  of 
Wilton  ;  m.  (second)  George  Parkhurst  of  Wilton,  March  20, 
1877;  she  has  had  two  children:  i.  Elmer  W.,  b.  Feb.  21, 
1873,  d.  Dec.  14,  1875  ;  2.  George,  b.  Oct.  26,  1878.  4. 
"Asa  H.,"  b.  April  14,  1851.  5.  "Frank  P.,"  b.  Dec.  5, 
1852,  d.  July  24,  1853.     6.  "Ellen  M.,"  b.  March  13,  1856. 

(2.)  ya)ie,  b.  Dec.  25,  1814,  m.  Orrin  Blood  of  Temple,  N.  H., 
May  8,  1856.  He  d.  May  5,  1868;  she  r.  at  Wilton  (1882), 
a  widow. 

(3.)   Caleh,  b.  Sept.  15,  1816,  d.  Jan.  23,  1845. 

(4.)  Roxanna,  b.  July  16,  181 8,  m.  Augustus  Peacock  of  Mil- 
ford,  N.  H.,  June  6,  1849.  She  has  had  three  children:  i. 
"George  P.,"  b.  at  Milford,  Sept.  22,  1850,  m.  Dora  Pierce; 
2.  "Charles  A.,"  b.  Oct.  23,  1853,  d.  June  5,  1863;  3. 
"Anna  C,"  b.  June  3,  i860. 

(5.)  Samuel,  b.  May  18,  1820.  He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Jane  Augusta  Pierce  of  Leominster,  Nov.  27,  1845  J  ^^e  d.  at 
Leominster,  Jan.  12,  1880;  he  m.  (second)  Melora  F.  Good- 
rich of  Lunenburg,  Dec.  23,  1880,  r.  Leominster  (1882). 

(6.)  yacob,  b.  Aug.  16,  1822.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Flora 
Ann  Hartshorn  of  Lyndeborough,  N.  H.,  Dec.  31,  1850;  she 
d.  Oct.  4,  1875  ;  he  m.,  (second)  Anna  Upton  of  Nashua, 
N.  H.,  r.  Wilton,  on  the  old  homestead,  one  of  the  first 
settled  farms  in  the  town.  He  has  had  two  children :  i . 
"  Flora  J.,"  b.  at  Wilton,  Feb.  4,  1854,  m.  Herbert  Wilkinson 
of  Hertfordshire,  England,  Feb.  3,  1873.  She  has  had  three 
children,  all  b.  at  Wilton  :  i.  Eddie  C,  b.  Aug.  20,  1873  ;  2. 
Flora  Ann,  b.  Feb.  21,  1876;  3.  Perley  J.,  b.  Dec.  9,  1877. 
2.  "H.  Annabelle,"  b.  May  24,  1857,  m.  Henry  A.  Proctor  of 
Stoddard,  N.  H.,  June  3,  1878,  r.  Wilton. 

(7.)  Ruth  Ann,  b.  June  19,  1824,  d.  at  Nashua,  Oct.  28,  1838. 

(8.)  Asa  L.,  b.  July  9,  1826,  m.  Isabelle  C.  Chute  of  Leom- 
inster, May  5,  1864.  He  has  had  five  children  :  i.  "Samuel," 
b.  at  Templeton,  Feb.  12,  1865  ;  2.  "Sarah  M.,"  b.  at  Tem- 
pleton,  Sept.  20,  1867,  d.  May  7,  1870;  3.  "Asa,"  b.  at 
Troy,  N.  H.,  March  31,  1869;  4.  "George,"  b.  at  Leom- 
inster, Dec.  II,  1870,  d.  Feb.  2,  1877;  5.  "Andrew  W.,"  b. 
at  Leominster,  Dec.  28,  1872. 

(9.)  Andrew  /.,  b.  July  25,  1828,  m.  Sarah  F.  Whitney  of 
Adrian,  Mich.,  May  i,  1861,  r.  Wilton  (1882).  He  has  had 
five  children,   all    b.  at  Wilton:    i.  "Samuel    H.,"   b.   Oct.. 


OaO  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

1862,  d.  Nov.  10,  1863  ;  2.  "Willie  A.,"  b.  Feb.  13,  1864  ;  3. 
"  Hattie  L.,"  b.  Dec.  6,  1865;  4.  "Mabel  L.,"  b.  April  23, 
1868;  5.  "Augusta  W.,"  b.  May  26,  1873. 

(10.)  Arte  mas,  b.  Jan.  31,  1831,  m.  Mary  O.  Kidder  of  ^^'ilton, 
N.  H.,  May  21,  1854,  r.  Wilton  (1882).  He  has  had  four 
children:  i.  "Willie,"  b.  at  Leominster,  June  i,  1855,  ^• 
June  7,  1865;  2.  "Mary  Ida,"  b.  at  Leominster,  Feb.  4, 
1858;  3.  "John  C,"  b.  at  Leominster,  March  31,  i860;  4. 
"  Fred  B,,"  b.  at  Leominster,  June  12,  1862. 

(11.)  Sarah  M.,  b.  Oct.  13,  1834,  m.  Calvin  D.  Blanchard  of 
Harvard,  April  11,  1861,  r.  Harvard  (1869).  She  has  had 
three  children,  all  b.  at  Harvard  :   i.  "Abbie  J.,"   b.   June    7, 

1863,  d.  Oct.  7,  1872;  2.  "A.  Maria,"  b.  Dec.  17,  1866;  3. 
"Samuel  P.,"  b.  Jan.  31,  1869. 

3.  Betsey,  b.  Sept.  6,  1790,  d.  Oct.  30,  1820,  unm. 

4.  RoxANNA,  b.  July,  1792,  d.  Sept.  16,  1820,  unm. 

5.  Sally,  b.  Jan.  7,  1794,  d.  April  19,  1798. 

6.  Asa,  b.  May  19,    1796,   m.  Mary   C.    Fairbanks  of    Fitchburg, 
July    16,   1 8 18.      She   d.   at   Leominster,  Feb.    20,    1874.      He 

passed  his  active  life,  after  he 

had    arrived    to     manhood,    in 

Leominster,  was  a    useful   and 

^/^^^/^-\      reputable   citizen,  and  died  at 

i^     J      the  advanced  age  of  eighty-six 

y       years.  May  21,  1882.     He  had 

seven  children  : 

(i.)   Henry  IV.,  b.  Dec.  26,  1820,  d.  Dec.  22,  1823. 

(2.)    Charles  IV.,  b.  Oct.  20,    1822,   m.   Sarah   C.    Hurlburt   of 

Hartford,  Conn.,  Sept.  16,  1846.     He  has  had  two  children  : 

I.  "Alice    Elizabeth,"    b.    at   Worcester,    Sept.    4,    1847,   "''• 

Alfred   D.  Worthington  of  Hartford,   Oct.   6,    1868;    she  has 

had  seven  children,  all  b.  at    Hartford:    i.  Charles  Alfred,  b. 

Oct.  14,  1869;    2.  Frederick   L.,  b.  July  11,  1871  ;    3.  Alice 

Louisa,  b.  Sept.  6,  1872  ;  4.   May,  b.  Aug.  11,  1874,  d.  same 

day;  5.  Arthur  Gregory,  b.  Aug.  22,  1877,  d.  April  23,  1878; 

6.  Howard,  b.  March   13,  1880;    7.   Florence   May,   b.   .April 

29,   1882.     2.  "Charles   Henry,"   b.   at  Worcester,   Oct.   28, 

1849,  m-  Kella  Chase  of  Hartford,  Ct.,  Nov.  18,  1874. 

(3.)  Henry  JV.,  h.  March  i,  1824,  m.   Eliza  1).  Proctor,  Oct.  4, 

1849,    f.    Boston    (1882).       He    has    had    two    children:     i. 

"Henry  W.,"  b.  Sept.  23,  1850,  m.  Alice  A.  Stone,   Aug.   31, 

1875.     2.  "Frank  W.,"  b.  Sept.  13,  1854  ;  he  has  been  twice 

m.,  (first)  to  Lizzie  Bird,  June  i,  1873  ;  she  d.  Jan.  31,  1875  ; 

he  m.  (second)  Angie  A.  Grover,  Jan.  i,  1877  ;    he   has  had 

one  child  :    i.  Arthur,  b.  Jan.  23,  1875. 

(4.)  All'ert  .v.,  b.    Nov.   25,    1825,   m.   Lizzie   (irover,    1854,   r. 

Leominster  {1879). 
(5.)  Mary  E.,  b.  Oct.  22,  1828,  m.  George  A.  IJrown  of  Worces- 
ter,  Nov.   24,    1847,  r-  Worcester  (1882);    she  has  had  four 


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ASA  LONGLEY. 


"^■''■^^^rint.w.p.A^.KK.Garit^'"'" 


LUCY  H.  GOODRICH. 


GExNEALOGY.—  LONGLEY.  551 

children:  i.  "ASon,"b.  Aug.  i6,  1848,  d.  Aug.  18,  1848. 
2.  "Lizzie  A.,"  b.  Sept.  i,  1850,  d.  Aug.  27,  1859.  3.  "Mary 
E.,"  b.  Jan.  3,  1852,  m.  George  E.  Kendall,  Oct.  9,  1872,  r. 
Worcester  (1882)  ;  she  has  had  two  children:  i.  Gracia  L., 
b.  May  2,  1876  ;  2.  Kate,  b.  July  2,  1878.  4.  "Charles  A.," 
b.  June  25,  1856,  r.  Sandwich  Islands,  unm. 

(6.)  Sat-ah  A.,  b.  Jan.  22,  1831,  d.  Dec.  31,  1865,  unm. 

(7.)  E/ien  S.,  b.  May  19,  1834,  m.  C.  A.  VVhitcomb  of  Leom- 
inster, Aug.  16,  1862,  r.  Leominster  (1882). 

7.  Sarah,  b.  Sept.  22,  1798,  m.  Jonathan  Kilburn  of  Lunenburg, 
Jan.  I,  1824.     She  had  nine  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley, 
(i.)   Martha,  b.  Dec.  26,  1825,  m.  Augustus  Dyke  of  Shirley, 

June  26,  1862  ;  she  had  two  children,  and  d.  at  Ayer,  Jan.  27, 

1867.     I.  "Jenny  Maria,"  b.  at  Shirley,  April    12,    1863;    2. 

"Carrie  Estella,"  b.  at  Ayer,  Jan.  27,  1866. 
(2.)    George,  b.  Jan.  21,  182S,  m.  Lucy  A.  Lord,  Jan.  3,  i860,  r. 

Shirley  (1882). 
(3.)   Joseph  Albert,  b.  June  24,  1830,  slain  in  battle,  1862,  unm. 
(4.)  Sarah  Jane,  b.  July  31,  1832,  d.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  25,  1859, 

unm. 
(5.)    Charles  Edwin,  b.  Oct.  2,  1835,  d.  Dec.  11,  1882. 
(6.)   Cyrus  Alden,  b.  March  9,  1837.      He  has  been  twice  m., 

(first)  to  Maria  L.  Mitchell,  Oct.  12,   1867;    she  d.   Feb.    13, 

1874  ;  he  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Julia  F.  Tobey,  April   18,  1875,  r. 

Shirley  (1882)  ;  he  has  two  children:    i.  "Eva  Maria,"  b.  at 

Shirley,  Sept.  4,   1868;    2.  "Gracia   Marion,"   b.   at   Shirley, 

Sept.  29,  1876. 
(7.)  Maria  Elizabeth,  b.  March  17,  1839,  m.  (ieorge  Billings  of 

Lunenburg,  Sept.  8,  1864  ;  she  d.  Nov.  i,  1882  ;  she  l»ad  four 

children,  all  b.  at  Lunenburg:    i.  "George  Alden,"  b.   Nov. 

24,    1867;     2.  "Ida   Maria,"   b.   Jan.    16,    1870;     3,  "Mary 

Amelia  Longley,"  b.  March  i,  1872  ;    4.  "Arthur  Pierce,"  b. 

May  8,  1875. 
(8.)  Lucy  Angelina,  b.  July  7,  1843,  m.  Augustus   Dyke,  March 

18,  1873,  r.  Worcester  (1882). 
(9.)  David  Fingree,  b.  July  10,  1847,  r.  Shirley  (1S80),  unm. 

^!.  Samuel,  b.  July  27,  1800,  d.  Aug.  10,  1820. 

!).  Lucy  H.,  b.  Oct.  10,  1802,  m.  Joseph  Goodrich  of  Lunenburg, 
Dec.  6,  1825.  She  had  seven  children,  and  d.  at  Lunenburg, 
Oct.  II,  1879  ;  Mr.  Goodrich  d.  May  20,  1881. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodrich  possessed  a  home  of  natural  richness 
and  beauty.     It  was  one  that  had  been  in  the  Goodrich  family 

during    the    four 
fT)  >0    /7     /O  /O     P'"eceding  gener- 

-^    ^.^cA^X    r:„y"LtUe: 
'  had    the   advan- 

tage of  thorough  cultivation  at  the  hands  of  all  its  former  occu- 
pants.    It  is  productive  of  grass,  grain,  fruits,  and  indeed,  well 


")52  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

pays  the  cultivation  of  all  those  products  that  are  grown  on  New 

England  fields  and 


gardens.  Such,  too, 
is   the  altitude    of 


^  the  locality,  that  a 

salubrious  and  invigorating  atmosphere  is  experienced  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year.  The  buildings  overlook  a  pleasant  valley, 
at  the  bottom  of  which  is  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water,  known  as 
Masshapauge  pond,  but  are,  nevertheless,  so  far  above  this 
water  as  not  to  be  incommoded  by  its  damps  and  fogs.  Here 
they  lived,  reared  their  family,  and  blessed  their  age  by  an 
example  of  industry  and  fidelity  to  duty.  Their  children,  all  b. 
at  Lunenburg,  were 

(i.)    Charles  L.,  b.  Sept.  7,  1831,  d.  Nov.  12,  1831. 
(2.)    Joseph  Prescott,  b.  Aug.  24,  1832,  d.  July  13,  1859,  unm. 
(3.)   Melora  Frances,  b.  Oct.  3,  1834,   m.  Samuel    Putnam  of 

Leominster,  Dec.  23,  1880,  r.  Leominster  (1882). 
(4.)  Lewis  Augustus,  b.  June  29,  1836,  d.  Jan.  6,  1865,  unm. 
(5.)  Lucy  Augusta,  b.  June  29,  1836,  r.  Lunenburg,  unm.  (1882). 
(6.)  George  Edwin,  b.  Nov.  4,  1838,  d.  Sept.  2,  1847. 
(7.)  Mary  Jane,  b.  Nov.  30,   1840,  m.  Charles  G.  Bigelow  of 
Paxton,  r.  Leominster  (1882).     She  has  one  child  :   i.  "Nor- 
man G.,"  b.  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  April  14,  1872. 

VL  PHINEHAS,  b.  Aug.  27,  1764,  m.  Lydia  Lowell  of  Millbury, 
June  3,  1804.  He  was  a  physician,  and  commenced  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  his  native  town,  but  passed  the  most  of  his 
active  life  in  Millbury,  where  he  d.  Jan.  4,  1831.  He  had  one 
child^: 

\.  Elvira,  b.  July  10,  1809,  m.  Rev.  Willard  M.  Harding  of  Prov- 
incetown,  Nov.  28,  1839  ;  she  is  now  a  widow  (1882). 

VH.  MIRIAM,  b.  April  24,  1767,  m.  Phinehas  Holden  of  Shirley, 
Nov.  25,  1789,  d.  July  13,  1811. 

HOUfllfS,  JJdStpl),  son  of  Deacon  John  of  Groton  and  Deb- 
orah (Houghton),  his  second  wife,  and  half-brother  of  William,  John 
and  Jonas,  who  had  previously  become  residents  of  Shirley.  He 
(Joseph)  was  b.  at  Groton,  Sept.  12,  1724,  m.  Mary  Walker,  and  be- 
came an  inhabitant  of  what  is  now  Shirley,  a  few  years  before  it  was 
incorporated  a  town.  He  owned  the  farm  which  is  now  the  home  of 
William  P.  Wilbur,  situated  near  the  South  Village.  At  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  town,  in  1753,  he  was  appointed  chairman  of  the  board 
of  selectmen,  five  in  number,  and  was  also  chosen  clerk  of  the  town 
at  the  same  meeting.  He  was  four  times  elected  to  the  first  office, 
and  was  retained  as  clerk  until  1758,  when  he  entered  his  majesty's 
service,  and  was  mortally  wounded  in  the  battle  and  defeat  at  Fort 
William.     He  d.  at  Greenbush,  N.  Y.     He  had  seven  children  : 

I.  JOSEPH,  b.  at  (iroton,  Aug.  6,  1744.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Elizabeth  Thayer,  who  d.  Feb.  i,  1797;  he  m.   (second)   Lucy 


■^"nt.    Vv.   p.   „I,LES. 


Mrs.  SAMUEL  PUTNAM, 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  553 

Shattuck,  who  d.  May  20,  1834.  He  d.  July  8,  1836.  The  fol- 
lowing obituary  appeared  in  the  Massachusetts  Spy,  Worcester, 
Aug.  24,  1836  : 

"Died  at  Hawley,  July  8,  1836,  Mr.  Joseph  Longley,  born  at 
Groton,  Mass.,  Aug.  6,  1744.  He  was  a  great-grandson  to  Wil- 
liam Longley,  who,  with  a  part  of  his  family,  were  killed  by  the 
Indians,  at  Groton,  in  1684, — grandson  to  John  Longley,  who  was 
a  captive  five  years  in  Canada, — and  son  to  Joseph  Longley,  who 
was  mortally  wounded  in  the  battle  and  defeat  of  Fort  William,  1758. 

"When  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  was  in  the  French  war 
one  year,  and  helped  to  build  the  stone  barracks  at  Crown  Point, 
1769.  He  was  five  years  in  the  revolutionary  war  for  indepen- 
dence; in  the  first  eight  months,  1775  ;  at  Ticonderoga  in  1776  ; 
at  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  1777.  In  the  December  following, 
while  in  the  van  of  one  hundred  volunteers,  under  Major  Hull, 
pursuing  a  foraging  party,  eighty-two  were  cut  off  by  the  British 
cavalry,  near  Derby,  deprived  of  their  blankets,  and  put  in  prison 
at  Philadelphia,  where  more  than  half  died  of  cold,  hunger  and 
disease. 

"In  April,  1778,  he,  with  others,  were  put  on  board  a  prison- 
ship  for  New  York,  where  he  was  exchanged  in  July,  and  soon 
after  joined  his  regiment  and  was  in  the  battle  that  was  fought  in 
Rhode  Island,  and  at  that  signal  retreat  under  General  Sullivan." 
He  had  five  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley : 

1.  Elizabeth,  b.  Feb.  6,  1766,  d.  the  same  day. 

2.  John,  b.  June  2,  1768,  d.  in  Canada. 

3.  Joseph,  b.   May  9,    1770,    m.  Sally  Parker  of    Pepperell,   had 
eleven  children,  and  d.  at  Rome,  N.  Y. 

(i.)   Jonas,  b.  at  Hawley,  Oct.  25,  1793,  d.  Sept.  14,  1794. 
(2.)  Sally,  b.  at  Hawley,  Aug.  28,  1795,  ^-  Nov.  11,  1802. 
(3.)   Olive,  b.  at  Hawley,  May  22,  1797,  d.  Nov.  11,  1802. 
(4.)  Jonas  Parker,  b.  at  Hawley,  June    27,    1799,   "^-  Almira 

Crittenden,  Dec.  5,  18 19.     Has  had  four  children  :   i.  "Sally," 

b.  Sept.  25,  1820  ;  2.  "Olive,"  b.  Sept.  5,  1822  ;  3.  "  Lyman," 

b.  Aug.  30,  1824;  4.  "Eliza,"  b.  April  7,  1827. 
(5.)  Lyman,  b.  March  14,  1801. 
(6.)   Olive,  b.  at  Hawley,  Jan.  20,  1803,  m.  Ira  Holden,  Oct.  7, 

1828. 
(7.)   Calvin,  b.  at  Hawley,  Jan.  4,  1805. 
(8.)  Sally,  b.  May  5,  1806,  m.  C.  W.  Steward,  Nov.  21,  1826,  d. 

Jan.  12,  1876. 
(9.)  James  Sullivan,  b.  at  Hawley,  March  4,  1808,  m.  S.  Miles 

of  Ashfield,  Dec,  9,  1829.      He  has  had  three  children:   i. 

"Lewis,"  b.  Dec.  24,  1830;  2.  "Luther,"  b.  April  14,   1832, 

d.  May  14,  1832;  3.  "Edwin,"  b.  May  22,  1835. 
(10.)    Caroline,  b.  at  Hawley,  Sept.  24,  1810,  m.  I.  T.  Field,  d. 

1872. 
(11.)  Zachary,  b.  at  Hawley,  April   7,  18 14,  m.  E.  Kilbourn  of 

Ashfield.     He  had  one  son,  b.  at  Chester. 
70 


554  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

4.  ZiMRi,  b.  Jan.  8,  1772,  m.  Lucy  Shattuck  of   Hawley,  who  d. 
July  31,  1805.     He  had  three  children  : 

(i.)  Lo7-en,  b.  at  Hawley,  March  22,  1794,  m.  Thankful  Tripp, 
April  30,  181 7.  He  had  four  children,  all  b.  at  Hawley:  i. 
"Lucy,"  b.  May  5,  1819;  2.  "Ehzabeth,"  b.  April  28,  1821, 
d.  July  8,  1822  ;  3.  "Lorenzo,"  b.  Oct.  14,  1824;  4.  "Eliza- 
beth," b.  April  30,  1826. 

(2.)  Daniel,  b.  Oct.  7,  1795,  d.  Oct.  9,  1795. 

(3.)   Elizabeth,  b.  June  2,  1797,  d.  Aug.  i,  1797. 

5.  Mary,  b.  March  2,  1773,  m.  Levi  Holden  of  Langdon,  N.  H., 
d.  Dec.  19,  1839. 

H.  EDMUND,  b.  at  Groton,  Nov.  11,  1746,  m.  Alice  Lawrence  of 
Pepperell,  pub.  Oct.  15,  1773;  she  was  b.  Sept.  13,  1749.  The 
largest  portion  of  his  active  life  was  passed  in  Hawley,  and  he  d. 
there  Nov.  29,  1842.  His  wife  d.  Feb.  21,  1842.  As  has  been 
intimated,  his  father  was  an  early  settler  in  Shirley,  and  an  organ- 
izer of  the  town,  having  removed  there  from  Groton  when  Edmund 
was  but  two  or  three  years  of  age.  Edmund  remained  in  Shirley 
until  he  was  m.  and  had  three  children,  when  he  took  his  pack  upon 
his  back  and  his  axe  upon  his  shoulder,  and  traveled  into  western 
Massachusetts.  Here  he  located  himself,  on  an  estate  which  he 
had  purchased  in  the  wilderness,  in  what  was  subsequently  a  town 
corporation  bearing  the  name  of  Hawley,  and  situated  in  what  is 
now  Franklin  county.  Having  set  up  a  log  cabin,  he  returned  to 
Shirley  for  his  family,  with  whom  he  removed  to  his  forest  home, 
which  has  proved  the  abiding  place  of  his  posterity  unto  the  present 
time. 

He  was  tall,  comely,  and  of  a  commanding  aspect,  well  adapted 
to  the  position  he  held,  that  of  a  military  colonel,  and  his  appear- 
ance would  mark  him  as  one  who  could  command  armies  as  well 
as  regiments.  He  was  one  of  the  eighty  that  volunteered  at  the 
call  of  April  19,  1775,  and  was  one  of  the  eight  months  men  that 
were  mustered  the  same  year.     He  had  eight  children  : 

L  Thomas,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  4,  1774,  m.  Martha  Ann  Taylor  of 
Buckland.  He  lived  with  his  father  at  Hawley,  and  enjoyed  a 
wide-spread  reputation.  In  his  boyhood  he  was — with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  few  weeks — wholly  deprived  of  the  benefits  of  a 
public  instruction  ;  but,  knowing  his  wants,  he  became  his  own 
instructor,  and  no  pupil  could  be  placed  in  the  care  of  a  more 
devoted  teacher.  His  geography,  grammar,  and,  indeed,  all  the 
manuals  of  common-school  acquirements,  were  his  constant 
•  companions,  when  he  could  be  for  a  moment  released  from 
physical  labor.  He  was  thus  prepared  for  public  trusts  to  which 
he  was  successively  called  in  his  town,  county,  and  common- 
wealth. He  was  clerk  of  the  town  for  several  years,  and  was  the 
representative  of  his  townsmen  in  the  state  legislature  at  differ- 
ent times,  and  held  that  office  at  his  death.  He  was  a  senator 
for  the  county  of  Franklin,  and  was  a  presidential  elector  in  1832 
and  1836.     For  about  twenty  years  he  was  in  military  life.     He 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  555 

commanded  a  regiment  in  the  war  of  1812.     Afterwards  he  was 

a   brigadier-general.     In  all    his  military  engagements  he   was 

never  known  to  be  behind  time.     He  d.  in    1848,   as  full  of 

honors  as  of  years.     He  had  twelve  children,  all  b.  at  Hawley  : 

(i.)  A  Son,  b.  Sept.  11,  1805,  d.  Sept.  24,  1805. 

(2.)  Martha  Ann,  b.  Sept.  30,  1806,  d.  Jan.  26,  181 7. 

(3.)   Thomas  Lawrerice,  b.  Feb.  13,  1808,  d.  Jan.  4,  1821. 

(4.)  Alfred,  b.  Nov.  10,  1809,  m.  Julia  M.  Reed  of  Norton, 
Feb.  20,  1844.  He  has  one  child:  i.  "Charles  Lawrence," 
b.  at  Hawley,  May  29,  1845,  r.  Centre  Framingham,  Trumbull 
county,  Ohio,  and  was  for  a  time  teacher  and  preacher  (1879). 

(5.)  Lucretia  S.,  b.  Oct.  4,  181 1,  m.  Sedgwick  Cooly. 

(6.)  Mary  Ann,  b.  Nov.  10,  1813,  m.  Rev.  Stephen  R.  Riggs, 
missionary  to  the  Sioux  Indians,  Feb.  16,  1837  ;  she  d.  while 
on  her  mission,  and  left  two  sons,  ministers,  and  two  daugh- 
ters, missionaries,  who  are  yet  in  the  Sioux  country  (1879). 

(7.)  Moses  Maynard,  b.  June  14,  1815.  In  1844  he  took  up 
a  residence  in  Oberlin,  Ohio,  as  a  teacher. 

(8.)  Martha  Ann,  b.  June  24,  181 7,  d.  May  11,  1820, 

(9.)   Rhoda  Olive,  b.  March  2,  1819,  d.  April  28,  1821. 

(10.)  Thomas  Lawrence,  b.  Feb.  15,  1821,  d.  July  15,  1843. 
He  was  drowned  in  St.  Peter's  river,  at  Prairie  des  Sioux, 
where  he  had  gone  to  aid  his  sister's  husband.  Rev.  Mr. 
Riggs,  in  erecting  a  house,  and  to  pass  a  year  with  his  sister. 

(11.)  Joseph  Grout,  b.  May  24,  1823.  In  1844  he  went  to 
Stringsville,  Ohio,  as  a  religious  teacher,  and  d.  May  6,  1871. 

(12.)   Hemietta  Ann,  b.  July  12,  1826,  d.  Sept.  9,  1850. 

2.  Olive,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  18,  1776,  d.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  22,  1778. 

.'3.  Edmund,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  11,  1779,  m.  Olive  Field  of  Haw- 
ley, 1805.  Like  others  of  his  name  and  family,  he  took 
distinguished  rank  among  his  fellow-citizens.  He  held  a  military 
office,  and  many  times  represented  the  town  in  the  legislature  of 
the  state.  He  d.  Aug.  18,  1853.  He  had  ten  children,  all  b. 
at  Hawley  : 

(i.)  Edmund,  b.  Aug.  5,  1806,  d.  at  Hawley,  Oct.  28,  1829. 
(2.)   Calvin  Cooky,  b.  Jan.  29,  1808,   d.  at  Hawley,   Nov.    17, 

1825. 
(3.)  Elijah  Field,  b.  May   13,    18 10,  m.   Catharine  Tolman   of 

Cornelius,  N.  Y.,  and  had  two  children:    i.  "Edmund,"  b. 

at  Canandaigua,  N.Y.,  Sept.  19,  1838;  2.  "Calvin  Elijah,"  b. 

at  Hawley,  Dec.  23,  1843. 
(4.)   Otis,  b.  June  19,  181 2,   m.   G.   Rebecca   Mantor,   Oct.   8, 

1837,    and    had    two    children,  both  b.   at  Canandaigua :    i. 

"Gratia  C,"  b.  Jan.  6,  1839,  d.  Feb.  i,  1843  ;  2.  "Angle  K.," 

b.  June  23,  1840.     Mr.  Longley  was  murdered  in  Lawrence, 

Kansas,  Aug.  23,  1863,  at  the  "Quantrell  raid."     His  widow 

m.  Samuel  Williams  of  Hawley,  June  4,  1866. 
(5.)    William  Ferguson,  b.  Aug.  6,   18 14,  m.  Lydia  Bassett  of 

Hawley. 


556  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(6.)  Freeman,  b.  Oct.  19,  18 16,  m.  Millicent  B.  Ward  of  Hali- 
fax, Vt. 

(7.)  Wealthy  Field,  b.  July  13,  1819,  m.  Franklin  Howes  of 
Hawley. 

(8.)  Abnei-  T.,  b.  Nov.  26,  1821. 

(9.)   Olive  W.,  b.  May  16,  1824.- 

(10.)  Eliza  If.,  b.  Sept.  11,  1827. 

4.  Olive,  b.  June  28,  1781,  m.  Rev,  Thomas  H.  Wood  of  Hali- 
fax, Vt.,  and  d.  there,  March,  181 7,  leaving  children. 

5.  Rhoda,  b.  Oct.  20,  1783,  d.  Sept.  7,  1794. 

6.  Luther,  b.  Aug.  16,  1785,  m.  Harriet  Shattuck  of  Hawley, 
Jan.  5,  1808  ;  he  d.  June  12,  1832.  He  passed  his  life  in  Haw- 
ley, and  was  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits,  and  also  received 
from  his  townsmen  important  official  trusts.  He  was  clerk  of 
the  town  twenty-eight  successive  years,  and  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century  he  was  post-master.  His  son-in-law,  Edwin  Scott,  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Longley  in  the  last-named  office,  and  has  held  it  for 
twenty-three  years  (1879),  ^^^^  making  it  a  family  trust  for 
almost  half  a  century.  Mr.  Longley  had  nine  children  ;  they 
were  all  b.  at  Hawley  : 

(i.)  Calvin  S.,  b.  Nov.  29,  1809,  m.  Eliza  Joy,  Oct.  25,  1832. 
He  had  eight  children:  i.  "Ann  Eliza,"  b.  April  23,  1833, 
m.  Edwin  Scott,  Sept.  10,  1854;  she  has  had  four  children: 
I.  George  E.,*b.  May  8,  1855,  d.  May  28,  i860;  2.  Florence 
B.,  b.  May  11,  1861  ;  3.  Frank  B.,  b.  Sept.  10,  1865,  d.  Aug. 
7,  1867;  4.  Carrie  L.,  b.  Aug.  11,  1869.  2.  "Sylvia  Hawks," 
b.  Sept.  30,  1835,  m.  J.  H.  Bassett,  Sept.  8,  1859.  3.  "  Per- 
sis  J.,"  b.  Sept.  18,  1837,  d.  Dec.  20,  1837.  4.  "A  Son,"  b. 
April  19,  1839,  d.  same  day.  5.  "A  Son,"  b.  July  19,  1840, 
d.  July  22,  1840.  6.  "Carrie  E.,"  b.  Dec.  15,  1842,  m.  Na- 
thaniel Lamson,  June  5,  1861,  d.  April  4,  1872.  7.  "Julia 
H.,"  b.  July  6,  1845.  8.  "Flora  A.,"  b.  March  10,  1854,  m. 
Nathaniel  Lamson,  Dec.  24,  1872. 

(2.)   Dan,  b.  March  25,  1812,  d.  March  27,  1812. 

(3.)  Luther,  b.  May  5,  1813,  m.  Elizabeth  McDougal,  1842,  d. 
April  I,  1875  ;  he  had  one  child  :  i.  "Oscar  E.,"  b.  July  28, 
1843. 

(4.)  Alice  Laivrence,  b.  Aug.  13,  1815,  d.  June  3,  1862. 

(5.)  Harriet  N.,  b.  1818,  m.  Melzor  Hunt,  June  25,  1856,  d. 
Feb.  5,  1864. 

(6.)  Oliver  S.,  b.  July  23,  1820,  m.  Elizabeth  Mickins,  Nov.  26, 
1844,  d.  March  11,  1876  ;  he  had  three  children  :  i.  "Luther 
C,"  b.  May  12,  1849,  d.  Aug.  12,  1852;  2.  "Sarah  J.,"  b. 
Aug.  5,  1846,  d.  Feb.  20,  1878;  3.  "Ella  M.,"  b.  May  16, 
1854. 

(7.)  .S.  Nervell,  b.  Feb.  7,  1823,  m.  Maria  Bassett,  Aug.  20, 
1849;  he  had  four  children,  and  d.  Dec.  4,  1864:  i.  "Alice 
M.,"  b.  Oct,  17,  1850,  d.  Dec.  15,  1872;  2.  "Lizzie  A.,"  b. 
Jan.  23,  1853,  d.  June  21,  1859  ;  3.  "Abby  L.,"  b.  July  14, 
1855  ;  4.  "  Hattie  L.,"  b.  Jan.  17,-1860. 


GENEALOGY. LONGLEY.  557 

(8.)  R.  Olivia,  b.  May  13,  1825,  m.  Uzal  Bisbee,  Oct.  6,  1842. 

She  had  four  children  :    i.  "  Hattie  L.,"  b.  Jan.   8,    1846,  d. 

Dec.  13,   1869  ;  2.  "R.  Alice,"  b.  Aug.  9,  1849,  d.  March  3, 

1879;  3.  "JuUa  C,"  b.  May  3,    1856;    4.  "Carrie  L.,"   b. 

May  12,  i860. 
(9.)  Emily  S.,  b.  March  2,  1828. 

7.  Joshua,  b.  at  Hawley,  Aug,  26,  1787,  m.  Elizabeth  Hawks  of 
Charlemont,  June  4,  181 2.  He  d,  Nov.  2,  185 1  ;  his  widow  d. 
1862.  Agricultural  pursuits  engaged  his  attention  in  early  life, 
but  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years  he  commenced  a  mercantile 
course,  which  he  pursued  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Like  some 
of  his  ancestry  he  had  a  proclivity  for  military  service,  and  was 
early  led  to  accept  of  a  command  in  that  service.  He  event- 
ually became  colonel  of  the  regiment  with  which  his  town  militia 
was  connected.  He  removed  from  Hawley  to  Belchertown, 
Jan.,  1838.  He  there  held  the  office  of  post-master  four  years, 
an  office  that  he  had  previously  filled  in  his  native  town.  He 
had  ten  children,  all  b.  at  Hawley  : 

(i.)  Roswell  Hawks,  b.  Feb.  27,  18 13,  d.  Feb.  27,  1846,  unm. 
He  was  devoted  to  study,  and  worked  hard  during  his  boy- 
hood, that  he  might  be  early  prepared  for  a  college  course. 
But  a  failure  of  health  forced  him  to  relinquish  his  long  cher- 
ished plan.  Yet  he  seemed  happy  only  when  he  could  be 
engaged  in  the  study  of  some  favorite  branch  of  literature  or 
science.  And,  notwithstanding  his  invalid  state,  he  practised 
writing  some  and  studied  much,  and  had  not  ill-health  cut 
short  his  prospects,  he  gave  promise  of  distinguishment  in 
whatever  profession  he  might  have  chosen. 

The  town  of  Hawley  forms  a  point  of  altitude  above  any 
other  in  Franklin  county.  It  overlooks  the  beautiful  valley  of 
the  Deerfield  river,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  a  distance  of 
about  five  miles,  which  space  inclines  from  the  Hawley  heights 
to  the  bed  of  the  river,  forming  a  prospect  grand  and  pictu- 
resque. While  perambulating  these  heights  and  admiring  this 
scenery  in  company  with  a  friend,  Mr.  Longley  was  asked  by 
his  companion  to  write  an  acrostic  which  should  spell  the 
name  of  his  native  town.  He  responded  in  the  following 
lines  : 

"  Hung  amid  rocks  and  nature's  battlements  she  stands, 
And  toward  high  heaven  she  lifts  her  outstretched  hands  ; 
Waked  by  the  eagle's  cry,  rocked  by  the  stormy  blast, 
Long  may  she  proudly  stand,  to  tell  of  ages  past ; 
Earth  hath  no  sturdier  elms,  no  race  of  men  more  brave, 
Youth,  age  and  beauty,  there,  but  not  one  cringing  slave." 

(2.)  Henry  Ashley,  b.  Jan.  5,  18 14,  m.  Eliza  O.  Smith  of  Belch- 
ertown, Oct.  16,  1839.  He  has  had  two  children:  i.  "  Wil- 
He  Hide,"  b.  Aug.  18,  1843,  d.  Sept.  13,  1852  ;  2.  "S.  Lizzie," 
b.  June  24,  1846. 

Mr.  Longley  left  Hawley  and  settled  at  Belchertown  in  1836, 
and   engaged  in  mercantile    pursuits,   which  he  followed  for 


558  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

twenty  years.  But  he  was  one  who  could  not  escape  official 
trusts  if  he  would,  and  had  no  disposition  to  ignore  duty, 
public  or  private,  if  he  could.  He  was  post-master  four  years, 
was  clerk,  treasurer  and  town  tax-collector  eleven  years,  and 
was  a  deputy  sheriff  ten  years.  He  was  appointed  sheriff  of 
the  county  of  Hampshire  in  1855,  and  has  held  that  position 
until  [1879].  He  represented  Belchertown  in  the  lower  de- 
partment of  the  state  legislature  in  1849,  1850,  and  in  1854  ; 
but  his  appointment  to  the  office  of  county  sheriff  seemed  to 
require  that  his  residence  should  be  in  the  shire-town,  North- 
ampton, where  he  was  commissioned  to  the  charge  of  the  jail 
arid  house  of  correction  in  the  year  1861. 
(3.)  Sylvia  Hawks,  b.  Aug.  27,  181 5.  She  was  for  a  time  con- 
nected with  a  ladies'  seminary  at  Philadelphia  during  early  life, 
m.  Lewis  Bodman,  Dec,  1837.  She  had  one  child  that  d.  in 
infancy.  She  d.  Oct.  22,  1838. 
(4.)  Olive  Wood,  b.  July  29,  181 7,  d.  April  22,  1820. 
(5.)  Joshua  Grout,  b.  Aug.  27,  1819,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Delia  Stacy,  Oct.  i,  1846  ;  she  d.  1862  ;  he  m.  (second)  Maria 
1).  Sakin,  Nov.  22,  1871.  He  had  five  children:  1.  "Jenny 
H.,"  b.  June  2,  1850,  d.  Sept.  3,  1870;  2.  "Herbert  J.,"  b. 
Oct.  9,  1851  ;  3.  "Kate,"  b.  July,  1857;  4.  "  Hattie  B.,"  b. 
June  3,  1862  ;  5.  "Marion  S.,"  b.  Oct.  15,  1874.  Mr.  Long- 
ley  was  for  a  time  a  selectman  in  the  town  of  Belchertown, 
and  represented  that  town  in  the  state  legislature  in  1864. 
He  d.  Jan.  20,  1874. 
(6.)  Samuel  Worcester,  b.  May  11,  1822.  In  early  life  he  was 
apprenticed  to  a  merchant  in  Charlemont  during  his  minority, 
and  afterward  established  himself  in  the  same  pursuit  in 
Palmer.  He,  however,  soon  removed  to  Belchertown,  where 
he  d.  July  9,  1882.  He  was  appointed  post-master  during  the 
Lincoln  administration,  and  was  for  eighteen  years  deputy 
sheriff.     He  m.   Deha  L.   Kingsbury  of  Williamsburg,    1846. 

He  had  five  children  :  i.  "Ella  J.,"  b.  Nov.  6,  1847,  d.  Feb.  23, 

1873;  2.  "Eva  J.,"  b.  April  26,  1851,  d.  Jan.  30,   1874;  3. 
"George  W.,"  b.  June  8,   1855,  r.  Belchertown  (1879);  4, 

"Susan  L.,"  b.  Jan.  26,  1857,  d.  Jan.  11,  1865  ;  5.  "Julian," 
b.  Nov.  23,  1864,  <^-  I^ec.  II,  1865. 
(7.)  Augustus  Henry,  b.   Nov.  4,    1824,   m.  Julia  Bartlett,  June 

29,   1853;  she  d.  Sept.    15,    1855.     He  had  one  child:    i. 

"Willie  A.,"  b.  April  21,  1854,  d.  Sept.  15,  1854. 
(8.)   Chalmers  Payson,  b.  Jan.  30,  1827,  m.  Maria  Shaw,  who  d. 

Aug.    15,    1875.      H^   ^^^  ^^^  twenty  years   turnkey  of  the 

county  jail,  but  retired  from  public  life  in  1877. 
(9.)  Elizabeth  Brigham,  b.  Jan.  14,  1831,  d. 
(10.)  Julia  Aspatia,  b.  March  11,  1833,  m.  Edwin  R.  Bridgman, 

Oct.  26,  1852.     She  has  had  four  children:   i.  "Lizzie  M.," 

b.  Oct.  4,  1853,  d.  Oct.  4,   1854;  2.  "Robert  L.,"  b.  Sept. 

24,  1855  ;  3.  "Oracle,"  b.  May  6,  1862,  d.  Feb.  16,  1864  ;  4. 

"Bessie,"  b.  Nov.  12,  1865. 


GENEALOGY. —  I.ONGLEY-I.YON.  ^         559 

8.  Calvin,  b.  April  5,  1791,  d.  Sept.  11,  1794. 

III.  PHEBE,  b.  at  Groton,  Nov.  26,  1748. 

IV.  JOHN,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  17,  1750. 

V.  EUNICE,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  27,  1753. 

VI.  OLIVE,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  26,  1755,  d.  Jan.  8,  1857. 

VII.  OLIVE,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  28,  1857. 


LYON. 


ILJ)0U,  ^aron,  b.  at  Alstead,  N.  H.,  Aug.  11,  1781.  His 
father  and  mother  removed  to  that  town  from  Grafton,  Mass.,  soon 
after  the  birth  of  their  eldest  child,  in  the  year  1769  or  1770.  At 
this  time  the  country  was  new,  the  roads  but  partially  laid  out, — and 
such  as  were  estabhshed  were  designated  by  marked  trees, — and  deer, 
bears  and  wolves  were  still  occupants  of  the  forests.  Mrs.  Lyon 
assisted  in  planting  the  first  orchard  in  Alstead,  and  the  family 
remained  there  until  they  had  four  children,  which  constituted  the 
entire  household.  Soon  after  the  birth  of  the  subject  of  this  notice, 
the  family  returned  to  Massachusetts,  and  were  favorably  settled  in 
Lancaster. 

About  this  period,  the  Shakers,  who  had  formed  settlements  at 
Shirley  and  Harvard,  were  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  highest  pros- 
perity. The  Lyons,  who  had  previously  known  something  of  these 
strange  people,  united  with  them  in  full  communion,  giving  up  their 
property,  their  children  and  themselves  to  the  new  order  of  things. 
In  a  short  time,  however,  Mr.  Lyon  became  weary  of  his  Shaker  life, 
and  after  having  striven  in  vain  to  prevail  on  his  wife  to  join  him  and 
go  back  to  the  world,  left  "the  believers,"  and  returned  to  Lancaster, 
where  he  remained  until  his  death.  The  wife  continued  her  con- 
nection with  the  Shakers  until  her  death,  which  occurred  March  27, 
1843,  in  the  ninety-second  year  of  her  age.  The  children  had  all 
followed  their  father's  example  and  "returned  to  the  world."  The 
eldest  three  took  up  residences  in  Lancaster,  while  the  youngest,  the 
subject  of  this  notice,  became  a  resident  of  Shirley.  This  was  not 
far  from  the  commencement  of  the  present  century.  He  lived  at 
first  in  the  house  which  is  the  present  residence  of  Rev.  Eleazer 
Robbins.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  well  understood  the 
business  of  his  craft ;  but  fortune  did  not  favor  his  worldly  efforts, 
which  was  his  cause  for  seeking  another  field  of  operations.  While 
he  lived  in  town  he  built  for  his  own  use  the  house  now  owned  and 
occupied  by  Mr.  H.  Brownson. 

Aaron  Lyon  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Sally,  daughter  of  John  and 
Anna  (Holden)  Davis  of  Shirley,  Aug.  i,  1802.     She  d.  at  Marietta, 

Ohio,  Oct.  9,  1823.     He  m.  (second)  Elizabeth  ,  who  d.  at 

Marietta,  Feb.  26,  1826.  Mr.  Lyon  d.  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  Aug.  11, 
1835.     He  had  nine  children. 


560  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

He  left  Shirley  in  1814  or  181 5,  and  became  one  of  the  colony 
that  went  from  Shirley  and  settled  in  Marietta,  Ohio.  He,  with  his 
family  and  Mr.  Zenas  Davis,  a  brother  of  his  wife,  seven  or  eight  in 
all,  went  the  long  and  tiresome  journey,  through  a  western  wilderness 
to  their  destined  home,  occupying  in  the  route  thirty-five  days. 
Their  transport  was  effected  with  a  pair  of  horses  and  a  large  covered 
wagon. 

After  residing  at  Marietta  a  few  years,  he  purchased  a  lot  of  land, 
containing  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  in  or  near  Aurelius,  Ohio, 
where  he  resided  two  years,  and  then  returned  to  Marietta  in  1823. 
Soon  after  the  death  of  his  second  wife,  in  1826,  he  removed  to  Cin- 
cinnati, and  lived  in  the  family  of  his  youngest  son,  Aaron  Lyon,  Jr., 
where  he  d.     His  children  were  : 

I.  LUCY  DAVIS,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  2,  1804,  m.  Robert  G. 
Paterfield  of  Marietta,  1823.  She  removed  to  some  town  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  had  seven  children  : 

I.  Theophilus  James.     2.  Clara  Sloan. 

3.  Lucy  J.     4.  Robert  Austin.     5.  Anna. 

6.  Mary.     7.  William  Mariin. 

Mrs.   Paterfield  is  now  a  widow,  r.  Eulinton,  Venango  county, 
.    Penn. 

n.     SARAH  ANN,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  12,  1807,  m. Leutner, 

d.  in  Cincinnati,  1836. 

HL  CAROLINE  CLARISSA,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  12,  1809,  m. 
Euclid  Warden,  lived  and  d.  at  Milwaukie,  Wis.  She  had  two 
children  : 

1.  Lucy  A.,  m.  Green. 

2.  Albert,  is  m.,  r.  Chicago,  111.  (1879.) 

IV.  JOSEPH  WILLARD,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  4,  1810,  m.,  lived 
and  d.  at  Cincinnati.  His  widow  and  children  r.  in  that  city 
(1879). 

V.  AARON,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  12,  1812,  m.  Mary  Matilda  Olney, 
June  I,  1834,  r.  Peoria,  111.  (1878.)  He  has  had  five  children,  all 
b.  at  Cincinnati : 

1.  WiLLARD  Smith,  b.  July  11,  1836,  d.  at  Howe  City,  Ohio,  Aug. 
13,  1851. 

2.  Eliza  Weston,  b.  *Feb.  25,  1839,  m.  Weston  Arnold,  Oct.  12, 
1859. 

3.  George  Warden,  b.  June  28,  1842. 

4.  Franklin    Olney,    b.  March   12,   1847,  m.   Matilda   Sanborn, 
July  17,  1877. 

5.  Charles  EiMory,  b.  Feb.  7,  1850. 


GENEALOGY. LYON-M^^LAIN.  561 

VI.  MARY  JOHNSON,  b.  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  Dec.  15,  181 7.  She 
has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  William  Henry  Lee  of  Cincinnati, 
Dec.  15,  1834;  m.  (second)  Alonzo  P.  Kendall,  Feb.  5,  1849,  r. 
Andersonville,  Ind.  (1879.)     She  has  had  two  children  : 

1.  Cordelia  R.,  b.  at  Cincinnati,  July  15,  1837,  m.  Alonzo  Cam- 
eron, June  24,  1856,  d.  at  Andersonville,  Oct.  8,  1878.  She 
had  two  children. 

2.  William  Henry  Lee,  Jr.,  b.  at  Patriot,  Ind.,  Sept.  9,  1839,  m. 
Sarah  J.  McCallock  of  Hopkinsville,  Ky.,  Dec.  14,  1866. 

VIL  JOHN,  b.  at  Aurelius,  July  15,  1820,  d.  at  Aurelius,  July  1, 
1822. 

VIII.     ROSALINDA  MARIA,  b.  at  Marietta,  June  17,  1822. 
XL     HARRIET  E.,  b.  at  Marietta  on  Saturday,  d.  Nov.  28,  1828. 


McFARLAND. 

I^CiFatlanTr,  JJOijn.  During  the  early  part  of  the  last  half 
of  the  last  century,  John  McFarland  and  Lydia,  his  wife,  became  resi- 
dents of  Shirley.  How  long  they  remained  cannot  here  be  stated, 
but  at  least  until  three  children  were  born  unto  them.  No  tradition 
has  come  down  to  the  present  generation  from  them. 

I.  DEBORAH,  b.  June  30,  1758. 

II.  LYDIA,  b.  June  16,  1759. 

III.  MARY,  b.  October  13,  1760. 


McKENZEY. 

|Wclttn|f5,  iiOtrrriC,  and  his  wife,  Polly,  removed  from  Lan- 
caster to  Shirley,  April  6,  1785,  and  remained  inhabitants  of  the 
latter  town  during  their  lives.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  American 
army  during  a  portion  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  his  wife  was  an 
assistant  in  camp  and  hospital.  He  d.  Sept.  9,  1820.  She  d.,  a 
pauper,  Aug.  17,  1838,  aged  eighty-three  years. 


McLAIN.    • 

JW^CiLain,  ISttUjai'tl,  was  an  inhabitant  of  Shirley  during  a 
portion  of  the  last  quarter  of  the  last  century.  The  birth  of  one 
child,  while  he  lived  here  has  been  entered  upon  the  records  of  the 
town. 

I.     SARAH,  b.  Sept.  28,  1785. 
71 


562  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

McLEOD. 

IWcHCOtl,  Habltl,  was  b.  at  Boston,  May  26,  1740,  m.  Sarah 
Henry  of  Shirley,  and  became  an  inhabitant  of  the  town  as  early  as 
1778.  His  house  was  in  the  South  Village,  upon  the  hill  at  the 
corner  of  the  streets  just  south  of  the  engine  house.  His  principal 
business  was  school-teaching,  and  he  was  so  long  engaged  in  this 
employment  that  an  entire  generation  could  refer  back  to  him  as  their 
guide  in  obtaining  a  knowledge  of  letters.  The  active  generation  of 
fifty  years  since  were  among  his  pupils  in  childhood,  and  they 
retained  many  pleasant  and  some  painful  reminiscences  of  their  ven- 
erated instructor.  Master  McLeod.  They  could  say  of  him,  as 
Goldsmith  says  of  one  (a  predecessor  of  the  craft)  in  his  "Deserted 
Village  :" 

"  He  was  kind,  and  if  severe  in  aught, 
The  love  he  bore  to  learning  was  the  fault." 

He  had,  in  early  life,  traveled  in  Europe,  a  privilege  that  few  of 
American  lineage  experienced  at  that  time.  Upon  the  birth-records 
of  Shirley  are  entered  the  names  of  four  children  : 

I.  THOMAS,  b.  at  Boston,  Dec.  28,  1772. 

II.  WILLIAM   SCOTT,  b.  at  Marlborough,  March  5,  1776.         •    ' 

HI.     BRUCE,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  10,  1778,  m.  Timothy  Vinton  of 
Reading,  pub.  March  3,  1799.     She  had  two  children. 

IV.     MARY   GILLISPIE,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  5,  1781. 


MILLS, 


JttlUS,  JfaniCS,  lived  in  a  house  which  stood  upon  the  farm 
owned  and  occupied  by  the  late  Luke  Holden,  in  a  westerly  section 
of  the  town.  He  m.  Mrs.  Ruth  Davis  of  Lunenburg,  pub.  Dec.  13, 
1783.     He  had  two  children. 


MOORS. 


I^OOrS,  JOnati)an,  b.  at  Oroton,  Feb.  13,  1728,  lived  in  a 
northerly  part  of  Shirley,  and  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Sybil  Tarbell, 
who  d.  June  18,  1763;  (second)  to  Susanna,  daughter  of  Capt. 
Francis  Harris.  He  had  five  children,  and  d.  at  Shirley,  July  18, 
1765.  Mr.  Joseph  Longley,  who  was  made  clerk  of  the  town  at  its 
organization  and  for  two  or  three  years  succeeding,  enlisted  as  a 
soldier  in  the  war  with  Canada,  from  whence  he  never  returned  ;  and 
Mr.  Moors  was  appointed  clerk  in  his  place,  and  had  four  successive 


GENEALOGY. MOORS.  563 

elections.     He  held  other  important  official  positions.     His  children 
were  : 

I.  JONATHAN,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  21,  1756. 

II.  JOSEPH,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  16,  1758,  m.  Amy  Hubbard  of 
Groton,  and  soon  after  the  war  of  the  Revolution  removed  to 
Rindge,  N.  H.  He  d.  Feb.  26,  1844.  Amy,  his  wife,  d.  March 
20,  1838.     He  had  one  child  : 

1.  Hubbard,  b.  at  Rindge,  Nov.  11,  1788,  m.  Lucretia  Emory. 
He  resided  in  Boston  several  years,  but  returned  to  Rindge, 
1823,  and  d.  there  Feb.  19,  1874.  His  wife,  Lucretia,  d.  May 
6,  1873.  In  his  will  Mr.  Moors  gave  two  thousand  dollars  to 
the  Congregational  society,  and  one  thousand  to  the  Methodist 
society  of  his  native  town. 

III.  SYBIL,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  26,  1760. 

IV.  PHINEHAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  9,  1764,  d.  Oct.  12,  1764. 

V.  ABEL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  22,  i  766,  m.,  and  had  five  children  : 

1.  John.     2.  Abel.     3.  Lovell.     4.  Hiram.     5.  Lavina. 

While  his  children  were  minors  Mr.  Moors  removed  from  this 
commonwealth,  and  established  a  home  for  himself  and  family  in 
some  town  of  New  Hampshire. 

if^OOrS,  JJoijn,  b.  at  Groton,  Dec.  25,  i747,m.  Hannah,  daugh- 
ter of  Deacon  Hezekiah  Sawtell  of  Shirley,  pub.  March  31,  1770.  He 
had  seven  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

I.  JOHN,  b.   June    15,  1771,    m.  Ruth  Coleman  of  Shirley,  pub. 

July  6,  . 

II.  HANNAH,  b.  July  26,  1773. 

III.  HEZEKIAH,  b.  Dec.  3,  1775. 

IV.  LEVI,  b.  Feb.  17,  1781. 

V.  SYBIL,  b.  Sept.  5,  1783. 

VI.  TIMOTHY,  b.  July  7,  1785. 

VII.  LYDIA,  b.  June  25,  1787. 

Mr.  Moors  was  one  of  the  patriots  of '76.  He  enlisted  as  one  of 
the  eight  months  men,  under  Capt.  Robert  Longley,  in  1775.  He 
also  enlisted,  Dec.  2,  1777,  for  three  years,  and  was  in  Capt.  Smith's 
company  of  the  Fifteenth  Continental  regiment,  under  Col.  Timothy 
Bigelow. 

J^OOtS,  li^Ufli),  came  to  live  in  Shirley  near  the  time  of  its 
incorporation,  and  owned  a  house  and  farm  in  a  north-easterly  sec- 
tion of  the  town,  remote  from  any  road,  and  surrounded  by  a  dense 


564  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

forest.  He  had  a  family,  but  of  their  number  or  names  no  record 
has  been  found.  In  the  "Boston  News  Letter,"  which  Snow  says  (in 
his  history  of  Boston,)  was  the  first  periodical  paper  that  appeared  on 
our  continent,  the  following  sad  record  was  made  June  22,  1758  : 

"We  hear  from  the  district  of  Shirley  in  the  county  of  Middlesex, 
that  on  the  25th  ult.  the  following  accident  happened  there,  viz.  :  As 
Mr.  Hugh  Moors  of  that  place  was  cutting  down  a  tree,  but  a  Httle 
way  from  his  house,  and  that  just  as  the  tree  was  falling  he  looked  up 
and  saw  a  son  of  his,  about  five  years  old,  coming  to  him  in  the  place 
where  the  tree  was  about  to  fall ;  on  which  he  ran  and  catched  him 
in  his  arms  ;  but  in  turning  about  to  save  his  child's  life,  (which  he 
did,)  he  lost  his  own,  by  one  of  the  limbs  reaching  his  head,  which 
killed  him  instantly.  The  child  is  hurt  but  little,  and  is  like  to  do 
well.  Mr.  Moors  is  much  lamented  by  all  that  knew  him  ;  for  he 
was  a  kind  husband,  a  tender  parent,  and  a  good  neighbor." 

In  the  old  cemetery  there  is  a  gravestone  bearing  the  following 
record:  "John  Moore  died  May  8,  1758,  Et.  96  years,"  which 
makes  his  birth-year  1662.  "His  wife,  Agnes,  d.  July  23,  1757,  Et.  89 
years,"  which  makes  her  birth-year  1668.  Nothing  further  ever 
reached  us  concerning  them,  either  through  record  or  tradition. 


NUTTING. 

TSTuttlJlfi,  JlonaS,  b.  at  Westford,  April  7,  1802.  He  was  a 
son  of  Jonas  Nutting  and  Martha  Gould,  was  not  born  in  wedlock, 
and  therefore  could  not  know  the  benefits  of  parental  instruction.  At 
the  age  of  five  years  he  was  put  in  charge  of  the  Shaker  communion 
at  Shirley,  where  he  remained  through  all  the  after  stages  of  his  life, 
and  where  he  died.  The  Shakers  opened  to  him  a  comfortable  home 
in  his  helplessness,  and  he  proved  to  them  a  faithful  coadjutor  in  his 
strength.  In  his  boyhood  he  was  taken  under  the  immediate  super- 
intendence of  their  business  agent — or  deacon,  as  he  is  styled  by  his 
associates, — and  was  trained  in  a  knowledge  of  farm  husbandry,  care 
of  animals,  traffic,  and  domestic  economy  ;  in  all  of  which  he  proved 
himself  an  apt  scholar.  When  his  foster-father  had  passed  away,  the 
well-taught  pupil  was  exalted  to  the  place  of  his  patron,  and  entered 
upon  its  duties  ;  and  during  almost  all  of  his  after  years  he  constituted 
the  temporal  lead  of  the  Shakers  in  Shirley.  Their  business  at  home 
and  abroad  passed  under  his  supervision,  and  he  was  regarded  by 
his  business  associates  of  the  world, — even  as  he  was  known  to  be,  by 
the  brethren  of  his  faith, — an  honest  man.  He  was  slow  of  utterance, 
apparently  dull  in  his  movements,  yet  his  judgment  was  so  well  ma- 
tured that  his  action  was  attended  with  few  drawbacks  or  mistakes. 
For  more  than  twenty  of  the  last  years  of  his  life  he  was  deeply 
afflicted  with  that  apparently  incurable  disease  termed  asthma,  and 
for  many  of  these  years  his  malady  prevented  his  rest  upon  a  bed, 
his  sleep  being  obtained  while  seated  in  a  chair  and  reclining  forward 
upon   pillows.     Yet   all  this  trial  failed   greatly  to    disturb  the  even 


GENEALOGY. NUTTING-PAGE.  565 

tenor  of  his  spirits,  or  prevent  the  regular  discharge  of  his  daily 
duties.  He  d.  very  suddenly,  Aug.  26,  1875.  His  funeral  was 
attended  by  a  large  concourse  of  people,  composed  of  the  members 
of  his  own  faith  and  friends  and  strangers  from  abroad.  All  seemed 
anxious  to  exhibit  their  respect  for  the  memory  of  one  whose  life  had 
been  filled  with  the  virtues  and  usefulness  that  had  characterized  that 
of  Deacon  Jonas  Nutting. 


PAGE. 


The  Page  families  of  Groton,  Shirley,  Lunenburg,  Rindge,  N.  H., 
and  many  other  New  England  towns,  were  descended,  generally, 
from  John  Page,  who  immigrated  to  this  country  in  1630,  and  set- 
tled at  Watertown.  He  came  from  Dedham,  England,  and  brought 
his  family,  which  consisted  of  his  wife,  Phebe,  and  three  children,  to 
which,  according  to  Bond's  history  of  Watertown,  two  were  added 
after  his  settlement  in  America.  He  was  the  first  constable  of 
Watertown,  being  appointed  in  1630,  by  the  court.  He  was  admitted 
freeman  May  18,  1631.  He  d.  Dec.  18,  1676;  his  widow  d.  Sept. 
25,  1677.  His  children  were  scattered  abroad,  the  fourth  of  whom, 
John,  Jr.,  was  the  ancestor  of  the  Groton  and  Shirley  families. 

John  Page,  Jr.,  was  b.  in  1630,  took  the  oath  of  fidelity  in  1652. 
About  the  year  1662  he  removed  to  Groton,  was  a  proprietor  of  the 
extensive  territory  that  bore  that  name,  and  a  distinguished  settler 
of  the  place.  He  m.  Faith  Dunster,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  a 
niece  of  President  Dunster  of  Harvard  University.  She  d.  .^pril  3, 
1699.  He  did  not  continue  in  Groton  through  life,  but  returned  to 
Watertown  about  the  year  1676,  and  d.  about  1711.  He  was  a 
selectman  of  Watertown  in  1695,  1696,  1697  and  1698.  He  had 
three  children  b.  at  Groton,  and  one  after  his  return  to  Watertown. 

Samuel  Page    was  a  son  of  John  Page,  Jr.,  and  Faith  (Dunster) 

Page.     He  was  b.  at  Groton,  June  4,  1672.     He  m.  Martha , 

and  had  two  children  b.  at  Groton,  but  eventually  removed  to  Lun- 
enburg, and  was  the  first  settler  of  that  town,  and,  for  a  time  his  was 
the  only  family  within  its  limits.  "  He  received  the  title  of  'Governor,' 
since  he  was  presumed  to  control  the  whole  town."  His  second  born 
was  the  first  of  the  name  that  was  ever 'settled  in  Shirley. 

page,  BaniCl/  (Samuel,"  John,  Jr.,^  John,')  b.  at  Groton,  Aug. 

10,  1722,  m.  Ruth .     It  is  probable  that  he  was  proprietor  of 

the  estate  afterward  owned  by  Phinehas  Page,  and  now  by  the  heirs 
of  the  late  Philemon  Holden.  The  name  of  Daniel  Page  is  on  the 
list  of  petitioners  that  Shirley  have  a  corporate  existence,  and  he  had 
four  children,  all  of  whom  were  b.  at  Shirley  : 

I.  RUTH,  b.  Aug.  25,  1746.  She  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Silas 
Davis,  and  had  five  children.  She  m.,  (second)  James  Mills  of 
Shirley,  pub.  Dec.  13,  1783,  and  had  two  or  three  children. 


566  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

II.  HULDAH,    b.   Jan.   31,    1748,   m.   in  early  womanhood,   and 
removed  from  town. 

III.  MARTHA,    b.   Dec.    15,    1750,    m.    David  Wilson,   and    had 
several  children. 

IV.  DANIEL,  b.  Jan.  26,  1753,   m.  Mary  Davis,    1777.      He   had 
two  children  b.  at  Shirley : 

1.  Daniel,  b.  June  3,  1778. 

2.  John,  b.  October  25,  1779. 

Mr.  Daniel  Page  was  one  of  the  eighty  volunteers  who  marched 
under  the  lead  of  Capt.  Haskell,  the  day  after  the  fight  at  Concord, 
April  19,  1775. 

ll^flf*  J|Oi)tt,  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Parker)  Page  of  Groton,  (John,'  John,*  Jonathan,"  John,  Jr.,^  John,^) 
was  b.  in  Groton,  June  9,  1743,  m.  Esther  Lawrence  of  Groton,  Oct. 
29,  1767.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Esther  Lawrence. 
He  Hved  in  Groton  until  after  the  birth  of  his  first  child,  then 
removed  to  Shirley,  where  three  children  were  born.  In  1775 
he  removed  to  Rindge,  N.  H.,  where  three  other  children  were  born. 
Stearns  says,  in  his  History  of  Rindge,  that  he  served  in  Col.  Bald- 
win's regiment,  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  and  that,  Dec.  21,  1788, 
himself  and  wife  were  dismissed  from  the  church  in  Rindge  and  rec- 
ommended to  the  church  in  Reading ;  that  the  state  is  not  named  in 
the  record.  No  farther  notice  of  him  has  been  found.  He  had 
seven  children  : 

I.  MOLLY,  b.  at  Groton,  June  15,  1768,  m.  Josiah  Sawtell. 

II.  ESTHER,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct,  15,  1769,  m.  Jesse  Davis. 

III.  THOMAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  21,  1771. 

IV.  PRUDENCE,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  12,  17  74. 

V.  JOHN,  b.  at  Rindge,  Sept.  9,  1776. 

VI.  EDMUND,  b.  at  Rindge,  Nov.  9,  1778. 

VII.  JONATHAN,  b.  at  Rindge,  May  3,  1781,  m.  Rebecca  Sawtell. 

)^tlj|€)  c^tnton,  was  b.  at  Groton  ;  but,  owing  to  a  defect  in  the 
town  records,  neither  the  date  of  his  birth  nor  the  names  of  his  par- 
entage are  preserved.  He  is,  however,  supposed  to  have  been  the  son 
of  Jonathan  Page,  (Simon,*  Jonathan,'"  John,  Jr.,- John.')  He  m.  Han- 
nah Gilson,  and  his  home  was  on  territory  that  came  within  the  limits 
of  what  was  subsequently  Shirley.  His  farm  is  situated  on  the  eastern 
boundary  of  the  town,  and  borders  on  the  Nashua  river  ;  the  same 
estate  is  now  the  home  of  William  and  E.  L.  White.  He  had  eleven 
children,  all  b.  at  the  same  home,  but  all  that  were  b.  previous  to 
1 753  were  recorded  at  Groton,  the  remainder  at  Shirley. 


GENEALOGY. PAGE.  567 

SIMON,  b.  at  Groton,  June  6,  1742.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Elizabeth  Moors  of  Groton,  pub.  Jan.  15,  1767;  (second)  to 
Elizabetli  DeRumpell  of  Groton.  He  had  eight  children,  all  b.  in 
Shirley.  He  d.  at  Shirley.  He  was  one  of  the  patriots  of  the 
Revolution,  in  1775;  was  amongst  the  volunteers  who  marched 
from  Shirley  in  the  company  of  Capt.  Haskell,  on  the  alarm,  April 
^9>  1775-  ^^  th^  ^S^^  °f  t'"'^  following  July,  he  enlisted  into  the 
regular  service  for  eight  months. 

1.  Eunice,  b.  Aug.  17,  1767,  m.  Abijah  Nutting  of  Groton,  Feb. 
6,  1788,  and  made  that  town  her  life  residence.  She  had  six 
children,  and  d.  Jan.  2,  1825.     Her  children  were  : 

(i.)  Ahijah,  b.  Nov.  24,  1790. 
(2.)  Eunice,  b.  April  18,  1792. 
(3.)  Alpheus,  b.  March  10,  1798. 
(4.)  Levi,  b.  Feb.  18,  1801. 
(5.)  Lucinda,  b.  April  5,  1803. 
(6.)  Hannibal,  b.  March  17,  1805. 

2.  Sybil,  b.  Sept.  5,  1769,  d.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  18,  1784. 

3.  Elizabeth,  b.  Oct.  12,  1771,  m. 

4.  Susie,  b.  Jan.  8,  1774,  m.  Phinehas  Nutting  of  Groton,  1793, 
and  had  seven  children,  all  b.  at  Groton  : 

(i.)  Sukey,  b.  Aug.  5,  i793- 

(2.)  Lydia,  b.  April  4,  1795. 

(3.)  Phinehas,  b.  June  5,  1797. 

(4.)  Simon,  b.  April  27,  1800,  m.  Sarah  Huntress,  Nov.  22,  1823. 

(5.)  Joel,  b.  April  3,  1802,  m.  Esther  Lawrence,  July  10,  1825, 

d.  May  9,  1854. 
(6.)  Nancy,  b.  March  14,  1804. 
(7.)    William  Stuart,  b.  Nov.  14,  1806. 

5.  Lydia,  b.  Dec.  27,  1776,  m.  John  Moors  of  Groton,  removed 
to  Mount  Holly,  Vt.,  lived  and  d.  in  that  town. 

G.  Hannah,  b.  Feb.  28,  1778,  d.  May  3,  1778. 

7.  Simon,  b.  Oct.  30,  1780,  m.  Mary  Kemp  of  Groton,  Jan.  27, 
1801.  He  lived  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  the 
late  Porter  Kittredge,  and  gained  quite  a  reputation  as  a  cultiva- 
tor of  hops  ;  and  in  other  ways  he  was  a  thrifty,  industrious 
farmer.  He  died  Sept.  11,  1839.  His  death  was  occasioned 
by  the  accidental  discharge  of  a  musket,  the  contents  of  which 
penetrated  his  lungs,  and  his  life  was  closed  in  a  few  hours.  He 
stood  upon  the  stairs  leading  to  the  attic  of  his  house  ;  the  gun 
lay  along  the  floor,  and,  as  he  drew  it  toward  himself  by  its  muz- 
zle, the  lock  came  in  contact  with  un  uneven  board,  which  caused 
the  fatal  discharge.  His  widow  died  at  Pepperell,  Dec.  27,  1855. 
He  had  eight  children,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Shirley, 
(i.)  Richard  Ransotn,  b.  April   17,  1801,   m.   Ruth   Messer   of 

Londonderry,  N.  H.,  Jan.,  1838.     He  had  two  children:    i. 

"Charles  Kimball,"   b.  at    Londonderry,  June  27,   1832,    m. 


568  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Mary  Ann  Tucker  of  Lowell,  Aug.  9,  1855  ;  had  one  child  :  i. 
Hannah  Maria,  b.  at  Lowell,  July  14,  1857.  2.  "George,"  b. 
at  Londonderry,  April  i,  1838,  d.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  8,  1839. 
Ruth,  the  wife  of  Richard  R.  Page,  d.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  16, 
1839.      He  d.  at  Pepperell,  Feb.  22,  1863. 

(2.)  Simon  Gilson,  b.  Jan.  15,  1803,  m.  Olive  Hall  of  Shirley, 
pub.  Nov.  25,  1830.  He  died  at  Shirley,  Feb.  12,  1839.  He 
had  one  child. — (Sec  register  Hall  family,  p.  430.) 

(3.)  Lucintla,  b.  April  28,  1805,  m.  Sumner  Hopkins  of  Groton, 
Mar.  29,  1824.  She  has  had  seven  children:  i.  "  Lucinda 
Jane,"  b.  at  Shirley,  June  5,  1825,  m.  Hugh  O'Failing  of  Ar- 
cadia, Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y.  2.  "Sumner  Crosby,"  b.  at  Shirley, 
Jan.  I,  1827;  3.  "Charles  Bradley,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  16, 
1829;  4.  "  Mary  Augusta,"  b.  at  Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  25, 
1835,  m.  Davis  McCarn  of  Arcadia,  Apr.  8,  1854  ;  5.  "Emily 
Ann,"  b.  Feb.  17,  1837,  d.  Mar.,  1837;  6.  "  Edmund  Theo- 
dore," b.  in  Galen,  N.  Y.,  May  31,  1838;  7.  "  Letitia  Ann," 
b.  at  Arcadia,  Sept.  i,  1840. 

(4.)  Edmund,  b.  June  25,  1807,  d.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  24,  1838, 
unm. 

(5.)  Adeline,  b.  June  25,  1807,  m.  Nathan  H olden  of  Shirley, 
Dec.  8,  1840,  r.  Shirley  (1883). 

(6.)  Hannah,  b.  Dec,  1809,  d.  Apr.  29,  1868,  unm. 

(7.)  Edson,  b.  Aug.  28,  1813,  d.  Aug.  29,  1813. 

(8.)  Mary,  b.  June  13,  18 16,  m.  Edmund  F.  Nutting  of  Pep- 
perell, May  3,  1838,  r.  Pepperell  (1883).  She  has  had  seven 
children,  all  b.  at  Pepperell:  i.  "Mary  Elizabeth,"  b.  May 
20,  1839,  ^-  Nov.  18,  1841  ;  2.  "AdeHne  Francina,"  b.  Aug. 
22,  1840,  d.  Nov.  21,  1841  ;  3.  "George  Henry,"  b.  May  22, 
1843,  d.  Sept.  I,  1846;  4.  "Almira  Frances,"  b.  Feb.  28, 
1845;  5-  "Ellen  A.,"  b.  Feb.  9,  1847;  6.  "Edmund  Page," 
b.  June  25,  1849  ;   7.  "Charles  Farnsworth,"  b.  June  6,  1853. 

•S.  Joel,  b.  July  22,  1785,  m.  Leah  Dickerson,  June  9,  1803.  He 
had  seven  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley.  While  his  children  were 
young  and  helpless  he  left  his  family,  surrounded  by  want,  to 
the  care  of  their  mother,  and  to  such  sympathizing  friends  as  her 
forlorn  condition  might  call  up,  and  his  whereabout  has  remained 
a  mystery  unto  this  day.     His  children  were  : 

(i.)  Almira,  b.  Nov.  7,  1804.  Has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
John  Barnard  of  Stow,  1825  ;  he  d.  Oct.  31,  1854  ;  (second) 
to  Ephraim  Richards  of  Mexico,  Me.,  r.  Mexico  (1879).  She 
has  had  eight  children,  all  b.  at  Mexico  :  i.  "Jane  Augusta," 
b.  March  29,  1827,  d  Aug.  11,  1829;  2.  "Elizabeth  Leah," 
b.  April  25,  1829,  m.  Jarvis  Richards,  and  had  eight  children  ; 
3.  "Sarah  Jane,"  b.  Sept,  17,  1832,  m.  Marvel  Taylor,  and 
had  two  children  ;  4.  "Mary  Ann,"  b.  Feb.  7,  1834,  m.  Henry 
McCollestor,  and  had  two  children;  5.  "Stephen  G.,"  b. 
July  23,  1836,  m.  Sarah  Jane  Barnard,  and  had  three  children  ; 
6.  "Louisa  Elmira,"  b.  March  21,  1839,  d.  May  i,   1841  ;    7. 


GENEALOGY. PAGE.  _  569 

"Hiram  Abiff,"  b.  Nov.  3,  1843,  d.  Aug.  15,  1864  ;  8.  "Abby 
L,  A.,"  b.  Sept.  28,  1846,  d.  March  24,  1853. 

(2.)  Joel,  b.  March  17,  1806,  d.  1822. 

(3.)  Louisa  J  v.,  b.  March  21,  1808.  She  has  been  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Joel  Foster  of  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  Oct.  i,  1825  ; 
he  d.  March  22,  1839;  m.  (second)  John  Griffin,  July  15, 
1845  l  ^^  d-  D^^-  5'  ^856  ;  she  is  a  widow,  r.  Shirley  (1883). 
She  has  had  seven  children  :  i.  "Sarah  Louisa,"  b.  at  Lowell, 
Nov.  16,  1827,  d.  Jan.  24,  1831  ;  2.  "Mary  Kendall,"  b. 
Nov.  30,  1828,  d.  at  Lowell,  Jan.  24,  1831  ;  3.  "Mary  Louisa," 
b.  Jan.  15,  1 83 1,  m.  William  Turner  of  Plymouth,  Vt.,  June, 
1845,  d.  May  31,  1876;  4.  "Joel,"  b.  March  31,  1832;  5. 
"George  Page,"  b.  June  16,  1837  ;  6.  "Alonzo  Franklin,"  b. 
Feb.  7,  1848,  m.  Elizabeth  F.  Carkers,  Sept.  5,  1867;  7. 
"Walter  Eugene,"  b.  Nov.  17,  1849,  r.  Shirley,  unm.  (1883.) 

(4.)  Simon  Dickerson,  b.  1810,  In  early  manhood  he  left  his 
family  and  went  to  parts  unknown,  in  imitation  of  his  father's 
example  ;  and  his  absence,  like  that  of  his  father,  has  always 
remained  a  mystery. 

(5.)  Elizabeth,  b.  May  10,  18 12.  She  has  been  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Francis  Harris  of  Shirley,  Nov.  18,  1833  ;  he  d.  May  20, 
i860;  she  m.  (second)  Reuben  Wyman,  Nov.  18,  1861  ;  he 
d.  Dec.  5,  1868  ;  she  r.  in  Townsend  (1879). 

(6.)  William,  b.  June  25,  1814,  m.  Elizabeth  E.  Davis  of  Lun- 
enburg, June  19,  1839,  d.  the  same  year. 

(7.)   George,  b.  Feb.  10,  181  7,  d.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  16,  1838. 

II.     JAMES,  b.  April  22,  1744,  d.  Sept.  23,  1773. 
HI.     HANNAH,  b.  May  31,  1746,  died  young. 

IV.  LYDIA,  b.  Dec.  10,  1748,  m.  Simon  Holden  of  Shirley,  April 
20,  1794. 

V.  JONAS,  b.  Sept.  2,  1750,  m.  Lucy  Holden  of  Shirley,  pub. 
Nov.  23,  1775.  He  was  one  of  the  eighty  patriots  called  out  by 
the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775.  He  d.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  26,  1822.  He 
had  sixteen  children  : 

1.  Lucy,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  13,  1777,  m.  Moses  Chaplin,  April  7, 
1801,  d.  Feb.  25,  1846. 

2.  Jonas,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  28,  1778,  m.  Eunice  Wait  of  Ipswich, 
May  24,  1808.  He  d.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  29,  1824  ;  his  widow  d. 
at  Dover,  N.  H.,  Sept.  15,  1826,  aged  40  years.  They  had  seven 
children  : 

(i.)  Eunice  Waif,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  2,  1809,  m.  Francis 
Kauffer,  June  27,  1827.  She  d.  at  Lowell,  Nov.  14,  1847. 
She  had  five  children:  i.  "John  Francis,"  b.  at  Andover, 
June  3,  1828,  d.  in  Maine,  Feb.  1859.  He  d.  from  inhaling 
steam.  2.  "Clarissa  Ann,"  b.  at  Andover,  June  23,  1830;  m. 
Dr.  David  Burbank  of  San  Francisco,  Cal. ;  3.  "  Eunice  Ade- 
line," b.  at  Roxbury,  Dec.  13,  1832,  d.   at  Concord,  N.  H., 

72 


570  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

June  23,  1850;  4.  "Mary  Ann,"  b.  at  Boston,  Oct.  13,  1836, 
d.  at  Lowell,  Oct.  16,  1843;  5.  "Hale  Page,"  b.  at  Methuen, 
Dec.  31,  1839,  m.  Etta  St.  Clair  of  South  Strafford,  Vt.,  April 
24,  1871  ;  has  one  daughter:    i.  Nellie  M.,  b.  Nov.  3,  1874. 

(2.)  Jonas  Augusfine,h.  at  Groton,  Nov.  15,  1810.  He  went 
into  the  Southern  States  in  1837,  and  has  never  since  been 
heard  from  (1861). 

(3.)  Clarissa  Ann,  b.  at  Concord,  N.  H.,  April,  17,  181 2,  d. 
Sept.  26,  1813. 

(j^)  John  Oliver,  b.  at  Concord,  N.  H.,  June  27,  1814,  m. 
Elizabeth  Frye  of  Andover,  Sept.  29,  1836.  He  had  eight 
children,  the  first  two  of  whom  were  born  at  Andover — all 
the  others  at  North  Woburn  :  i.  "Oliver  Hale,"  b.  Sept.  30, 
1837;  2.  "Evelina  Elizabeth,"  b.  June  19,  1839;  3.  "John 
Augustine,"  b.  March  14,  1841  ;  4.  "Theophilus  Frye,"  b. 
Dec.  29,  1843,  d.  at  Woburn,  Feb.  8,  1883  ; — in  1861  he  en- 
listed as  private  in  the  Union  army ;  was  wounded  and  dis- 
charged for  disability  in  1862  ;  recovered  and  re  enlisted  in 
1863,  and  served  through  the  war,  retiring  with  a  captain's 
commission.  5.  "  Herman  Lovejoy"  ;  he  enlisted  in  the  Union 
army  during  the  Rebellion,  and  was  killed  in  battle.  6.  "Mary 
Shattuck,"  b.  June  i,  1845,  d.  at  North  Woburn,  Feb.  19, 
1859;  7.  "Eunice  Wait,"  b.  Dec.  26,  1847;  8.  "Clarence 
Henry,"  b.  Sept.  14,  1850.  Elizabeth  (Frye),  wife  of  John 
O.  Page,  d.  at  North  Woburn,  Feb.  20,  1859,  and  he  was  again 
m.,  Feb.  22,  i860,  to  Mrs.  Harriet  Frye  of  Lawrence. 

(5.)  Hale  Wait,  b.  at  Concord,  N.  H.,  June  12,  1816,  m.  Sarah 
M.  Wheeler  of  Salem,  N.  H.,  Nov.  3,  1840.  He  had  two 
children  b.  at  Methuen;  in  1847  he  removed  to  Fitchburg, 
where  he  established  a  successful  business  in  the  manufacture 
of  piano-forte  cases.  He  was  a  representative  to  the  General 
Court  in  1857  and  in  1863,  and  held  other  responsible  posi- 
tions in  that  town.  In  1872  he  removed  to  Kalamazoo,  Mich., 
where  he  now  resides  (1883).  Children  :  i.  "  Charles  Eugene," 
b.  Nov.  6,  1841,  d.  Nov.  13,  1841  ;  2.  "Cynthia  Maria,"  b. 
Sept.  4,  1844,  m.  Sept.  6,  1866,  Rev.  Kendall  Brooks,  D.  D., 
(born  in  Roxbury,  Sept.  3,  182 1,)  son  of  Kendall  and  Mary 
(Pettee)  Brooks.  Mr.  Brooks  graduated  from  Brown  University, 
1841  ;  was  ordained  as  Baptist  minister,  August  31,  1845  J  ^^^^ 
pastor  in  Eastport,  Me.,  from  1845  to  1852  ;  was  Professor  of 
Mathematics  in  Waterville  College  from  1852  to  1855  ;  was 
pastor  in  Fitchburg  from  1855  to  1865  ;  was  editor  of  the  Na- 
tional Baptist,  Philadelphia,  1865  to  1868;  and  since  1868 
has  been  President  of  Kalamazoo  College,  at  Kalamazoo,  Mich. 
He  has  one  child  :  i.  Kendall  Page,  born  in  Kalamazoo, 
July  4,  1876. 
(6.)  Joseph  Wait,  b.  at  Charlestown,  Dec.  5,  1818,  left  home  at 
early  manhood,  and  has  not  been  heard  from  since  1840, 
when  he  was  at  Fort  Gibson,  Ark. 

(7.)   George  Henry,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  27,  1821.  d.  July  30,  1822. 


*''^«m,w.P.A.rB^.^^^*^' 


HALE  W.   PAGE,  ESQ. 


GENEALOGY.—  PAGE.  571 

o.  Peter,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  5,  1779,  d.  young. 

4.  Philemon,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  28,  1780,  m.  at  Bangor,  Me.,  and 
had  a  family,  d.  1846. 

5.  Betsey,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  7,  1781,  m.  John  Ivory  of  Shirley, 
Feb.  6,  1802,  and  removed  to  western  New  York;  d.  Jan.  31, 
1809. 

G.  Asa,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  25,  1783,  m.  and  had  a  family. 

7.  Dennis  Holden,  b.  March  27,  1784,  m.  Sarah  Jennerson  of 
Shirley,  July  11,  1807,  and  d.  at  Shirley,  May  4,  1851.  He  had 
nine  children  : 

(i.)  Sarah  Ann,  b.  Nov.  3,  1808,  m.  Charles  D.  Bond  of  Brim- 
field,  Jan.  23,  1834.  She  d.  Feb.  9,  1870.  She  had  three 
children:  i.  "Caroline  A.,"  b.  Oct.  21,  1834,  d.  Feb.  19, 
1838;  2.  "Ellen  Maria,"  b.  March  30,  1839,  ^-  May  19, 
1843;  3-  "Charles  Henry,"  b.  Nov.  21,  1844,  d.  Feb.  15, 
1845. 

(2.)  Miriam,  b.  Sept.  24,  1811,  m.  Thomas  Lawton,  March  31, 
1834,  d.  at  Pepperfell,  June  17,  1879. 

(3.)  Hannah,  b.  March  17,  1814,  m.  Edmund  Harris  of  Lunen- 
burg, March  31,  1842  ;  he  d.  Oct.  14,  1861.  She  is  a  widow, 
r,  Clinton  (1883).  She  has  had  four  children:  i.  "Charles 
B.,"  b.  Sept.  10,  1843,  ^'^-  Sarah  S.  Chase  of  Holyoke,  d. 
March  12,  1878;  2.  "George  W.,"  b.  Oct.  6,  1844,  m.  Kate 
S.  Gould  of  Nashua,  N.  H. ;  3.  "Edwin  R.,"  b.  March  11, 
1846,  m.  Annie  J.  Piper  of  Dixmont,  Me.,  Jan.  3,  1876;  4. 
"Lilla  J.,"  b.  Feb.  29,  1856. 

(4.)  Dennis,  b.  at  Boston,  July  8,  1816,  m.  Harriet  N.  Shattuck 
of  Pepperell,  Sept.  9,  1847,  d.  at  Shirley,  March  19,  1869. 
He  had  four  children  :  i.  "Charles  F.,"  b.  at  Pepperell,  Nov. 
3,  1848,  m.  Netty  S.  Blanchard,  Sept.  6,  1877,  r.  Boston 
(1879);  2.  "Helen  Josephine,"  b.  at  Boston,  Dec.  4,  1851, 
m.  Henry  J.  Vinal,  Nov.  17,  1874;  3.  "Edward  W.,"  b.  at 
Shirley,  May  8,  1855,  d.  May  13,  1856  ;  4.  "Annie  L.,"  b.  at 
Shirley,  Feb.  27,  1858,  m.  Waldo  L.  Lancaster,  Oct.  25,  1874. 

(5.)  George,  b.  Oct.  19,  181 8,  m.  Abigail  Gibson  of  Shirley,  Oct. 
18,  1842,  d.  at  Shirley,  March  11,  1881.  He  had  three  chil- 
dren :  I.  "Walter  Bowman,"  b.  at  Shirley,  April  18,  1843,  m. 
Lucy  Bancroft  of  Pepperell,  pub.  Aug.  23,  1865,  r.  Pepperell 
(1883);  2.  "Julia  Maria,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  12,  1844,  m. 
Thomas  L.  Hazen  of  Shirley,  Nov.  17,  1867,  r.  Shirley  (1883)  ; 
3.  "Clara  E.,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  3,  1852,  d.  March  3,  1875. 

(6.)  Harriet  N.,  b.  April  9,  1821,  m.  Sullivan  Davis,  Dec.  i, 
1842,  r.  Pepperell  (1883). 

(7.)  Marv  M.,  b.  Aug.  10,  1825,  m.  Leonard  C.  Grovener,  June 
3,  1855,  r.  Boston  (1883). 

(8.)  Abigail  Jane,  b.  Feb.  6,  1827,  m.  James  D.  Chapman,  May 
14,  1 85 1,  d.  June  8,  1855.  She  had  two  children  :  i.  "Flora 
Ella,"  b.  July  30,  1853,  m.  Eaton  W.  Vinal,  Nov.   n,   1872  ; 


572  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

she  has  had  one  child:  i.  Ella  J.,  b.  May  22,  1876.  2. 
"Elizabeth  Jane,"  b.  June,  1855,  m.  JuHne  C.  Crosby  of 
Litchfield,  Minn.,  March  20,  1873  ;  she  has  had  three  chil- 
dren, all  b.  at  Litchfield:  i.  Everett,  b.  June  22,  1874;  2. 
Mande,  b.  May  28,  1876  ;  3.  Roy,  b.  May  13,  1879. 
(9.)    Walter  B.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  12,  1829,  d.  Dec.  3,  1839. 

8.  Maria,  b.  Aug.  10,  1785,  d.  young. 

9.  James,  b.  Nov.  11,  1786,  m.  Mrs.  Rebecca  Whitney.  Of  the 
time  of  his  marriage  no  record  has  been  found.  He  d.  April 
13,  1849.     He  had  three  children  : 

(i.)  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Shirley,  and  d.  at  Fitchburg. 

(2.)  Thomas,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Jan.  10,  1827,  m.  Charlotte  A. 
Allen,  Nov.  14,  1850,  r.  Lunenburg  (1880).  He  has  had 
three  children:  i.  "Alice,"  b.  at  Lunenburg,  June  22,  1856, 
d.  June  23,  1858;  2.  "Annie  T.,"  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Nov.  17, 
i860;  3.  "Lottie  E.,"  b.  Oct.  17,  1863. 

(3.)  James,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Jan.  10,  1827.  He  has  been  thrice 
m.,  (first)  to  Emily  Jewett,  Nov.  27,  1853  ;  she  d.  Oct.  24, 
1856;  m.  (second)  Amelia  M.  Jewett,  a  sister  of  his  former 
wife.  May  6,  1858;  she  d.  March  i,  1859;  m.  (third)  Emily 
Warren,  Nov.  27,  1862  ;  she  d.  May  8,  1880.  He  has  had 
four  children:  i.  "Miriam  A.,"  b.  Aug.  28,  1864;  2.  "Emily 
G.,"  b.  March  6,  1866,  d.  June  6,  1866;  3.  "  Mabel  V.,"  b. 
March  25,  1871  ;  4.  "Homer  James,"  b.  May  i,  1880,  d. 
May  9,  1 88 1. 

10.  Maria,  b.  Jan.  21,  1788,  m.  David  Sill,  d.  March  26,  1853. 

n.  Eleanor,  b.  Dec.  12,  1790,  d.  at  Groton,  unm.,  Oct.  11, 
1866. 

12.  Peter,  b.  April  3,  1792,  was  strangled  by  a  bean  which  had 
entered  the  trachea  and  could  not  be  ejected,  1 794. 

13.  Celinda,  b.  May  21,  1793,  m.  Moses  Kezar,  Dec.  12,  1812, 
d.  Oct.  23,  1845. 

14.  Edy  Holden,  b.  Sept.  21,  1794,  m.  Abraham  Stone  of 
Groton,  pub.  Oct.  26,  1823,  d.  at  Groton,  June  10,  1826. 

15.  Hannah,  b.  May  i,  1796,  d.  Aug.  30,  1806. 

16.  Lydia  Whitney,  b.  Feb.  27,  1798,  m.  Abraham  Stone,  Jan.  8, 
1828  ;  she  d.  at  Groton,  March  26,  1853.     She  had  one  child  : 
(i.)   Valancoitrt,  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  5,  1829,  m.  Ellen  A.  Mason 

of  Quincy,  Dec.  25,  1854.  He  has  had  three  children:  i. 
"Lizzie  E.,"  b.  Jan.  13,  1857;  2.  "George  Valancourt,"  b. 
Dec.  24,  1861  ;  3.  "Arthur  P.,"  b.  Jan.  16,  1870. 

VI.     BETTY,  b.  May  22,  1752,  d.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  19,  1776,  unm. 

VH.  HANNAH,  b.  March  24,  1757,  m.  Abel  Walker  of  Shirley', 
Feb.  22,  1783,  and  removed  to  Langdon,  N.  H.,  where  she  died 
July  20,  1 84 1,  aged  84.    She  had  ten  children.    (See  Walker  family.) 


GENEALOGY. PAGE.  573 

VIII.  ABEL,  b.  Aug.  15,  1759,  m.  Lydia  Cook,  daughter  of  Enoch 
Cook  of  Groton,  pub.  Jan.  28,  1786.  He  d.  at  Lunenburg,  Dec. 
7,  1804.*     He  had  four  children  : 

1.  Enoch  Cook,  b.  Jan.  5,  1787.  He  was  four  times  m.,  (first)  to 
Betsey  Dunsmore  of  Lunenburg,  Aug.  31,  1808  ;  she  d.  June  6, 
181 1,  aged  22  ;  he  m.  (second)  Hannah  Dunsmore,  181 1  ;  she  d. 
Jan  2,  1828;  he  m.  (third)  Sarah  Allen  of  Groton,  Oct.,  1829; 
she  d.  Dec.  2,  1863  ;  m.  (fourth)  Mrs.  Mary  Gibson  of  Lunen- 
burg, July  18,  1865.  He  d.  in  Lunenburg,  Jan.  12,  1874.  He 
had  six  children  : 

(i.)  John,  b.  at  Groton,  June  5,  1810  ; — he  learned  the  printing 
business  of  Edmund  Gushing  of  Lunenburg ;  in  1830  he  com- 
menced printing  in  Fitchburg,  and,  in  connection  with  J.  E. 
Whitcomb,  started  the  first  newspaper  ever  printed  in  the  town 
— called  the  Fitchburg  Gazette.  He  soon  left  the  place,  and 
spent  a  large  portion  of  his  Hfe  in  New  York  city,  where  he 
was  married,  and  where  he  died,  Oct.  1856. 
(2.)  Enoch,  h.   at   Lunenburg,   May  4,  1813;  m.  Mrs.  Frances 

Hall  of  Boston,  May  21,  1835  ;  r.  Fitchburg  (1883). 
(3.)  Hannah,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Feb.  2,  1816;  m.  May  7,  1840, 
Samuel  Dean  Chase,  (b.  in  Newbury,  May  13,  181 7,)  has  had 
six  children,  all  born  in  Methuen  :  i.  "  Alonzo  Page,"  b.  July 
15,  1841,  m.  Harriet  A.  Merrill  of  Salem,  N.  H.,  Aug.  1862, 
and  died  in  Methuen,  Nov.  7,  1880,  leaving  a  widow  and  one 
daughter:  i.  Lillian  P.,  b.  in  Peoria,  111.,  Dec.  19,  1870;  2. 
"  Mary  E.,"  b.  Feb.  10,  1843,  d.  at  Methuen,  Aug.  26,  1846  ;  3. 
"Alphonzo  D.,"  b.  Oct.  2,  1844,  d.  Nov.  14,  1844;  4.  "Albert 
G.,"  b.  August  2,  1847,  d.  Sept.  17,  1849  ;  5.  "  Eugene  S.,"  b. 
Dec.  5,  185 1,  m.  Lizzie  M.  Tewksbury  of  Methuen,  Nov.  28, 
1880,  r.  Methuen  (1883);  6.  "George  C,"  b.  May  18,  1857. 
d.  at  Methuen,  March  20,  1879. 
(4.)  George,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  July  22,  1818  ;  has  been  twice  m., 
first  to  Sarah  Cjilchrest  of  Lunenburg,   by  whom  he  had  four 

children  :  i.  "  Maria,"  m.  FHnt,  and  had  one  child  ;  her 

husband  d.  in  the  Union  army  during  the  rebellion.  She  m. 
second  John   Stearns,  and  r.  (1883)  at  Peterborough,  N.  H. ; 

2.  "  Nancy,"  m.  Charles  Hayward  of  Winchendon,  and  has 
children  ;  3.  "George  Harlan,"  m.  Mary  Smith,  and  r.  Bangor. 
N.  Y. ;  he  has  two  sons  :  i.  Frank  Enoch  ;  2.  George  Burton  ; 
4.  "  Elizabeth,"  m.  John  J.  Bonnell  of  Worcester  ;  she  has  had 
three  children  :    i.  a  daughter,  died  ;   2.  Rosa,  b.  April,  1877  ; 

3.  Ralph,  d.  aged  two  years. 

(5.)  Edmund,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Sept.  22,  1820  ;  m.  Abbie  Smith, 
daughter  of  Samuel  D.  Smith  of  Fitchburg ;  he  died  at  Leom- 
inster, July  16,  1866;  he  had  one  daughter:  i."Ella,"m. 
George  Briscoe,  and  had  four  sons. 


*By  a  record  found  among  the  descendants  of  Abel  Page  it  appears  that 
Simon  Page,  senior, — ancestor  of  this  branch  of  the  Page  family, — was  boi'n  in 
Groton,  Jan.  23,  1722  ;  and  that  the  supposition  expressed  on  page  566  (that  he 
was  a  son  of  Jonathan  Page)  is  correct. 


574  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(6.)  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  March  19,  1823;  m.  Myrick 
Felton  of  Berlin,  and  had  five  children  :  1.  "  Martha  Emma," 
b.  Oct.  14,  1852,  m. ;  2.  "Abbott  L.,"  b.  Aug.  14,  1855,  m. 
Alice  I.  Brown  of  Fitchburg,  April  8,  1882  ;  3.  "  Marion  An- 
netta,"  b.  Aug.  31,  1858  ;  4.  "  Truman  P.,"  b.  Jan,  25,  1861  ; 
5.  "  Lucinda  Elizabeth,"  b.  Oct.  10,  1864.  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
(Page)  Felton  d.  Sept.  30,  187 1. 

2.  Polly,  b.  Jan.  5,  1789,  m.  Timothy  Stone,  1810;  had  four 
children  : 

(i.)  Sophia,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  9,  181 1,  m.  Daniel  N.  Bardeen, 

March  27,  1832. 
(2.)  Abel,  b.  Nov.  25,  1812,  m.  Sally  Ann  Park,  pub.  April   9, 

1837,  d.  at  Ayer,  1876. 
(3.)  Sherman,  b.  at  Groton,  Dec.  2,  18 14. 
(4.)  Amelia,  b.  at  Groton,  April  4,  181 7,  d.  March,  1819. 

3.  Abel,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  10,  1791,  m.  Zena  Pierce.  He  had 
five  children,  all  b.  at  Harvard  : 

(i.)  Abel  Augustus,  b.  1837. 

(2.)  Charles  Hat7ilin,  b.  1838. 

(3.)  Silas  N.,  b.  1839. 

(4.)  Sarah   jf^ane,  b.  1842. 

(5.)  Catherine  Park,  b.  1849. 

4.  Lydia,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  14,  1794,  m.  Nathaniel  Stone  of 
Groton,  May  7,  1816,  r.  Ayer  (1880).  She  has  had  six  chil- 
dren, all  b.  at  Groton  : 

(i.)  Mary  Ann,  b.  June  28,  181 7,  m.  R.  Sawyer  Hoar,  May  22, 

1839,  r.  Littleton  (1880). 
(2.)  Nathaniel  M.,  b.  Aug.  16,  1820,  d.  Sept.  20,  1820. 
(3.)  Lydia  Frances,  b.  June    16,  1824,   m.   Jeremiah   A.  Tuttle, 

Feb.  3,  1846,  r.  Littleton  (1880). 
(4.)  Andrew  N.,  b.  Nov.  12,  1829,  d.  Oct.  i,  1S66. 
(5.)   Charles  F.,  b.  Oct.  17,  1831.     He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first) 

to  Amanda  Warner,  Dec.  14,  1863  ;  she  d.  Dec.  5,  1871  ;  m. 

(second)  Abbie  Barnard,  Aug.  20,  1874,  r.  Littleton  (1880). 
(6.)  Abbie  A.,  b.  Nov.  2,  1837,  m.  Augustus  .S.  Tuttle  of' Groton, 

April  18,  1858.     She  is  now  a  widow,  and  r.  at  Ayer  (1880). 

IX.  PETER,  b.  Sept.  9,  1761,  d.  July  8,  1773,  drowned  in  the 
Nashua  river.  The  following  notice  of  the  accident  appeared  in 
the.  Massachusetts  Gazette,  July  22,  1773:  "We  heard  in  Shirley 
that  on  the  8th  inst.,  six  lads,  the  oldest  of  them  not  nineteen  years 
of  age,  went  into  a  river  there  to  bathe  themselves.  They  all,  un- 
expectedly, got  into  deep  water ;  one  of  them,  viz.,  a  son  of  Mr. 
Simon  Page,  was  drowned ;  the  others,  as  none  of  them  were 
swimmers,  very  narrowly  escaped  from  sharing  the  same  fate." 

X.  EUNICE,  b.  July  24,  1763,  d.  April  30,  1767. 

IX.     BETSEY,  b.  April  27,  1765,  d.  June  16,  1776. 

XII.  OLIVER,  b.  April  17,  1767.  He  inherited  the  family  home- 
stead, situated  in  the  easterly  part  of  the  town,  and  bounded  on 


GENEALOGY. PAGE.  575 

the  east  by  the  Nashua  river.  He  was  a  thriving  agriculturist,  and 
left,  at  his  death,  a  well  cultivated  and  well  furnished  farm.  He 
was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Esther  Kemp  of  Groton,  1791;  she  d. 
Nov.  26,  1826 ;  m.  (second)  Rebecca  Sawyer  of  Groton,  pub. 
Sept.  23,  1827  ;  he  d.  Dec.  14,  1827.  He  had  ten  children,  all  b. 
at  Shirley : 

1.  Lavina,  b.  Nov.  II,  1792,  m.  Thomas  Farnsworth  of  Groton> 
June  12,  1812  ;  he  d.  at  Groton,  May  i,  1831  ;  she  remained  a 
widow  unto  her  death.  Her  last  years  were  passed  at  the  "  Old 
Ladies'  Home,"  in  Boston,  where  she  d.,  Oct.  3,  1879.  ^^""^  had 
six  children,  all  b.  at  Groton. 

(i.)  Thomas  Spencer,  b.  Oct.  i,  1813,  m.  Harriet  H.  Lawton 
of  Concord,  Dec.  3,  1835,  r.  Clinton  (1879). 

(2.)  Jonas,  b.  Oct.  2,  1815,  d.  Feb.  2,  1816. 

(3.)  Benjamin  Franklin,  b.  Oct.  20,  181 7,  m.  Harriet  N.  Joslin 
of  Boston,  Jan.,  1844,  d.  at ,  N.  Y.,  July  2,  1867. 

(4.)  Calvin  Page,  b.  April  24,  18 19,  m.  Elvira  D.  Betton  of 
Windham,  N.  H. ;  he  d.  May  28,  1866.  He  had  three  chil- 
dren :  I.  "Mary  Stacy,"  b.  Dec.  5,  1846;  2.  "Emily 
Frances,"  b.  Dec.  25,  185 1  ;  she  was  adopted  by  A.  N.  Swain 
of  Bellows  Falls,  Vt.,  and  m.  Henry  Clinton  Johnson ;  3. 
"George  Calvin,"  b.  May  3,  1853. 

(5.)  Jonas,  b.  June  3,  1823,  m.  Hannah  C. of  Freedom, 

N.  H.,  r.  at  Freedom  [1879.] 

(6.)  Lavina  Page,  b.  May  11,  1825,  m.  Robert  M.  Cooper,  pub. 
Aug.  22,  1843,  ^-  ^t  Groton,  Aug.  18,  i860. 

2.  Oliver,  b.  June  2,  1795,  ^^'^-  Sally  Dodge  of  Groton,  Dec.  17, 
1821,  d.  Nov.  26,  1846.     He  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  Maria,  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  2,  1833,  d.  Aug.  30,  1849. 

3.  Peter,  b.  Sept.  24,  1797,  m.  Hannah  W.  Hardy  of  Newbury- 
port,  April  17,  1828,  d.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  27,  1840.  He  had  seven 
children,  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

(i.)  Peter,  b.  May  3,  1829.  He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Mrs.  Susan  E.  Burnham  (her  maiden  name  was  Larogue)  of 
Gloucester,  Nov.  23,  1850.  She  d.  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H., 
Dec.  II,  1878;  m.  (second)  Monica  Hanlon,  r.  Amesbury 
(1880).  He  has  had  six  children:  i.  "Mary  F.,"  b.  at 
Gloucester,  May  5,  185 1  ;  she  m.  Forest  J.  Tafton  ;  2.  "Lucy 
S.,"  b.  at  Gloucester,  Dec.  16,  1852,  d.  Jan.  25,  1854;  3. 
"Lucy  E.,"  b.  at  Gloucester,  Oct.  28,  1854,  d.  Oct.  2,  1855  ; 
4.  "Charles  H.,"  b.  at  Gloucester,  May  8,  1856  ;  5.  "Willie," 
b.  at  Gloucester,  Aug.  8,  1857  ;  6.  "Howard  B.,"  b.  at  Ports- 
mouth, July  8,  i860. 

(2.)  Emily,  b.  Oct.  22,  1830,  d.  Dec.  i,  1839. 

(3.)  Sarah  Jane,  b.  Sept.  2,  1832,  m.  Henry  O.  Seaver  of 
Townsend,  March  25,  1856,  r.  at  Townsend  (1883)  ;  she  has 
had  three  children,  b.  at  Townsend  :  i.  "Charles  Henry,"  b. 
Oct.  12,  1857  ;  2.  "Daniel  Eddy,"  b.  Feb.  17,  1861,  d.  May 
16,  1862  ;  3.  "Irving  A.  W.,"  b.  Oct.  23,  1870. 

(4.)  Amanda  M.,  b.  July  4,  1834,  m.  James  L.  Kemp  of  Groton, 
Oct.  3,  1854,  d.  May   29,    1876.      She  had  six  children:    1. 


576  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

"Frank  E.,"  b.  March  17,  1857  j  2.  "  Hattie  A.,"  b.  April  7, 
1859;  3.  "Lilla,"  b.  Jan.  9,  1862,  d.  1880;  4.  "Harry  E.," 
b.  June  22,  1863;  5.  "  Flora  \V.,"  b.  Nov.  11,  1866;  6. 
"Luella  Jane,"  b.  Oct.  22,  1871,  d.  May  30,  1876. 
(5.)  Daniel  Wesson,  b.  Nov.  30,  1836,  m.  Mercy  R.  Chadbourn 
of  Sanford,  Me.,  May  17,  1862,  r.  East  Boston  (1880).  He 
has  had  five  children  :  i.  "Edgar  \V.,"  b.  at  Boston,  April  14, 
1863,  d.  Sept.  9,  1863;  2.  "Weston  R.,"  b.  at  Boston,  July 
14,  1864;  3.  "Joseph  C,"  b.  at  Natick,  May  15,  1866;  4. 
"Mercy  A.,"  b.  Jan.  22,  1870;  5.  "Hannah  E.,"  b.  May    i, 

1873- 
(6.)   Geori^e  Edward,  b.  Jan.  15,  1839,  m.  Mary  ,  r.  Ash- 

uelot,  N.  H. 
(7.)  Charles  Dudley,  b.  Nov.  14,  1840,  m.  Emily  Ann  Litch- 
field of  Lunenburg,  May  29,  1862,  r.  Leominster  [1880].  He 
has  had  five  children,  and  all  b.  at  Leominster:  i.  "Anna 
Eveline,"  b.  Oct.  4,  1866;  2.  "Howard  Litchfield,"  b.  Nov, 
12,  1869;  3.  "Alice  Louisa,"  b.  Sept.  8,  1873;  4.  "Charlie 
Ivan,"  b.  Sept.  8,  1873,  d.  Sept.  8,  1873  ;  5.  "Robert  Lorin," 
b.  May  18,  1878. 

4.  Luther,  b.   Oct.   11,    1799,   m.   Hannah   W.  Murray  of   Hill, 

N.  H.,  April  2,  1833,  d.  at  Woburn,  Feb.    i,    1869.      They  had 

five  children,  all  b.  at  Groton  : 

(i.)    Luther  Male omb,  b.  Jan.  11,  1834,  d.  Feb.  14,  1835. 

(2.)  Hannah  Augusta,  b.  April  3,  1836,  d.  Sept.  29,  1837. 

(3.)  Luther  Tidd,  b.  Oct.  7,  1838,  m.  Elizabeth  Shattuck  of 
Pepperell,  Nov.  18,  1863,  d.  at  Pepperell,  Aug.  5,  1879.  He 
had  three  children,  all  b.  at  Pepperell:  i.  "Frank  Getchel," 
b.  May  2,  1864,  d.  April  30,  1877;  2.  "Lizzie  Florence,"  b. 
Nov.  12,  1868;  3.  "Katie  Brigham,"  b.  Nov.  2,  1871. 

(4.)  Hannah  Emily,  b.  Oct.  11,  1843,  "^^  Albert  A.  Clemence 
of  Weare,  N.  H.,  Aug.  2-1,  1873.     She  has  had  three  children  : 

1.  "Louisa  Page,"  b.  Nov.  20,   1874;   2.  "Warren  Luther," 
b.  Aug.,  1876;  3.  "George  Albert,"  b.  Nov.  3,  1878. 

(5.)    George  Henry,  b.  Oct.  11,  1843,  d.  Feb.  11,  1845. 

o.  Nancy,  b.  March  11,  1802.  She  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Joseph  Estabrooks  of  West  Cambridge,  pub.  Sept.  10,  1820; 
he  d.  Aug.  21,  1864;  m.  (second)  Jonathan  Kilburn  of  Shirley, 
July  4,  1869.  She  is  now  a  widow,  r.  Ayer  (1883).  She  has  had 
three  children,  b.  at  Shirley  : 

(i.)  Ann  M.  A.,  b.  Dec.  23,  1820,  m.  Henry  Hapgood  of 
Harvard,  May  8,  1839.  She  has  had  two  children:  1. 
"Charles  H.."  b.  at  Harvard.  Oct.  7,  1840,  r.  Clinton  (1880)  ; 

2.  "Augusta  A.  P.,"   b.  at   Harvard,  Sept.    12,    1844,  r.   Ayer 
(1883). 

(2.)  Angelina,  b.  Aug.  25,  1823,  m.  William  P.  Mills,  May  24, 
1849.  She  has  had  one  child  :  i.  "Chester  P.,"  b.  at  Shirley, 
Oct.  23,  1851,  r.  Ayer  (1883). 

(3.)  Henry  J.,  b.  July  22,  1825.  He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Harriet  Williams  of   Shirley,   .April    25,    1854;    she   d.   at 


GENEALOGY. PAGE.  577 

Groton,  Nov.  9,  187 1  ;  m.  (second)  Lavina  J.  Blood  of  Pep- 
perell,  Dec.  11,  1873.  He  has  had  six  children,  all  b.  at 
Groton:  i.  "  Hattie  P.,"  b.  Aug.  23,  1855  ;  2.  "George  H.," 
b.  Jan.  29,  1858;  3.  "Willie  H.,"  b.  July  4,  i860;  4.  "Isa- 
bel," b.  Aug.  16,  1864;  5.  "Nelly  L.,"  b.  Aug.  28,  1874;  6. 
"Newton  L.,"  b.  Aug.  28,  1874,  d.  May  11,  1875. 

6.  Esther,  b.  April  i,  1804,  m.  Asa  Jenkins  of  Shirley,  April  7, 
1825,4.  at  Shirley,  March  19,  1855. 

7.  Eunice,  b.  July  4,  1805,  m.  Edmund  Jenkins,  April  10,  1828, 
d.  at  Shirley,  June  17,  1879. 

8.  Daniel,  b.  Aug.  15,  1808,  d.  Dec.  23,  1835,  unm. 

9.  William  W.,  -b.  Dec.  25,  1811,  d.  Dec.  10,  1834,  unm. 

10.  Mary  Ann,  b.  Dec.  to,  1814.  She  has  been  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Isaac  Jaquith  of  Boston,  1835  ;  m.  (second)  John  R.  Teague. 
She  d.  at  Boston,  Nov.  17,  1876.     She  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  Isaac,  b.  1838,  d.  Aug.  23,  1839. 

JIafle,  J3l}lllfijaS,  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Parker)  Page, 
(Phinehas,^  John,''  Jonathan,'*  John,  Jr.,-  John.')  He  was  a  brother  of 
John  Page,  vvhose  register  precedes  this  in  these  pages.  He  was  b. 
at  Groton,  May  24,  1745,  m.  Hannah  Stone  of  Groton,  Feb.  2,  1769. 
He  lived  at  the  place  previously  occupied  by "  Daniel  Page,  in  a 
westerly  section  of  the  town,  and  which  is  now  owned  by  the  heirs 
of  the  late  Philemon  Holden, — a  farm  whose  thrift  has  been  highly 
creditable  to  its  several  owners.  Mr.  Page  was  one  of  the  volunteers 
called  out  by  the  alarm  of  April  19,  i  775.  He  d.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  31, 
1833.     He  had  eight  children  : 

I.  THEOPHILUS,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  12,  1769.  He  m.  his  wife 
from  Amherst,  N.  H.,  secured  a  home  in  Schenectady,  N.  Y., 
where  he  d.  in  1853. 

II.  PHINEHAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  5,  1771,  d.  May  22,  1772. 

III.  PHINEHAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  16,  1773,  d.  at  Amherst, 
N.  H.,  Dec.  19,  1805. 

IV.  LEVI,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  18,  1775,  1^^  ^^wn  at  early  manhood, 
and  established  a  home  in  some  town  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
where  he  was  m.,  and  had  two  children  ;  he  d.  Oct.  17,  1853. 

V.  EDMUND,  b.  at  Shirley,  Mar.  13,  1778,  m.  Betsey  Dwight  of 
Shirley,  Feb.  i,  1806.  He  became  a  resident  of  Dunstable  at  the 
time  of  his  marriage,  where  he  remained  through  life.  He  was 
engaged  in  trade,  heFd  an  influential  position  in  the  town  and  had 
much  to  do  with  its  municipal  arrangements  ;  indeed,  passed  as  the 
'Squire  of  its  little  domain.  In  that  town  his  children  were  born, 
and  there  he  died  in  187 1.     He  had  seven  children  : 

1.  Mary  .^nn,  b.  July  6,  1806,  m.  Isaac  Kendall  of  Dunstable, 
73 


578  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

May  2  2,  1 83 1,  d.  July  5,  1870.     She  had  three  children  born  at 

Dunstable  : 

(i.)  A  Son,  b.  Mar.  10,  1840,  d.  Mar.  12,  1840. 

(2.)  Mary  jpane,  b.  Sept.   24,    1841,  m.  Francis  F.  Woods  of 

Dunstable,  Feb.  4,  1865. 
(3.)  Harriet  Elizabeth,  b.  Mar.  8,  1846,  m.  Herman  L.  Parker 

of  Dunstable,  Nov.  18,  1869. 

2.  Betsey,  b.  April  3,  1809,  m.  James  Kendall  of  Dunstable,  Oct. 
30,  1 83 1.     She  had  five  children  born  at  Dunstable  : 

(i.)  James  Norman,  b.  Sept.  18,  1832. 

(2.)  Alfred  P.,  b.  Dec.  19,  1833,  m.  Harriet  A.  Marsh  of  Hud- 
son, N.  H.,  April  20,  1865. 

(3.)  Mary  Ann,  b.  Nov.  5,  1835,  m.  Isaac  Newton  Cummings 
of  Nashua,  N.  H.,  Jan.  6,  1864. 

(4.)  Ellen  Frances,  b.  Sept.  11,  1845,  '^-  Willard  E.  HolHs,  Oct. 
I,  1868. 

(5.)  Lewis  H.,  b.  Nov.  13,  1851. 

3.  Edmund  D.,  b.  Oct.  11,  181 1,  m.  Rebecca  Bancroft  of  Tyngs- 
boro',  June  9,  1836.     He  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  Frances  R.,  b.  at  Nashua,  Oct.  21,  1839,  m.  Rufus  G.  Sar- 
gent of  Nashua,  Feb.  25,  1865. 

4.  Albert  Gallatin,  b.  March  13,  1814,  m.  Sarah  C.  Swallow  of 
Dunstable,  Aug.  28,  1834.  He  had  four  children,  all  b.  at  Fitch- 
burg.     He  d.  Mar.  27,  187 1. 

(i.)  Sarah  Emily,  b.  May  28,  1835,  m.  Austin  Farrar  of  Spring- 
field, N.  H.  She  has  had  one  child  :  i.  "  Albert  Austin,"  b. 
June  19,  1856,  m.  Lizzie  E.  Shattuck  of  Townsend ;  and  d. 
March  27,  1880. 

(2.)  Eliza  Jane,  b.  Nov.  3,  1837,  m.  Edward  D.  Atherton  of 
Conway,  N.  H. ;  r.  Fitchburg  (1883).  They  have  one  child  : 
I.  "Willis  Burton,"  b.  June  15,  1870. 

(3.)  Albert  Willis,  b.  Sept.  23,  1839;  '^-  March  4,  1851,  at 
Fitchburg. 

(4.)  Frank  Dwight,  b.  Feb.  9,  1855,  m.  Delia  I.  Plimpton,  Sept. 
17,  1878;  r.  Fitchburg  (1883). 

5.  John,  b.  June  22,  18 16,  m.  Sarah  R.  Read  of  Dunstable,  Aug. 
21,  1844.  He  r.  Fitchburg  (1883),  and  has  had  two  children  : 
(i.)   Sarah  Angenette,  b.  at  Fitchburg,  May  25,  1848,  m.  Wesley 

Osborne,  and  has  one  child  :   i.  "  Frank." 
(2.)   George  Austin,  b.  June  6,  i860,  d.  Nov.  6,  i860. 

(J.  Norman  K.,  b.  Dec.  2,  1818,  m.   Mary   H.  Leavill  of  Lowell. 
Sept.  3,  1856.     He  had  two  children,  b.  at  Nashua,  N.  H.  : 
(i.)    Charles  Norman,  b.  July  11,  1857. 
(2.)  John  Dwight,  b.  Aug.  6,  i860. 

7.  Harriet,  b.  Oct.  19,  1822,  d.  Jan.  4,  1845. 

VL     EDE,  (as  she  stands  in  the  family  record,  but  EDITH,  as  her 
name  appears  upon  her  gravestone,)  b.  July    18,    1781,   m.  John 


GENEALOGY. —  PAGE.  579 

Rockwood  of  Groton,  Dec.  7,   1803,  d.  May  24,   1826.     She  had 
four  children  : 

1.  Calvin,  b.  at  Groton,  Aug.  10,  1805,  m.  Harriet  B.  Cornell  of 
Portsmouth,  R.  I.,  d.  at  Harvard,  July  25,  1881. 

2.  John  S.,  b.  at  Groton,  Dec.  18,  1806,  m.  Mrs. Everts 

of  New  York,  1847,  d.  at  New  York,  May,  1875. 

.'5.  Harriet,  b.  at  Groton,  Sept.  10,  1808,  m.  Francis  D.  Stedman 
of  Lancaster,  Nov.,  1826,  r.  Boston  (1881). 

4.  Walter,  b.  at  Groton,  July   12,   1810,  m.   Elizabeth  Swett  of 
Newburyport,  1836.     He  had  six  children,  and  d.  at  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  July  13,  1851.     His  widow  d.   at   Nashville,  March   26, 
1853.     Their  children  were  : 
(i.)    IVilliam  McLain,  b.  at  Nashville,  March  i,  1838,  m.  Tri- 

phena   Jenkins    of   Vicksburg,   Miss.,  Jan.    7,    i860,    d.    at 

Vicksburg,  of  yellow  fever,  Sept.  28,  1878. 
(2.)  Kate  Morrell,  b.  at  Nashville,  Sept.  8,  1839,  m.  John  E. 

Tilton  of  Salem,  Sept.  22,  1859. 
(3.)  Mary  Jane  Varniim,  b.  at   Nashville,   Sept.    17,    1841,   m. 

Lee  S.  Daniel  of  Vicksburg,  Dec.  22,  i860. 
(4.)  Sarah  Swett,  b.  at  Nashville,  June    25,    1846,   d.  July    i, 

1853- 
(5.)  John  L.,  b.  at  Nashville,  Dec.  9,  1847,  J""^-  Kate  Brattle  of 

Walpole,  Nov.  24,  1870. 
(6.)   Waiter,  b.  at  Nashville,  June  26,  1849. 

;').  William,  b.  at  Groton,  Jan.  20,  18 14,  d.  at  New  York,  May  22, 
1836. 

Vn.  ELI,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  19,  1784,  m.  Clarissa  Harkness  of 
Lunenburg,  June  19,  1810.  He  was  a  practical  man,  but  rarely 
extended  his  business  operations  beyond  the  circle  of  his  home 
duties.  These  he  managed  with  great  care  and  thrift,  and  left,  at 
death,  a  generous  estate  to  a  few  claimants.  He  d.  at  Shirley, 
Dec.  19,  1862,  and  his  remains,  with  those  of  his  wife,  lie  in  the 
old  cemetery  of  the  town,  beneath  a  costly  monument  erected  to 
their  memory  by  their  youngest  son.  Mrs.  Page  d.  Oct.  7,  1858. 
Two  children  : 

L  Thomas  H.,  b.  Sept.  8,  18 14.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Emily  Longley  of  Shirley,  Dec.  29,  1842  ;  she  d.  Sept.  19, 
1850;  m.  (second)  Mary  A.  Jacobs  of  Groton,  Nov.  i,  1853. 
He  d.  at  Ayer,  Aug.  23,  1873.  He  had  one  child  : 
(i.)  Mary  Emily,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  18,  1847,  ^^-  Massena 
Heath,  Dec.  5,  1878. 

2.  Alfred,  b.   at   Lunenburg,  Dec.  23,  181 7,   m.   Sally  Maria  Felt 
of  Jaffrey,  N.  H.,  Dec.  29,  1862.     He  has  had  one  child  : 
(i.)    J^ohn  Eli,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  8,  1869,  d.  at  Ayer,  Aug.  5, 
1869. 

VHL  WALTER,  b.  Nov.  14,  17S6,  d.  at  Londonderry,  Vt.,  July  i, 
1810. 


580  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


PARK. 

It  has  been  found  difificult,  not  to  say  impossible,  to  trace  the 
origin  of  the  famiUes  of  this  name  who  lived  in  Groton  and  Shirley 
previous  to  the  year  1800,  and  all  that  has  been  here  attempted,  is  to 
give  some  fragmentary  records  which  have  come  to  the  notice  of  the 
compiler  of  this  register,  in  the  disconnected  state  in  which  they  have 
been  found. 

3|tll*fe,  JItinTCS,  is  supposed  to  have  lived  within  the  limits  of 
what  afterward  became  the  town  of  Shirley,  as  early  as  1747,  for  his 
name  stands  upon  the  petition  of  that  date  that  an  independent  town 
be  established.  He  m.  Jane  Riches,  Oct.  11,  1739,  and  had  one 
child : 

I.  WILLIAM,  b.  April  14,  1740. — Butler's  History  of  Groton. 

Martha,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Rosanna  Park,  b.   at  Shirley, 
Nov.,  1782,  d.  Jan.  10,  1783. 

Twins,  son  and  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Rosanna  Park,  b.  April 
19,  1774,  d.  April  22,  1774. —  Gravestone  records. 


PARKER. 

This  is  a  very  common  name.  It  has  been  borne  by  families  that 
have  lived  in  almost  every  New  England  town,  at  some  periods  of  its 
history.  And  there  has  been  a  respectableness  and  more  than  average 
ability  connected  with  individuals  of  the  name.  Mr.  Savage,  in  his 
Genealogical  Dictionary,  says  that  forty-one  of  the  name,  in  1834, 
had  graduated  from  Harvard  University  alone,  and  thirty-eight  from 
other  New  England  colleges. 

James  Parker,  the  common  ancestor  of  families  of  the  name  in 
Groton  and  vicinity,  appeared  at  VVoburn  as  early  as  1640,  m.  Eliza-, 
beth,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Long  of  Charlestown,  May  23,  1643,  and 
lived  at  VVoburn  until  1652,  during  which  time  he  had  six  children. 
He  then  removed  to  Chelmsford,  where  he  remained  unto  the  year 
1659,  and  had  four  children  b.  there.  In  1660  he  removed  to 
Groton  and  made  that  town  his  life-home.  He  had  one  son,  b.  at 
Groton,  by  his  wife  Elizabeth.  The  date  of  Mrs.  Parker's  death  has 
not  been  preserved.     Mr.  Parker  m.   a  second  wife   in   his  old  age, 

Mrs.  Eunice  ,  who  had  one  child,  a  daughter,  who   was   thirty 

years  younger  than  the  last  that  preceded  her. 

Mr.  Parker  came  to  Groton  at  or  near  the  time  of  its  organization, 
and  was  the  first  and  largest  proprietor  of  the  territory.  The  town 
was  originally  divided  into  what  were  called  acre  rights,  each  one  of 
which  would  entitle  its  owner  to  nearly  fifty  acres,  on  an  equitable 
division  of  the  territory.  Mr.  Parker  had  fifty  of  these  rights.  His 
landed  estates  were  frecjuently  increased  ,  by  additional  purchases,  so 
that  he  became  the  largest  land-holder  if  not  the  richest  man  within 
the  territory,  during  its  early  history. 


GENEALOGY. PARKER.  581 

The  position  which  he  held  among  his  fellow-townsmen  proved 
that  he  had  a  commanding  intellect  as  well  as  a  long  purse.  Accord- 
ing to  Mr.  Butler's  History  of  Groton,  he  was  a  deacon  in  the  church, 
a  sergeant,  and  so  on  up  to  captain,  in  the  military  service.  He  was 
one  of  the  selectmen  of  the  town  at  its  organization,  in  1662,  and 
held  that  office  for  more  than  thirty  years.  He  was  also  for  a  season 
the  town  clerk.  During  the  years  of  his  activity  he  was  moderator  at 
most  of  the  town  meetings  ;  a  member  and  chairman  of  all  important 
committees  appointed  to  locate  roads,  lay  out  lands,  establish  bound- 
aries of  the  town,  and  in  fine  for  the  transaction  of  any  business  of  a 
municipal,  parochial  or  public  nature.  In  the  latter  years  of  his  life, 
he  was  appointed  to  represent  the  town  in  the  General  Court. 

His  home  was  far  out  from  what  is  now  the  village,  near  Martin's 
pond,  somewhat  removed  from  the  highway,  in  a  shaded,  secluded 
spot,  with,  at  present,  no  house  to  mark  the  place  where  dwelt  the 
chief  original  proprietor. 

This  account  of  the  early  home  of  James  Parker,  came  from  some 
of  his  descendants,  who  retained  a  few  acres  of  the  estate  through 
several  generations,  in  remembrance  of  their  illustrious  ancestor,  of 
whom  they  were  very  proud.  But  quite  recently  a  pamphlet  has 
appeared,  entitled  "Old  Homesteads  of  Groton,  Mass.,"  written 
by  Francis  Marion  Boutwell,  where  the  following  account  of  the 
Parker  homestead  appears  ;  but  it  was  probably  a  second  establish- 
ment : 

"Captain  James  Parker  lived  on  the  Dr.  Amos  B.  Bancroft  place, 
where  Captain  Asa  S.  Lawrence  now  lives.  His  home  estate  occu- 
pied both  sides  of  the  present  main  street,  the  northern  boundary 
being  James  brook,  probably  named  for  him  ;  and  his  southerly  line 
was  near,  if  not  exactly  upon,  the  line  which  now  separates  the  land 
of  George  D.  Brigham  from  the  high-school  lot  and  the  land  of 
Andrew  Robbins,  known  as  the  Loring  estate.  The  southerly  line 
upon  the  east  side  of  the  road  was  no  doubt  near  the  present  line 
which  separates  the  Dr.  Joshua  Green  estate  from  the  brick-store  lot. 

"Captain  Parker  owned  a  large  part  of  Half-Moon  meadow,  and 
was  the  owner  of  a  good  deal  of  real  estate  in  different  parts  of  the 
town.  He  was  for  many  years  the  richest,  and  in  all  matters  of 
secular  character,  the  leading  man  in  town." 

To  follow  down  the  lineage  of  the  Shirley  Parkers  from  this,  their 
illustrious  ancestor,  we  come  to 

James  Parker,  Jr.  He  was  the  fifth  of  the  twelve  children  in 
his  father's  family,  was  b.  at  VVoburn,  April  15,  1652,  m.  Mary  Parker, 
Dec.  II,  1678,  lived  at  Groton  and  had  five  children;  he  was  killed 
by  the  Indians,  July  27,  1094,  and  his  family  were  carried  into  cap- 
tivity.    His  second  son  was 

Phinehas  Parker,  who  was  b.  at  Groton,  in  [1684].  He  was  twice 
m.,  (first)  to  Abigail  ,  who  d.  Feb.  4,  172-  ;  m.  (second)  Eliz- 
abeth   .     He  d.  Aug.  13,  1744.     He  had  eight  children.      His 

second  son  was 

Leonard  Parker,  who  was  b.  at  Groton,  June  3,  1718,  m.  Abigail 
,  and  had  ten  children, 'the  third  of  whom  was 


582  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

J^arfeCt,  JJamfSJ,  vvho  was  b.  at  Groton,  Nov.  26,  1744.  He 
came  to  Shirley  soon  after  he  attained  his  majority,  and  was  settled 
upon  that  beautiful  valley  farm  that  is  now  in  the  possession  of  his 
descendants  of  the  third  generation.  He  m.  Sarah  Dickerson  of 
Shirley,  and  had  ten  children. 

Unlike  his  distinguished  ancestor,  of  Groton,  he  troubled  himself 
very  little  with  public  official  business.  He  had,  for  a  time,  a  lieu- 
tenancy in  the  town  militia,  and  was  for  one  year  a  selectman. 
Towards  the  close  of  his  life  he  had  a  justice's  commission,  but  he 
exercised  none  of  the  functions  of  that  office,  being  content  with  the 
title  alone. 

He  lived  in  the  days  of  the  American  Revolution,  yet  he  took  no 
personal  part  in  the  strife  with  the  mother  land,  except  to  be  enrolled 
with  the  eighty  volunteers  who  were  called  out  by  the  alarm  of  April 
19,  1775.  H'^  ^'^^  ^^^^  mainly  passed  in  the  discharge  of  his  private 
business,  to  which  he  devoted  himself  with  becoming  fidelity.  His 
lands  were  kept  under  skilful  cultivation,  and  his  business  relations 
were  conducted  with  so  much  shrewdness  as  to  give  him  a  pecuniary 
position  above  that  of  the  most  of  his  fellow-townsmen.  In  1802  he 
resigned  his  farm  to  the  care  of  his  eldest  son,  and  removed  to  the 
centre  village  of  the  town,  and  occupied  the  house  which,  at  a  later 
period,  was  the  home  of  his  youngest  son,  Hon.  L.  M.  Parker,  but 
which  is  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Mrs.  Lucy  R.  Holden.  Here 
he  d.,  Sept.  29,  1830.  His  wife,  Sarah,  preceded  him  to  the  grave; 
she  d.  Nov.  22,  1829.     His  children  were  all  b.  at  Shirley,  and  were  : 

I.  SARAH,  b.  July  8,  1768.  She  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Benjamin 
Edgarton  of  Shirley,  Dec.  7,  1788;  he  d.  April  2,  1806;  she  m. 
(second)  Moses  Jones  of  Lancaster,  and  d.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  25, 
1844, 

H.  JAMES,  b.  Feb.  4,  1771,  m.  Ruth  Harkness  of  Lunenburg, 
pub.  Sept.  4,  1803.  He  d.  Nov.  18,  1853.  His  widow  d.  Sept.  i, 
1859.  In  early  manhood  he  held  a  military  commission  during 
the  usual  time  of  such  appointments,  rising  through  all  the  minor 
grades  of  the  service  to  the  office  of  captain,  which  was  the  usual 
title  by  which  he  was  addressed  through  life.  He  held  some  places 
of  municipal  trust, — was  many  times  appointed  overseer  of  the 
poor,  and  filled  other  responsible  positions.  It  was  his  choice, 
however,  to  stand  aloof  from  public  cares,  that  he  might  the  better 
fulfil  the  obligations  of  home  ;  this  he  did  with  faithfulness,  was  a 
pattern  of  industry  and  economy,  and  "went  down  to  his  grave  in  a 
good  old  age."     He  had  three  children,  who  were  b.  at  Shirley  : 

1.  Thomas  Harkness,  b.  July  14,  1804,  m.  Nancy  Grossman  of 
Boylston,  pub.  May  5,  1839.  He  d.  July  25,  1881.  His  widow 
and  children  reside  at  the  old  mansion,  in  the  pleasant  valley, 
where  all  their  fathers  of  the  name  dwelt  before  them.  Mr. 
Parker  had  two  children,  b.  at  Shirley  : 

(i.)  Emerson,  b.  June  2,  1840,  unm.  (1883.) 
(2,)  Pamclia  H.,  b.  May  22,  1846,  unm.  (1883. 


GENEALOGY. PARKER.  583 

2.  Sally,  b.  March  14,  1807,  m.  Edmund  Fales  of  Thomaston, 
Me.,  June  4,  1835.     She  had  one  child,  and  d.  at  Shirley,  Dec. 

(i.)  Sarah,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  19,  1836,  m.  Edward  Roberts  of 
Shirley,  Nov,  12,  1857,  d.  Feb.  22,  1859. 

3.  James  Otis,  b.  June  5,  1811.  He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Martha  Lincoln  Carter  of  Lancaster,  May  13,  1845  ;  she  d.  at 
Lancaster,  April  30,  1847;  m.  (second)  Harriet  Morgan  Gould 
of  Shirley,  Jan.  i,  1863  ;  she  d.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  14,  1876.  Dr. 
Parker  is  a  widower,  r.  Shirley  (1883).     He  has  one  child  : 

(i.)    yames  C.  C,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  19,  1846,  r.  Shirley,  unm. 
(1883.) 

HL  LOVEY,  b.  Jan.  7,  1773,  m.  Samuel  Hazen  of  Shirley,  April 
17,  1796,  d.  at  Shirley,  April  4,  1821. 

IV.  HENRIETrA,  b.  July  3,  1775,  m.  Thomas  Whitney  of  Shirley, 
July  7,  1799,  d.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  6,  1864.  The  following  notice  of 
Mrs.  Whitney,  giving  the  prominent  traits  of  her  character,  was 
written  by  one  who  had  the  partiality  of  a  near  kinswoman  and 
friend  : 

''In  speaking  of  this  aged  and  estimable  woman,  we  are  aware 
that  to  those  who  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  an  intimate  acquaint- 
ance all  eulogy  is  needless  ;  but  when  a  career  so  actively  useful  is 
ended  on  earth,  and  a  spirit  so  pure  has  passed  tranquilly  to  its 
rest,  the  influence  of  such  a  life  has  yet  its  work  to  accomplish. 
With  a  mind  of  no  ordinary  stamp — of  almost  masculine  vigor,  she 
combined  a  w^oman's  heart,  tender  and  loving.  Strong  in  her 
feelings,  firm  in  her  friendships,  decided  in  her  opinions,  (which, 
formed  with  deliberation  and  good  judgment,  were  emphatically 
her  own,)  she  unconsciously  commanded  from  all  respect  and  con- 
fidence. 

"After  a  life  of  practical  religion,  in  which  much  of  her  happi- 
ness was  the  reflection  of  that  generously  bestowed  on  others,  she 
approached  its  close  with  a  faith  in  her  Savior  and  a  trust  in  her 
Maker  which  banished  from  the  tedious  hours  of  her  last  illness  all 
fears  for  her  future.  And  with  words  of  affectionate  counsel  on  her 
lips,  and  peace  in  her  heart,  beloved  and  honored,  she  fell  asleep." 

V.  RHODA,  b.  Oct.  20,  1777,  m.  Stephen  Longley  of  Shirley,  Jan. 
17,  1798,  d.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  7,  1832.  She  was  a  true  and  faithful 
wife,  a  tender  and  careful  mother,  a  trustworthy  friend,  and  a  de- 
voted Christian  believer. 

VI.  ABIGAIL  PRESCOTT,  b.  Dec.  17,  1779,  d.  at  Shirley,  Oct. 
II,  1 80 1,  unm. 

VII.  DANIEL,  b.  June  29,  1782,  m.  Ann  Collins  of  Philadelphia. 
He  had  several  children,  all  but  two  of  whom  d.  young.  The 
eldest,  a  daughter,  m.  Clement  Hill.  The  youngest,  a  son,  d.  at 
Philadelphia,  1848.  Mr.  Parker  d.  at  Washington,  D.  C,  April  5, 
1846. 


584  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

VIII.  DAVID,  b.  May  19,  1784,  m.  Pamelia  Dwight,  daughter  of 
John  and  Susanna  Dwight,  of  Shirley,  Jan.  i,  1804.  He  d.  at 
Shirley,  July  16,  1873.     He  had  ten  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

1.  Leonard  M.,  b.  Jan.  7,  1805,  m.  Paulina  Twing,  Jan.  7,  1828. 
He  has  had  two  children,  r.  Shirley,  a  widower  (1883). 

(i.)  Martlia  Jane,   b.  Nov.   2,   1829,  m.  John  R.   Holden   of 

Shirley,  May  4,  1858,  r.  Shirley  (1883). 
(2.)  Minerva,  b.  July  26,  1836,  d.  Aug.  26,  1836. 

2.  Pamelia,  b.  June  16,  1807,  m.  Jeremiah  C.  Hartwell,  Dec.  11, 
1832,  d.  at  Shirley,  April  26,  1875. 

3.  Catherine,  b.  Nov.  22,  1808,  m.  Oilman  Roby  of  Dunstable, 
Oct.  26,  1837,  d.  at  'Dunstable,  by  a  stroke  of  lightning,  June 
21,  1838.  It  was  on  a  Sunday  that  she  was  smitten.  She  had 
just  returned  from  church,  and  while  passing  through  a  lower 
room  of  her  dwelling,  during  a  sudden  shower,  the  electricity 
entered  the  house  at  the  eaves,  passed  down  between  the  ceil- 
ings, and  burst  through  between  the  windows  of  the  basement 
story,  shattering  the  looking-glass  in  its  course,  and  was  attracted 
to  the  head  of  the  unfortunate  woman  by  a  silver  comb  in  her 
hair.  The  fluid  entered  her  head,  passed  through  her  body, 
and  made  its  outward  passage  through  the  heels  of  her  shoes. 
She  breathed  for  a  season,  under  intense  agony,  when  she 
quietly  passed  away. 

4.  David,  b.  April  23,  1811,  m.  Eleanor  L.  Wetherbee  of  Fitch- 
burg,  Nov.  12,  1834,  r.  Lancaster  (1883).  He  has  had  nine 
children,  all  of  whom  were  b.  at  Lancaster. 

(i.)  Henry  J.,  b.  Aug.  17,  1835.  ^^  ^^^  ^  captain's  commis- 
sion in  the  war  of  the  Rebellion,  and  was  slain  at  the  battle  of 
Resaca,  Oa.  He  survived  his  fall  but  a  few  moments.  He 
expressed  a  wish  to  see  his  far-off  friends,  and  then  took  his 
handkerchief  and  tried  to  assuage  the  fast-flowing  tide  of  life. 
— but  in  vain  ;  he  then  returned  it  to  his  cap,  and  breathed 
his  last.  The  handkerchief  was  sent,  in  the  state  he  left  it,  to 
his  sorrowing  mother, — the  only  relic  she  possesses  of  her 
brave  son  who  gave  his  life  at  the  call  of  his  country. 

He  m.  Mary  A.  Richardson,  Jan.,  1856;  she  d.  Oct.  27, 
1874.  He  was  killed  May  15,  1864.  He  had  five  children: 
1.  "Charlie  H.,"  b.  at  Lancaster,  Aug.  11,  1856,  d.  Aug.  25, 
1856;  2.  "Lottie  E.,"  b.  at  Lancaster,  Feb.  14,  1858;  3. 
"  Mary  E.,"  b.  at  Lancaster,  March  9,  i860;  4.  "Henrietta 
A.,"  b.  at  Lancaster,  July  22,  1861,  d.  Aug.  22,  1864;  5. 
"Henry  J.,"  b.  at  Lancaster,  July  19,  1862,  d.  Aug.  31,  1863. 

(2.)  Minerva  E.,  b.  Sept.  17,  1837,  m.  Levi  P.  Wood,  Dec.  21, 
1858.  She  has  had  three  children,  r.  Lancaster  (1883).  i. 
"Minett  A.,"  b.  Oct.  26,  i860,  d.  Feb.  21,  1861  ;  2.  "Carrie 
E.,"  b.  Dec.  18,  1864;  3.  "Etta  E.,"  b.  Nov.  20,  1872. 

(3.)  Catherine  R.,  b.  Feb.  18,  1839,  m.  Oeorge  F.  Maynard  of 
Fitchburg,  Feb.   19,   i860;    he  d.  Oct.  22,  1877.      She   had 


GENEALOGY. PARKER.  585 

three  children:  i.  "Frank  H.,"  b.  July  3,  1861  ;  2.  "Annie 
L.,"  b.  Nov.  26,  1866;  3.  "Lenora  S.,"  b.  Sept.  11,  1868,  d. 
July  II,  1869. 

(4.)  Loring  D.,  b.  Oct.  25,  1840.  He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Francena  E.  Wood  of  Harvard,  March  2,  1861  ;  she  d.  at 
Ashburnham,  April  9,  1870;  m.  (second)  Laura  J.  Green  of 
.^Istead,  N.  H.,  Jan.  21,  1871,  r.  Rockingham,  Vt.  (1880.) 
He  has  had  eight  children  :  i.  "Emerson  F.,"  b.  at  Shirley, 
Nov.  27,  1863;  2.  "Henry  E.,"  b.  at  Fitchburg,  June  23, 
1866;  3.  "Lillian  A.,"  b.  at  Fitchburg,  March  18,  1868;  4. 
"Charles  W.,"  b.  at  Fitchburg,  Aug.  28,  1871  ;  5.  "Ada  E.," 
b.  at  Fitchburg,  March  5,  1874;  6.  "Frank  G.,"  b.  at  Ayer, 
.\ug.  30,  1876;  7.  "Leon  D.,"  b.  at  Fitchburg,  Oct.  13, 
1877;  8.  "Grace  L.,"  b.  at  Rockingham,  March  12,  1880,  d. 
March  14,  1880. 

Mr.  Parker  is  a  musical  instrument  maker,  and  is  particu- 
larly devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  violins,  in  which  he  has 
had  good  success. 

(5.)  Leonard  H.,  b.  May  i,  1842,  m.  Hannah  J.  Wood  of  Har- 
vard, Dec.  21,  1863,  r.  Harvard  (1880).  He  has  had  four 
children:  i.  "Addie  M„"  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  19,  1867;  2. 
"Eugene  M.,"  b.  at  Groton,  April  i,  1870;  3.  "Willie  M.," 
b.  at  Groton,  Jan.  28,  1872  ;  4.  "Herbert  H.,"  b.  at  Littleton, 
July  9,  1877. 

Although  Mr.  Parker  has  scarcely  arrived  at  the  period  of 
middle  life,  he  has  passed  a  somewhat  eventful  career.  When 
about  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  was  standing  by  the  side  of  a 
younger  brother,  looking  out  of  an  attic  window  of  his  father's 
dwelling,  during  a  shower  of  rain.  A  bolt  of  lightning  struck 
a  neighboring  tree,  passed  down  the  trunk,  and  entered  the 
window.  The  subject  of  this  notice  found  himself  prostrated 
at  the  opposite  side  of  the  room,  without  serious  injury ;  while 
his  less  fortunate  brother  had  fallen,  under  horrid  disfigure- 
ments, to  rise  no  more  ;  the  stock  of  a  musket  which  the  lad 
held  in  his  hand  was  split  in  pieces. 

In  1863  Leonard  H.  Parker  enlisted  in  Company  G,  36th 
regiment  of  Massachusetts  volunteers,  for  three  years,  or 
during  the  war.  He  was  stationed  at  Camp  Nelson,  Ky.,  for 
a  season.  Here  he  became  sick  with  measles,  attended  by 
erysipelas  and  chronic  diarrhoea.  On  the  ninth  of  March, 
1864,  his  army  corps  was  ordered  to  the  front,  and  the  hos- 
pital patients  were  conveyed  by  ambulance  to  Nicholasville 
station.  There  he  was  put  into  a  box  car,  and  conveyed  to 
Lexington  station,  where  he  was  taken  out  and  laid  upon  the 
platform  as  a  dead  man,  and  was  so  reported  and  recorded. 
He  was  covered  with  a  blanket,  and,  to  use  his  own  words, 
"  How  long  I  lay  I  don't  know,  but  when  I  revived  three  doctors 
were  standing  by,  and  I  heard  one  of  them  tell  the  nurse  not 
to  give  me  any  more  medicine,  as  I  could  not  live.  I  was 
then  suffering  from  lung  fever.  In  a  few  weeks  I  was  brought 
74 


586  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY, 

back  to  Camp  Nelson,  where  I  stayed  until  the  close  of  the 
war,  during  which  time  I  was  confined  in  the  small-pox  hos- 
pital by  varioloid." 

During  the  years  that  have  followed,  Mr.  Parker  has  sus- 
tained an  active  and  enterprising  career ;  has  been  called  to 
places  of  trust  and  usefulness,  and  such  are  his  present  health 
and  habits  as  to  promise  for  him  a  valuable  future. 

(6.)    Charlotte  W.,  b.  Jan.  28,  1844,  d.  March  8,  1844. 

(7.)  David  Waldo,  b.  June  i,  1845,  d.  June  29,  1859,  killed  by 
lightning. 

(8.)  Alfred  H.,  b.  June  18,  1848,  m.  Ella  Gerry  of  Fitchburg, 
May,  1877.  He  has  two  children:  i.  "  Edgar  O.,"  b.  June 
21,  1878  ;  2.  "Irving  F.,"  b.  May  6,  1880. 

(9.)  Dana  E.,  b.  June  16,  1851,  d.  March  17,  1867. 

5.  LoRiNG,  b.  July  24,  1813,  m.  Pamelia  Lawrence,  Nov.  13,  1856, 
r.  Shirley  (1883).     He  has  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  Amos,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  12,  1859. 

6.  Harriet,  b.  Feb.  23,  1818,  m.  Ansel  Tyler  of  Lancaster,  Nov. 
12,  1840,  r.  Leominster  (1880).     She  has  had  four  children  : 
(i.)   yosie  P.,  b.  July  15,  1848,  m.  W.  H.  Adams  of  Pepperell, 

Dec.  3,  1873.  She  has  one  child:  i.  "Clesson  T.,"  b.  Aug. 
16,  1876. 

(2.)  Hattie  J.,  b.  Sept.  22,  1849,  d-  ^'^ig-  22,  185 1. 

(3.)  Nettie  L.,  b.  Nov.  15,  185 1,  m.  R.  A.  Hillson  of  Leom- 
inster, Oct.  19,  1872. 

(4.)  Hattie  C,  b.  Sept.  7,  1856. 

7.  George,  b.  Aug.  29,  1819,  d.  July  14,  1873,  unm. 

8.  Daniel,  b.  Jan.  3,  1821,  d.  Dec.  30,  1825. 

9.  Jane,  b.  July  29,  1824,  d.  Jan.  7,  1825. 

10.  Henry,  b.  1826,  d.  when  eight  days  old. 

IX.  LYDIA  BOWES,  b.  Dec.  20,  1786,  m.  Moses  Treadwell  of 
Ipswich,  Sept.  20,  18 14.  She  d.  at  Ipswich,  Oct.  10,  1830.  She 
had  five  children,  b.  at  Ipswich  : 

1.  Lydia  Bowes  Parker,  b.  Aug.  6,  1815,  m.  James  P.  Whitney 
of  Shirley,  May  31,  1836.     She  d.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  28,  1842. 

2.  James  Parker,  b.  June  25,  181 7,  r.  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  unm. 
(1880.) 

3.  Sarah  Ann,  b.  May  18,  18 19.  She  has  been  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  James  P.  Whitney  of  Shirley,  June  11,  1846  ;  he  d.  Jan.  14,- 
1847;  she  m.  (second)  Isaac  Kendall  of  New  York,  Sept.  13, 
1855.  She  has  four  children,  and  is  a  widow.  Her  children 
were  b.  at  New  York. 

(i.)    Virginia  Beverly,  b.  June  24,  1856. 
(2.)  Leonard  Treadwell,  b.  July  17,  1857. 
(3.)   George  Choate,  b.  Jan.  18,  1859. 
(4.)  Edith,  b.  Oct.  13,  1 86 1. 


GENEALOGY. —  PARKER.  587 

4.  Leonard  Lincoln,  b.  April  5,  1821,  d.  at  San  Francisco,  Feb. 
12,  1876,  unm. 

5.  Lucy  Elizabeth,  b.  Dec.  22,  1826,  m.  Samuel  B.  Woodward 
of  Worcester,  Sept.  14,  1852,  d.  at  Worcester,  March  25,  1857. 
She  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  Samuel  B.,  b.  at  Worcester,  Aug.  24,  1853,  r.  Worcester 
(1880). 

X.  LEONARD  MOODY,  b.  Jan.  9,  1789,  m.  Martha,  daughter  of 
Gov.  Levi  Lincoln,  Sen.,  pub.  March  22,  1814.  He  d.  at  Shirley, 
Aug.  25,  1854.  Mrs.  Parker  d.  at  Charlestown,  April  26,  1822. 
He  had  three  children,  all  of  whom  were  b.  at  Charlestown  : 

\.  Martha  Lincoln,  b.  Aug.  4,  1815,  d.  at  Worcester,  unm.,  Oct. 
2,  1835. 

2.  Elizabeth  Waldo,  b.  May  9,  181 7,  m.  Francis  H.  Kinnicutt 
of  Worcester,  Oct.  26,  1837,  r,  Worcester  (1883),  ^^^  has  had 
six  children,  all  of  whom  were  b,  at  Worcester. 

(i.)  Rebecca  Newton,  b.  Sept.  17,  1838,  m.  Dr.  George  E. 
Francis  of  Worcester,  June  23,  1868,  r.  Worcester  (1883). 
She  has  had  two  children,  both  b.  at  Worcester:  i,  "Eliza- 
beth Kinnicutt,"  b.  Aug.  14,  1869;  2.  "George  Kinnicutt," 
b.  Nov.  24,  1871,  d.  Dec.  20,  1877. 

(2.)  Elizabeth  Waldo,  b.  Aug.  18,  1840,  m.  Dr.  William  H. 
Draper  of  New  York,  Oct.  15,  1861,  d.  Dec.  19,  1869.  She 
had  three  children:  i.  "William  Kinnicutt,"  b.  Feb.  2,  1863; 
2.  "Martha  Lincoln,"  b.  Aug.  23,  1864;  3.  "Robert  Watts," 
b.  Dec.  24,  1867,  d.  Sept.  20,  1868. 

(3.)  yiilia  B.,  b.  July  i,  1843,111.  John  M.  Barker,  Sept.  17, 
1868,  r.  Worcester  (1880). 

(4  )  Frank  Parkei',  b.  July  13,  1846,  m.  Eleanor  Kissel  of  New 
York,  Nov.  19,  1875,  '"•  ^^^  York.  He  is  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  medicine.  He  has  had  two  children:  i.  "Frank 
Harrison,"  b.  Nov.  13,  1876;  2.  "Gustave  Herman  Kissel," 
b.  Jan.  19,  1878. 

(5.)  Lincoln  Nezvton,  b.  March  14,  1849,  m.  Edith  Paley, 
daughter  of  Judge  Paley  of  Concord,  N.  H.,  Oct.  10,  1878, 
r.  Worcester  (1883).  He  has  had  one  child  :  i.  "Roger,"  b. 
at  Worcester,  Feb.  12,  1880. 

(6.)  Leonard  Parker,  b.  May  22,  1854. 

3.  Sarah  Rebecca,  b.  March  6,  1822,  m.  Joseph  Mason  of  Worces- 
ter, Nov.  10,  1846,  r.  Worcester  (1883).  She  has  had  one  child  : 
(i.)    jfoseph  P.,  b.  at  Worcester,  Sept.  15, -1848,  m.  A.  Wright 

of  New  York  city,  Nov.  13,  1877,  r.  Worcester  (1883). 

J^arfetr,  JJonaS,  son  of  Leonard  and  Abigail  Parker,  and 
brother  of  James.  (Jonas,'*  Leonard,'*  Phinehas,''  James,  Jr.,-  James.') 
He  was  b.  at  Groton,  June  15,  1750,  m.  Elizabeth  Little  of  Shirley, 
pub.  March  17,  1774.  He  d.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  15,  1794.  He  lived  in 
a  westerly  section  of  the  town,  on  the  farm,  and,  as  some  suppose,  in 


588  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

the  very  dwelling  of  the  late  Luke  Holden  (now  the  home  of  Zopher 
Jones).  The  name  of  Jonas  Parker,  Jr.,  is  included  in  the  report 
made  by  Capt.  Henry  Haskell,  to  the  colonial  authorities,  Dec.  23, 
1775,  as  one  of  the  volunteers  under  his  command,  from  Shirley,  on 
the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775.  The  subject  of  this  genealogical  notice 
must  have  been  the  person  intended  ; — his  son,  Jonas  Parker,  Jr.,  was 
at  this  time  only  about  six  months  old. 

Jonas  Parker  had  eight  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

I.  JONAS,  b.  Oct.  9,  1774,  m.  Esther  Lawrence  of  Shirley,  Nov. 
23,  1799.  After  short  residences  in  several  different  towns,  he  was 
removed  to  Pepperell,  where  he  d. 

H.  THOMAS  LITTLE,  b.  Feb.  22,  1776,  m.  Rachel  VVillard  of 
Harvard,  pub.  June  28,  1802,  and  settled  in  Boston,  where  there 
were  b.  to  him  three  children  : 

\.  Caroline.  2.  Mary.  3.  Thomas.  Caroline  d.  at  Boston,  and 
the  family  removed  from  New  England  to  parts  unknown. 

in.  BETSEY,  b.  Nov.  29,  1777,  m.  Leonard  Edgarton,  July  12, 
I  798,  lived  and  d.  at  Harvard. 

IV.  WILLIAM,  b.  Dec.  11,  1779,  m.  Martha  Wellington.  As  may 
be  seen  by  reference  to  the  third  chapter  of  this  history,  Jonas 
Parker,  the  older  brother  of  ^V^illiam,  was  a  pioneer  in  the  manu- 
facture of  paper,  in  town  ;  and  William  Parker  wrought  under  the 
instruction  of  his  brother,  and  was  engaged  through  life  in  making 
and  trafficking  in  paper.  He  lived  and  d.  at  Boston,  but  his  paper 
manufactory  was  located  at  Sudbury.  Mr.  Parker  had  three  chil- 
dren, b.  at  Boston ;  one  d.  early  ;  the  others  were  : 

L  William  Thomas,  b.  Dec.  26,  1814,  r.  Boston  (1880),  unm. 

2.  Martha  Wellington,  b.  Aug.  13,  1826,  m.  Rev.  Samuel 
Hobert  Winkley,  Aug.  13,  1849,  and  has  several  children,  r. 
Boston  (1883). 

V.  REBECCA,  b.  Nov.  12,  1781,  m.  John  Robbins  of  Shirley.  Jan. 
20,  1800. 

VI.  PHINEHAS,  b.  Feb.  2,  i  784,  d.  young. 

VII.  LYDIA,  b.  Nov.  8,  1785,  m.  John  Foley  of  Boston. 

VIII.  JOSEPH,  b.  Nov.,  1787,  d.  young. 

^tlCllCr,  ^l)Cl,  was  b.  at  Ciroton  [probably],  Nov.  24,  1745,  a 

son  of  Nathaniel   and  Eleanor   (Walker)    Parker,    m.   Sarah , 

and  lived  at  Shirley  as  early  as  1772.  He  went  from  this  town  with 
the  volunteers  called  out  by  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775,  and  left  the 
birth-dates  of  two  children  upon  the  town  records. 

I.  ABIGAIL,  b.  March  29,  1772. 

II.  SEWALL,  b.  March  15,  1775. 


GENEALOGY. PARKER-PATTERSON.         58H 

}|arfeCl%  iHlJtl,  3^'y  supposed  to  have  been  a  son  of  Abel 
and  Esdier  (Shattuck)  Parker  of  Groton,  and  b.  Nov.  i8,  1754,  is 
supposed  to  have  hved  in  Shirley,  at  the  commencement  of  the  war 
of  the  Revolution,  as  he  was  one  of  the  eighty  volunteers  under 
Capt.  Haskell,  on  the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775.  He  also  enlisted 
under  Capt.  Robert  Longley,  on  the  26th  of  the  same  month,  for  a 
service  of  eight  months.  Whether  or  not  he  had  a  family  in  town  is 
unknown. 

^^arfecr,  peter,  Jlr.,  son  of  Peter  and  Prudence  (Lawrence) 
Parker  of  Groton,  b.  Jan.   15,   1747.      He  was  one  of  the    19th  of 

April  volunteers.     He  m.  Mary ,  and  lived  in  town  until  his 

death,    which    occurred    March   28,    1777,    two    months    before  the 
birth  of  his  youngest  child.     He  had  three  children  : 

I.     MARY,  b.  at  Groton,  Dec.  12,  1771. 

H.     PRUDENCE,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  12,  1774. 

HI.     PETER,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  29,  1777. 

JftirfefC,  JiOijtt,  (supposed  to  have  been  a  son  of  Abel  and 
Esther  Parker  of  Groton,  and  a  brother  of  Abel  Parker,  Jr.,)  was  b. 
April  15,  1757;  and  that  he  was  a  resident  of  Shirley  in  1775  is 
proved  by  the  fact  that  he  enlisted  into  Capt.  Longley's  company 
from  Shirley,  July  13,  1775,  for  a  service  of  eight  months. 


PATTERSON. 

James  Patterson,  or  Pattison,  was  a  Scotchman  by  birth,  and  was  a 
soldier  in  the  army  opposed  to  Cromwell  and  the  Commonwealth. 
He  was  made  a  prisoner  by  the  Cromwell  army  at  the  battle  of  Dun- 
bar, Sept.  3,  1650,  and  was  transported  to  America  by  order  of  the 
Protector.  He  embarked  at  London,  Nov.  6,  1651,  and  the  first  that 
is  known  of  his  whereabouts,  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  was  in 
1658,  when  he  was  a  resident  of  Billerica,  where  he  became  a  large 
landholder.  He  m.  Rebecca  Stevenson  of  Cambridge,  May  29, 
1662.  In  King  Philip's  war  his  house  was  a  garrison;  and  for  his 
services  in  that  war  he  was  awarded  (or  his  heirs  were)  a  grant  of  land 
in  Narragansett  No.  6,  which  is  now  Templeton.  He  had  eight 
children. 

James  Patterson,  Jr.,  was  the  seventh  in  the  order  of  age,  and  was 
b.  at  Billerica,  April  13,  1683.  He  removed  to  Dunstable,  where  he 
resided  several  years,  and  then  he  became  an  inhabitant  of  Groton, 
where  he  d.  1738.     He  had  six  children,  of  whom 

Patterson,  JfamCS,  was  second  in  order  of  birth.  (James," 
James,  Jr.,-  James.')  He  married  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Bartlett,  (whose 
maiden  name  was  Nichols,)  Jan.  17,  1744,  and  lived  in  that  part  of 
Groton  now  known  as   Shirley,  on  or  near  the   farm  now  owned  by 


590  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Warren  Wilson,  situated  on  the  east  road  leading  from  the  centre  of 
the  town  to  the  South  Village.  He  was  one  of  the  petitioners,  in 
1747,  that  Shirley  be  made  an  independent  municipality,  and  was 
chairman  of  the  Ijoard  of  selectmen  the  second  year  after  the  organi- 
zation of  the  town.  He  died  May  4,  1759.  His  children — six  in 
number — were  all  b.  in  Shirley,  three  before  and  three  after  its 
organization. 

I.     SYBIL,  b.  July  22,   1747,   m.   Brown,  and  removed   to 

Temple,  N.  H. 

n.  NICHOLAS,  b.  March  22,  1749.  He  removed  to  Harvard, 
and  established  himself  in  that  place  as  a  tanner.     He  was  twice 

m.,  (first)  to  Anna ,  (second)  to  Mrs.  Abigail  Whitney,  pub. 

Sept.  12,  1778.  About  the  year  1790  he  and  his  son  Artemas 
went  to  Vermont,  and  took  up  some  wild  land  at  Otter  Creek. 
Both  d.  of  fever  while  there.  He  had  seven  children,  all  b.  at 
Harvard  : 

L  Sybil,  b.  Jan.  31,  1774. 

2.  Betsey,  b.  July  31,  1776. 

o.  Abigail,  b.  July  22,  1779. 

4.  Artemas,  b.  April  7,  1781,  d.  at  Otter  Creek,  Vt. 

0.  LuciNDA,  b.  Feb.  25,  1783,  d.  1832. 

6.  Anna  Willard,  b.  March  5,  1785. 

7.  Alexander,  b.  May  15,  1787,  d.  at  sea,  unm. 

HL  JOSEPH,  b.  Dec.  25,  1751,  became  a  resident  of  Boston,  and 
was  there  engaged  in  the  trade  of  a  carpenter. 

IV.  JAMES,  b.  May  8,  1754.  He  removed  to  Fitchburg,  where  he 
was  apprenticed  to  John  Gaffold  or  Garfield,  a  tanner,  with  whom 
he  formed  a  partnership  when  he  came  to  a  lawful  age.  Here  he 
was  m.  to  Miriam  Hovey,  Oct.  19,  1778.  Soon  after,  he  closed  up 
his  business  in  Fitchburg,  removed  to  Lunenburg,  kept  a  public 
house  in  the  centre  of  the  town,  and  also  a  country  store.  He  was 
a  captain  of  the  town  militia,  owned  the  first  ox-wagon  and  the 
second  chaise  that  ever  had  a  proprietorship  in  Lunenburg.  At 
the  time  of  the  Shays  rebellion  he  marched  his  company  to  Spring- 
field to  assist  in  its  suppression.  He  arrived  there  in  that  severe 
snow  storm,  (to  which  allusion  has  already  been  made  in  this  his- 
tory,) late  at  night ;  and  as  all  the  buildings  in  town  were  previously 
occupied,  he  and  his  men  were  forced  to  pass  the  residue  of  the 
night  without  shelter.  He  thus  received  a  severe  cold,  which  ter- 
minated in  consumption  and  death.  He  had  great  energy  of 
character  and  great  goodness  of  heart,  giving  him  a  name  and 
standing  among  his  fellows.     He  d.  at  Lunenburg,  1787. 

The  following  anecdote  exhibits  his  dispatch  in  business  matters. 
On  the  8th  of  March,  1782,  having  previously  sent  two  teams  to 
Medford    for  goods,   he   mounted  his  "brown   mare,"   which   was 


GENEALOGY. PATTERSON.  591 

celebrated  for  fleetness,  and  rode  to  Medford  to  superintend  the 
loading  of  the  teams  ;  and  having  done  this,  returned  to  Lunen- 
burg within  twenty-four  hours,  having  performed  a  journey  of 
eighty  miles.  Arriving  home  on  the  morning  of  the  9th,  he  found 
that  during  his  absence  his  wife  had  given  birth  to  his  first  and 
only  son. 

On  one  occasion,  when  riding  the  "brown  mare,"  he  was  sud- 
denly stopped  by  some  one  calling  to  him.  This  proved  to  be 
Dea.  Foster,  an  officer  in  the  church  of  which  he  was  a  member ; 
and  wishing  to  know  what  the  deacon  desired,  received  for  reply, 
"  If  you  are  as  earnest  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  as  you  are  for 
this  world's  goods,  you  will  take  it  by  violence." 

When  James  became  of  age  he  received  a  patrimony  of  £'^0. 
With  this  he  bought  a  wig,  a  watch,  and  a  horse.  Thus  equipped 
he  sued  for  the  heart  and  hand  of  Miriam  Hovey,  who  was  a  fine 
vocalist  and  a, lady  of  great  personal  beauty.  Her  father  rejected 
his  suit  because  he  thought  that  Patterson  had  adopted  an  improvi- 
dent mode  of  starting  in  life.  Immediately  the  horse  and  watch 
were  sold,  and  not  long  after  the  young  man  joined  the  church, 
and  in  due  time  attained  the  woman  of  his  choice.  His  joining 
the  church,  however,  proved  to  have  been  more  from  principle 
than  from  motives  of  policy,  for  his  subsequent  life,  though  short, 
bore  the  fruits  of  righteousness  to  a  degree  that  made  him  con- 
spicuous among  his  fellows.  Subsequent  to  his  death  his  widow  m. 
Dr.  Absolom  Haskell  of  Lunenburg,  and  d.  May  12,  1804.  The 
children  of  James  Patterson  were  : 

1.  LoviSA,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  July  4,  1779,  m.  Luther  Coolidge  of 
Natick,  April  11,  1802.  She  d.  April  29,  1816.  She  had  six 
children  : 

(i.)  James  Patterson,  b.  at  Boston,  April  28,  1803,  r.  North 
Brookfield  (1880). 

(2.)  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Boston,  Oct.  4,  1804,  m.  E.  Newell  Hunt- 
ing of  Charlestown,  r.  Charlestown  (1880). 

(3.)  Susan,  b.  at  Boston,  Sept.  29,  1806.  She  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Isaiah  Lowe,  March  26,  1829.  He  d.  March  9, 
1834;  she  m.  (second)  Charles  Lincoln,  who  was  for  many 
years  the  efficient  and  popular  warden  of  the  state  prison,  and 
who  was  murdered  by  one  of  the  convicts  (Rogers)  June  15, 
1843. 

(4.)  George,  b.  at  Boston,  July  3,  1808,  mariner,  d.  unm.,  June 
I,  1846. 

(5.)  Sarah,  b.  at  Boston,  June  4,  1810,  m.  Zophar  Wetherbee, 
Dec.  25,  1832.  She  r.  for  many  years  at  Harvard,  and  her 
husband  was  proprietor  of  the  hotel  in  that  town. 

(6.)  Lovisa  Barton,  b.  at  Boston,  Feb.  22,  181 2.  She  was 
twice  m.,  (first)  to  David  Taylor  of  Fitchburg,  Sept.  12,  1829. 
He  d.  Sept.  i,  1844;  she  m.  (second)  Jeremiah  Stewart, 
March  16,  1848. 

2.  LvDiA,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Feb.  6,   1781,  d.  March  19,  1781. 


;)92  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

o.  James,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Mar.  9,  1782.  When  he  was  twenty-one 
years  old  he  went  to  reside  in  Nashua,  N.  H.  He  subsequently 
removed  to  Dunbarton,  N.  H.,  where  he  lived  several  years  ;  he 
afterward  lived  in  Lunenburg,  whence  he  finally  removed  to 
Clinton,  where  he  d.  June  30,  1865.  In  Nashua,  where  he  was 
an  early  settler,  he  erected  a  building  where  he  conducted  for  a 
long  period  an  extensive  bindery  ;  and  later  in  his  life  he  estab- 
lished, at  Clinton,  a  manufactory  for  roll-covering  and  belting, 
with  which  he  supplied  the  mills  at  that  place.  He  was  an 
earnest  advocate  of  temperance,  and  a  devoted  member  of  the 
church  of  Christ.  He  m.  Sarah  Stearns,  Dec,  1805,  who  d. 
at  Lunenburg,  March  17,  1843.  James  Patterson  had  seven 
children  : 

(i.)  James,  b.  Nov.  8,  1807.  He  resided  several  years  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  a  merchant.  Afterward  he  was  abroad  in 
Europe  for  some  years,  living  chiefly  in  London  and  Paris. 
When  he  returned  he  established  himself  in  Boston,  where  he 
organized  and  superintended  the  penny-post  department  of 
the  Boston  post-office.  He  m.  Isabella  Graham  Bates  of 
New  York,  Nov.  20,  1833,  and  d.  at  Longwood,  Oct.  17,  1875. 
(2.)  Susan,  b.  at  Nashua,  and  d.  at  the  age  of  six  years. 
(3.)  Mary  Stearns,  b.  March  3,  181 1.  She  was  at  one  time 
principal  of  the  female  department  of  Cortland  Academy, 
Homer,  N.  Y.,  and  was  teacher  of  belles-lettres  at  New  Hamp- 
ton (N.  H.)  Female  Seminary,  1856 ;  r.  Lawrence,  unm. 
(1880.) 
(4.)  Stearns,  b.  Jan.  2,  1814.  He  was  a  clerk  in  his  brother's 
store  at  New  York  ;  afterwards  he  studied  divinity  at  Andover 
and  New  Haven,  and  was  for  several  years  an  active  clergy- 
man of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  Delaware  and 
Pennsylvania  ;  and  later,  professor  of  language  in  the  female 
college  at  Wilmington,  Del.  Failing  health  induced  him  to 
retire  to  a  farm  in  Stroudsburg,  Penn.,  where  he  was  acciden- 
tally killed,  while  plowing,  by  a  kick  from  one  of  his  horses. 
May  19,  187 1.  He  was  buried  in  Mt.  Moriah  cemetery, 
Philadelphia. 

At  the  eighth  anniversary  of  the  Alumni  Association  of  the 
VVesleyan  Female  College,  the  following  eulogy  was  pro- 
nounced : 

"The  spring-time  has  been  clouded  with  still  another  loss, 
in  the  death  of  one  who,  for  a  series  of  years,  was  an  honored 
member  of  the  college  faculty. 

"  Life  went  out,  as  sinks  beneath  the  hill 
The  glory  of  a  setting  star, — clear,  suddenly  and  still. 

"Rev.  Stearns  Patterson,  Professor  of  Mental  Philosophy  and 
the  Classics,  is  remembered  by  all  with  respect,  and  by  some  of 
us  as  one  of  the  purest  types  of  a  faithful  Christian  teacher. 
He  entered  upon  his  duties  here  in  the  autumn  of  1854,  and 
remained  until  his  health  demanded  a  change.  His  individu- 
ality was   marked,  his   scholarship    unquestioned.     He   was   a 


GENEALOGY. PATTERSON.  593 

thorough  classical  Ihiguist,  and  possessed  the  gift  of  reducing 
to  the  simplest  form,  the  often  complex  rule.  Punctual,  me- 
thodical, cultured,  abounding  in  goodness  of  heart  and  the 
grace  of  the  Spirit,  he  has  finished  his  work.  He  was  no 
false  light.  With  a  strong,  deep  and  undemonstrative  nature, 
•  he  combined  a  kindness,  a  tenderness,  that  was  almost  child- 
like in  its  simplicity.  His  name  is  honored,  his  memory 
cherished,  his  work  immortal." 

Rev.  Stearns  Patterson  m.  Anna  Sargent,  March  24,  1851. 
She  d.  Dec.  10,  1877,  leaving  two  sons:  i.  "Howard,"  who 
received  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  at  Jefferson  Medical  College, 
and  is  now  a  practising  physician  in  Philadelphia;  2. 
"Homer,"  a  graduate  of  Pennsylvania  College  of  Dental 
Surgery,  now  a  practitioner  in  Philadelphia. 

(5.)  Lucius,  resided  for  a  time  at  Nashua,  and  was  engaged 
there  in  harness-making.  He  removed  from  there  to  Charles- 
town,  where  he  was  for  over  twenty-five  years  an  officer  in  the 
state-prison,  till  his  death.  May  19,  1866.  He  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Hannah  J.  Marshall  of  Nashua;  she  d.  Dec.  11, 
1852  ;  he  m.  (second)  Emily  Fernald  of  Ossipee,  N.  H. ;  she 
d.  July  23,  1871.  He  had  four  children:  i.  "Sarah  M.,"  b. 
Sept.  23,  1845  ;  she  was  for  a  time  a  teacher  in  a  public  school 
at  Everett,  is  now  m.,  and  r.  at  West  Windham,  N.  H.  (1880.) 
2.  "Susan  Lincoln,"  b.  March  27,  1848,  d.  Aug.  19,  1850;  3. 
"Mary;"  4.  "Frank,"  r.  Haverhill. 

(6.)  Oliver  Stear-ns,  r.  in  Nashua  for  a  time,  was  an  excellent 
musician.  He  went  to  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  studied  medicine,  and 
received  his  degree  from  Geneva  Medical  College.  He 
established  himself  in  Waterloo,  and  had  an  extensive  prac- 
tice in  that  town  and  vicinity.  He  d.  at  Waterloo,  Dec.  25, 
1869,  from  the  effects  of  a  fall  from  his  carriage.  He  m. 
Caroline  Fatzinger  of  Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  and  had  three  children  : 
I.  "Sarah,"  b.  Oct.  9,  1844,  m.  Dr.  George  Yost  of  Ypsilanti, 
Mich.;  2.  "Thomas  F.,"  b.  Feb.  8,  1847,  >".  Boston;  in  the 
office  of  Mudge,  Sawyer  &  Co.  (1880);  3.  "Anna  C,"  b. 
Sept.  10,  1849,  m.  Joseph  Kampman,  r.  Boston  (1880.) 

(7.)  Sarah  Stearns,  b.  March  15,  1821,  m.  John  Rodman  Rol- 
Uns  of  Newburyport.  Mr.  Rollins  is  now  (1883)  cashier  of 
the  Lawrence  National  Bank.  He  was,  at  a  former  period, 
preceptor  of  the  Lunenburg  Academy,  and  is  remembered 
there  with  the  most  lively  gratitude  by  many  of  his  former 
pupils.  He  had  filled  other  important  stations  before  being 
called  to  his  present  responsible  trust.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren :  I.  "Elizabeth  Stearns,"  b.  Nov.  i,  1848,  r.  Lawrence 
(1880),  unm. ;  2.  "John  James,"  b.  March  14,  185 1,  d.  June 
28,  1851  ;  3.  "William  Hobart,"  b.  June  19,  1852,  graduate 
of  the  Harvard  Dental  and  Medical  schools,  now  (1880)  a 
practical  dentist,  Beacon  street,  Boston. 

4.  Drusilla,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  June,  i  784.     She  has  been  twice 
75 


594  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

m.,  (first)   to  Stephen  Pierce  of  Lunenburg  ;    (second)  to   Dr. 
John  Pierce,  brother  of  Stephen.     She  had  five  children  : 
(i.)  James  Patterson.      (2.)  Susan. 
(3.)  John,  b.  1814,  was  a  UniversaUst  clergyman,  but  d.  in  early 

manhood. 
(4.)   Sarah,  m.  Samuel  Wilbur  of  Boston. 
(5.)  Frances,  m.  Horace  Wilbur, 

f).  Susanna,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  March  14,  1786,  m.  Oct.  12,  1806, 
Josiah  Locke,  b,  Oct.  i,  1780,  son  of  William  and  Mary  (Fovvle) 
Locke  of  Lancaster.  She  d.  in  Bloomfield,  Me.,  May  27,  18 19, 
by  suicide  while  in  a  state  of  mental  derangement.  Mr.  Locke 
died  March  28,  1826.  He  was  an  enterprising  merchant  and 
man  of  business  in  Bloomfield,  was  frequently  elected  to  offices 
of  trust  in  the  town,  and  d.  highly  esteemed  for  his  integrity. — 
(Book  of  the  Lockes,  p.  loi.)  His  children,  b.  in  Canaan,  now ' 
Bloomfield,  were 

(i.)  Mary  S.  IV.,  born  Aug.  8,  1807,  m.  March  20,  1835,  I^^^'- 
George  W.  Hathaway,  who  was  b.  in  Freetown,  Dec.  11,  1807, 
grad.  at  Williams  College,  1827,  and  at  Andover  Theological 
Institution,  1830  ;  was  ordained  over  the  Congregational  church 
in  Bloomfield,  March  20,  1833.  Mrs.  Hathaway  d.  March  14, 
1849.  Children  :  i.  "Josiah  Locke,"  b.  March  20,  1836  ;  2. 
"  Philo,"  b.  Aug.  28,  1837  ;  3.  "  Emily  Ballard,"  b.  March  30, 
1839,  died  July  6,  1840;  4.  "Sarah  Crosswell,"  b.  Feb.  22, 
1841  ;  5.  "Margaret  Winslow,"  b.  Feb.  i,  1843;  6.  "  Susan 
Patterson,"  b.  Mar.  22,  1845  ;  7-  "  Martha  Nichols,"  b.  Dec. 
31,  1846  ;  8.  "  Mary,"  b.  Feb.  17,  1849. 
(2.)  Ann  L.,  b.  Jan.  11,  1811,  m.  [1850  or  '51]  the  widower  of 

her  sister,  Rev.  George  W.  Hathaway,  of  Bloomfield. 
(3.)  Samuel  W.,  b.  Jan.  17,  1813,  drowned  at  Bloomfield,  Me., 

Jan.  28,  1820. 
(4.)   James  P.,  b.  July  25,  1818,  d.  Oct.  6,  1818. 

V.  JANE,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  23,  1756,  m.  Oliver  Scripture  of  New 
Ipswich,  N.  H.  She  had  twelve  children,  d.  April  22,  1837.  Her 
husband  d.  July  29,  1821.     Her  children  were  : 

1.  Betsey,  b.  at  New  Ipswich,  Aug.  5,  1777,  d.  Feb.  24,  1795. 

2.  Sally,  b.  at  New  Ipswich,  Oct.  7,  1779,  m.  Supply  Wilson  of 
New  Ipswich,  Sept.  19,  1802;  she  d.  July  3,  1837;  she  had 
twelve  children,  all  b.  at  New  Ipswich. 

(i.)  Supply  Franklin,  b.  July  8,  1803,  m.  Camelia  Clute  of 
Waterford,  N.  Y.,  1S36,  settled  somewhere  in  that  state,  a 
merchant. 

(2.)  Sally,  b.  Sept.  22,  1804,  m.  Jason  Bigelow  Perry  of  Rindge, 
N.  H.,  Nov.  II,  1828.  She  was  happy  in  her  husband,  he 
being  a  useful  citizen,  as  well  as  a  thoughtful  and  affectionate 
father.  She  had  nine  children  :  i.  "Mary,"  b.  Mar.  18,  1830, 
m.  Dana  S.  Walker;  2.  "Eliza,"  b.  Aug.  3,  1831,  m.  Julius 
A.  Hale  ;  3.  "Susan,"  b.  April  11,  1833,  m.  Washington  Whit- 
temore  ;  4.  "John  Wilson,"  b.  April  17,  1835,  m.  Mary  Vose 


GENEALOGY. PATTERSON.  595 

Cutter,  Feb.  15,  i860;  5.  "James  Bigelow,"  b.  Aug.  13,  1837, 
ni.  Arlette  Tuttle,  r.  McHenry,  111.  (1880);  6.  "Harriet,"  b. 
Sept.  22,  1839,  m.  Walter  Morse  Flanders  of  Warner,  N.  H., 
d.  at  Warner,  June  18,  1863;  7.  "Sarah,"  b.  Sept.  12,  1842, 
m.  Walter  Morse  Flanders,  the  widower  of  her  elder  sister, 
June  2,  1864,  r.  Warner  (1880)  ;  8.  "Jason  Stanley,"  b.  Jan. 
8,  1847,  m.  Elsie  Augusta  Page,  daughter  of  Joel  and  Sarah 
(Pierce)  Page  of  Fitchburg ;  9.  "Jane  Sophrona,"  b.  Jan.  8, 

1847- 

(3.)  Matthias  Spaiilding,  b.  April  22,  1806,  m.  Laura  Morgan 
of  Wilton,  N.  H.,  1833,  d.  at  New  Ipswich,  March,  1880. 

(4.)  Mary,  b.  Jan.  2,  1808,  m.  Joseph  Baxter  Breed  of  Rindge, 
N.  H.,  June  6,  1833;  she  d.  at  Geneseo,  111.,  Aug.  23,  1869. 
She  had  seven  children:  i.  "Mary  EHzabeth,"  b.  June  8, 
1834,  m.  John  C.  Spencer,  Jan.  12,  i860,  r.  Geneseo,  111. ;  2. 
"Martha  Jane,"  b.  June  8,  1834,  d.  same  day;  3.  "Sarah 
Marinda,"  b.  Nov.  15,  1835,  d.  Dec.  3,  1835;  4-  "Marind," 
b.  Oct.  10,  1836,  m.  John  L.  Combs,  Nov.  3,  1865,  r.  Geneseo  ; 
5.  "  Harriet  Wilson,"  b.  Aug.  9,  1838,  d.  Sept.  5,  1839;  6. 
"Augustus  Baxter,"  b.  Sept.  12,  1840,  d.  in  the  service  of  his 
country.  May  31,  1863;  7.  "George  Henry,"  b.  May  28, 
1844,  m.  CaroHne  A.  Albro  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  r.  Geneseo. 

(5.)  James,  b.  Nov.  22,  1809,  d.  unm.,  1840. 

(6.)  Susan,  b.  Oct.  14,  181 1,  m.  Nathan  Kendall  of  Amherst, 
1839. 

(7.)  Abigail,  b.  July  25,  18 13.  She  went  west  and  became  a 
teacher. 

(8.)  Harriet,  b.  July  15,  m.  H.  J.  Taylor,  r.  Iowa. 

(9.)  Spphronia,  b.  Feb.  15,  1818,  d.  March  25,  181 9. 

(10.)  Jane  C,  b.  Jan.  18,  1820,  m.  Rev.  William  Ireland,  1848. 
He  was  a  missionary  stationed  at  Ifumi,  South  Africa,  among 
the  Zulus.  She  was  educated  at  the  New  Ipswich  Academy, 
and  was  five  years  a  teacher  before  she  went  abroad. 

(11.)  Augustus,  b.  Jan.  13,  1822,  d.  June  21,  1832. 

(12.)  Sophronia,  b.  Feb.  6,   1824,  m.  Rev.  of  Jafifrey, 

N.  H. 

?K  Jane,  b.  June  23,  1781,  d.  April  8,  1819. 

4.  Oliver,  b.  June  16,  1783.  He  was  a  physician,  and  commenced 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Chelmsford,  1807,  removed  to 
Hollis,  N.  H.,  May,  1818,  m.  Eliza  Farrar  of  New  Ipswich. 

5.  LuciNDA,  b.  July  24,  1785,  d.  Dec.  28,  1800. 
0.  Abigail,  b.  Sept.  9,  1787. 

7.  Sybil,  b.  Sept.  2,  1789. 

8.  Nancy,  b.  Dec.  9,  1791. 

9.  James  Patferson,  b.  March  13,  1794,  d.  July  3,  1804. 

10.  Betsey,  b.  June  13,  1796. 


51:)6  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

11.  Calvin,  b.  March  19,  1799. 

12.  Isaac,  b.  Nov.  9,  1801. 

VI.     THOMAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  25,  1759. 

J^attCrSOn,  JJOijU,  son  of  James  of  Dunstable  and  Groton, 
and  brother  of  James,  whose  family  register  precedes  this.  He  was 
b.  at  Dunstable  [in  1723],  became  a  resident  of  Shirley  in  early  man- 
hood, and  owned  a  farm  (as  tradition  saith)  near  that  of  his  brother, 
on  the  east  road  from  the  centre  of  the  town  to  the  South  Village. 
He  m.  Jane  Parker  of  Groton,  pub.  Jan.  4,  1758.  He  d.  June  18, 
1797.     He  had  six  children  : 

I.  LEMUEL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  8,  1759,  m.  Susanna  Longley,  pub. 
April  19,  1782,  became  a  resident  of  Harvard,  and  had  six  chil- 
dren, all  b.  at  Harvard  : 

1.  Lemuel,  b.  Sept.  9,  1783. 

2.  James,  b.  April  23,  1785. 

0.  Asa,  b.  May  29,  1788. 

4.  John,  b.  Sept.  14,  1790. 

5.  ExiON,  b.  Jan.  15,  1798,  m.  Josiah  Bigelow  of  Leominster. 

6.  Samuel,  b.  Nov.  5,  1800. 

II.  SARAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  19,  1761,  d.  March  21,  1764. 

III.  JOHN,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  8,  1762.  He  r.  for  a  time  at  Lunen- 
burg, where  he  was  proprietor  of  the  well-known  store  and  tavern 
in  the  centre  of  that  town.  He  also  passed  several  years  of  his 
active  life  at  Shirley,  varying  from  one  town  to  the  other.  He 
finally  removed  with  his  family  into  the  vicinity  of  Troy,  N.  Y., 
where  he  remained  through  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  m.  Lucy 
Putnam  of  Lunenburg,  who  d.  in  that  town,  Aug.  3,  1807.  He 
had  nine  children  : 

1.  Sophia,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  March  18,  1785,  d.  Oct.  25,  1800. 

2.  Lucy,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  9,  1787,  m.  Jacob  P.  Carter  of 
Lunenburg,  and  d.  at  Lunenburg,  March  14,  1S12.  She  had 
one  child  : 

(i.)  Lucy,  who  m.  Edward  Barry  of  Boston. 

3.  Agnes,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  30,  1789.     She  was  twice  m.,  (first) 

to  Lothrop,   m.  (second)   to  Smith   of    Boston  ; 

removed  to  Indiana. 

4.  John,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  22,  1792,  removed  to  'J'roy,  N.  Y., 
where  he  d. 

;").  Putnam,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  27,  1794,  went  to  Troy. 

G.  Harriet,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  22,  1796,  d.  Jan.  5,  1797. 

7.  Harriet,    b.   at   Lunenburg.  Dec.  3,   1797,   m.  Bates, 

removed  into  the  State  of  Connecticut,  and  had   eight  children. 


,  GENEALOGY. PATTERSON.  597 

8.  Christiana,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  May  4,  1800,  ni.  John  Rockwood 
of  Groton,  d.  at  Groton,  April  14,  1867. 

y.  Sophia,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  March  16,  1806,  m.  James  Barry,  Jr., 
of  Boston,  pub.  Sept.  29,  182 1.     She  had  seven  children  : 
(i.)  James  Patterson,  b.  at  Boston,  Aug.  27,  1823. 


)    Theodore  A.,  b.  April  29,  1825. 
)   George  Edward,  b.  Feb.  2,  1827. 
)  Sophia  Patterson,  b.  May  28,  1831,  d. 
)  Daniel  Webster,  b.  Nov.  4,  1835. 
)  John  Rockzaood,  b.  Dec.  12,  1837. 
)  Agnes  Sophia,  b.  March  19,  1839. 


IV.  SAMUEL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  3,  1764.  He  was  a  cooper  by 
trade,  and  resided  with  Capt.  James  Patterson,  at  Lunenburg, 
till  the  death  of  the  latter  in  1787,  after  which  he  conducted  the 
farm  "at  halves,"  and  continued  to  keep  the  tavern  there  until  1796. 
Eventually  he  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Troy,  N.  Y.  He  was 
never  married. 

V.  SARAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  3,  1767. 
VL     JAMES,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  26,  1769. 

JIattCtSOn,  ll^C^tfeiai),  a  son  of  James  of  Groton,  a  brother 
of  James  and  John  of  Shirley,  and  was  settled  near  them,  on  the 
east  road  leading  from  Shirley  Centre  to  the  South  Village.  He  vvas 
b.,  probably,  at  Dunstable,  m.  Mary  Pierce  of  Groton,  Nov.  18,  1762, 
and  had  six  children  : 

L     JONATHAN,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  9,  1763,  d.  Sept.  16,  1765. 

n.  HEZEKL'\H,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  26,  1765,  m.  Jane,  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Elizabeth  (Little)  Hazen  of  Shirley,  pub.  Nov.  20, 
I  791.  He  had  no  children,  and  d.  Sept.  3,  1825.  His  widow  d. 
April  10,  1 85 1. 

HL  SUSANNA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  26,  1768,  m.  Thomas  Hubbard 
of  Groton,  June  16,  1796.  She  d.  Oct.  30,  1804.  She  had  two 
children  : 

1.  Eliza,  b.  Aug.  26,  1796,  d.  Feb.  8,  181 7. 

2.  Calvin,  b.  Oct.    i,   1797,    m.   Sally  Ames,   Oct.    15.    1823,  d. 
March  16,  1837.     He  had  two  children  : 

(i.)  Eliza,  b.  April  6,  1824. 

(2.)   Calvin  Patterson,  b.  Jan.  29,  1826. 

IV.  MARY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  7,  1770,  m.  Thomas  Hubbard,  the 
widower  of  her  older  sister.  She  d.  Feb.  3,  1852.  She  had  two 
children,  both  b.  at  Groton  : 

1.  Charles,  b.  July  29,  1810. 
"2.  Andrew,  b.  Sept.  16,  181 2. 


598  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

V.  ESTHP:R,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  5,  1773,  m.  Sylvester  Phelps  of 
Lancaster,  Sept.  21,  1795.  She  d.  at  Lancaster.  She  had  ten 
children,  all  b.  at  Lancaster  : 

L  Henry,  b.  Jan.   13,  1796,  m.  Mary  Thurston  of  Lancaster,  d. 
Aug.  6,  1826.     He  had  one  child  : 
(i.)  Elizabeth. 

2.  Hezekiah  PArrERsON,  b.  Sept.  19,  1797,  d.  .April,  1834. 

3.  Eliza,  b.  April  6,  1799,  m.  Thomas  Clark  of  Shirley,  April  26, 
1827,  d.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  24,  1876. 

4.  Samuel,  b.  Sept.  i,  1801,  d.  Feb.,  1832. 

5.  Katharine,  b.  Sept.  30,  1803,  m.  Daniel  Carter  of  Lowell,  May 
10,  1827.     She  had  five  children  : 

(i.j  Henry  Phelps,  b.  at  Lowell,  June   i,  1828,  m.  Mary  Abby 

Dennis,  has  had  one  child  :    i.  "Harry  Dennis,"  b.  April  24, 

1866. 
(2.)  Leroy  IV.,  b.  Aug.  6,  1830,  d.  Aug.,  1835. 
(3.)  Katharine,  b.  Jan.   12,    1835,    ''^^*    I'rancis    H.    Chandler, 

March  10,  i860,  r.  Lowell  (1883). 
(4.)  Herbert  IV.,  b.  Dec.  10,  1837,  d.  April  30,  1843. 
(5.)  John.  Townseml,  b.  April  8,  1841.     He  has  been  twice  m., 

(first)    to    Elizabeth  Gowdy,   Oct.    12,    1862;    m.    (second) 

Eleanor  D.   M.  Crelis,  Aug.,   1870.      Has  two  children:    i. 

"Frank   Henry,"  b.  Oct.  30,  1870;    2.  "Rose   M.,"   b.  June 

12,  1876. 

(').  Caroline,  b.  Sept.  30,  1803,  m.  John  Townsend  of  Lancaster, 
May  28,  1835,  d.  March  5,  1840. 

7.  Joseph,  b.  Jan.  26,  1806,  d.  May  8,  1839. 

S.  Mary  Pierce,  b.  May  6,  1808,  d.  May  24,  1808. 

'.».  JoKL  Wright,  b.  March  27,  1810,  m.  Lorinda  Davis  of  Lancas- 
ter, (1.  Feb.  23,  1879.  He  had  seven  children,  all  b.  at 
Lancaster : 

(i.)  Henrietta  Eliza,  b.  July  9,  1837,  r.  Lancaster  (1883),  unm. 

(2.)  Mary  Ann,  b.  Sept.  25,  1839,  ^-  J^"-  8»  '^55. 

(3.)  Julia  Lorinda,  b.  Sept.  5,  1844,  d.  March  11,  1846. 

(4.)  Emma  Adelia,  b.  Sept.  29,  1847,  r.  Lancaster  (1880). 

(5.)  Austin  Joel,   b.   June   26,    1850,   ni.    Fanny  B.   Wilder  of 

Lancaster,  Jan.    15,    1874.       He   has   had   two   children:     i. 

"  Henry  Gardner,"  b.  June  21,  1875;    2.  "Lena  Gertrude," 

b.  .Vug.  18,  1877. 
(6.)    Clara  Gardner,  b.  July  2,  1853. 
(7.)  Amelia  J/.,  b.  ALarch  3,  1857. 

10.   Mary  Ann   Pierce,  b.  March  26,  1813,  d.  May,  1833. 

VL  BETSEY,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  27,  1776,  ni.  Philemon  Atherton 
of  Harvard,  Nov.  24,  1803,  d.  Oct.  30,  1854. 


GENEALOGY. PATTERSON-PKAHODY.        599 

The  Pattersons  of  Shirley  were  useful  and  sul)stantial  citizens,  and 
were  the  progenitors  of  a  worthy  race  of  men  and  women.  Their 
general  business  was  agriculture  ;  and  the  yearly  improvement  of  their 
farms,  and  the  thrift  that  attended  their  labors,  proved  the  wisdom 
and  industry  of  their  lives.  Though  their  thought  and  care  were 
mainly  devoted  to  their  private  interests,  they  by  no  means  forgot  or 
ignored  their  public  responsibilities,  but  accepted  and  fulfilled  the 
trusts  to  which  they  were  from  time  to  time  called,  with  honor  to 
themselves  and  to  the  general  advantage  of  the  community.  Their 
remains  sleej)  l)eneath  the  turf  of  the  old  cemetery,  but  it  is  to  be 
regretted  that  only  a  few  of  their  graves  have  monuments  to  mark 
their  locality. 


PEABODY. 

This  name  has  been  traced  back  to  a  period  of  great  antiquity, 
and  has  been  borne  by  many  distinguished  families  of  Great  Britain. 
The  first,  and  so  far  as  the  compiler  of  this  record  knows,  the  only 
one  that  ever  immigrated  to  New  England,  and  who,  of  course,  is  the 
ancestor  of  the  several  families  of  the  name  scattered  through  the 
Eastern  States,  was  Lieut.  Francis  Peabody.  He  was  b.  at  St.  Alban's, 
Hertfordshire,  England,  in  1614,  emigrated  in  ship  Planter,  (Nicholas 
Travice,  master,)  in  1635,  and  was  one  of  the  original  settlers  of 
Hampton,  Norfolk  county.  He  went  there  in  the  summer  of  1638. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  that  town,  both  in  prop- 
erty and  enterprise,  m.  Mary  Foster,  and  d.  Feb.  19,  1697. — See  Nnc 
England  Genealogical  Regisfer,  Vol.  II. 

To  which  branch  of  his  numerous  descendants  the  humble  family 
of  this  name  belonged  that  settled  in  Shirley  cannot  here  be  stated  ; 
but  it  is  certain  that,  when  quite  a  young  man, 

J|tcll)OlI)>,  5ri)0nTtJS,  found  a  home  here  and  passed  a  long, 
though  a  somewhat  obscure,  life  amid  the  wild  scenes  where  his  lot 
was  cast, — and  went  down  to  his  grave  an  old  man.  He  was  pro- 
prietor of  a  small  farm  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Nashua  river, 
half  a  mile  above  the  Mitchel  mills,  in  a  rural  valley,  and  far  removed 
from  any  public  road.  Here,  in  a  house  made  of  logs,  the  large 
family  registered  in  these  pages  was  bred  and  reared.  The  farm  is 
now  connected  with  other  farms,  and  the  buildings  have  been  removed 
or  demolished.  Mr.  Peabody  was  one  of  Capt.  Haskell's  company 
of  volunteers  raised  by  the  alarm,  April  19,  1775.  He  was  twice 
m.,  (first)  to  Elizabeth  Longley,  pub.  Nov.  24,  1770.  She  had  seven 
children,  and  d.  Feb.  3,  1784.  He  m.  (second)  Patience  Partlett  of 
Shirley,  pub.  March  21,  1785.  She  had  twelve  children,  making  him 
the  father  of  nineteen  children.  He  d.  Sept.  2,  1827.  His  children 
were,  all  but  one,  b.  at  Shirley. 

I.     RUTH,  b.   Feb.  18,   1772.   m. Carroll  of    Boston.     She 

lived  and  d.  in  that  city. 


600  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

II.  ELIZABETH,  b.  at  Townsend,  Jan.  27,  1774. 

III.  OLIVE,  b.  Feb.  22,  1776,  lived  in  Boston  with  lier  sister  Ruth, 
until  the  death  of  the  latter,  when  she  m.  Mr.  Carroll,  her  sister's 
widower. 

IV.  POLLY,  b.  April  22,  1778. 

V.  LUTHER,  b.  April  9,  1780. 
VL     CALVIN,  b.  April  21,  1782. 

VII.  SALLY,  b.  Jan.  31,  1784,  r.  and  d.  at  Boston. 

VIII.  THOMAS,  b.  Nov.  14,  1785,  m.  Mrs.  Leah  Page  of  Shirley, 
May  15,  1848,  d.  Oct.  12,  1861. 

IX.  WILLIAM  BARTLETT,  b.  Feb.  21,  1787. 

X.  SILENCE  BARTLETT,  b.  Sept.  9,  1788,  r.  Nashua,  N.  H., 
unm.  (1872.) 

XL     EDMUND  LONGLEY,  b.  March  9,  1790,  d.  at  Nashua. 

XII.  JAMES,  b.  May  18,  1791,  became  a  resident  of  Boston,  m. 
Mrs.  LilUe  Dellingham  of  that  city,  and  d.  there. 

XIII.  ISAAC,  b.  Jan.  21,  1793. 

XIV.  JOHN  AMORY,  b.  Sept.  15,  1794. 

XV.  REBECCA,  b.  June  8,  1796. 

XVI.  LUCY,  b.  April  13,  1798,  r.  Boston,  unm.  (1865.) 

XVII.  GEORGE  WASHINGTON,  b.  April  3,  1800,  d.  young. 

XVIII.  NABBY,  b.  Oct.  25,  1801,  m.  William  Budlong  of  Warwick, 
R.  I.,  Sept.  30,  1828,  had  several  children. 

XIX.  OLIVE,  b.  Oct.  24,  1804,  d.  young. 


PHELPS. 


There  are  numerous  families  of  this  name  scattered  through  the 
towns  of  New  England,  but  their  early  history  is  imperfectly  known 
to  us. 

]|il^0lpSt  STiniOtf)^,  is  the  original  of  the  Shirley  families  of 
the  name.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Francis  and  Phebe  Phelps  of 
Hollis,  N.  H.  He  was  b.  in  that  town,  Sept.  10,  1745,  m.  Sally 
Farnsworth  of  Harvard,  and  lived  there  until  about  the  year  1780, 
when  he  removed  to  Shirley,  and  was  the  occupant  of  a  house  situ- 
ated on  land  now  a  part  of  the  farm  owned  by  Mr.  Joseph  Hazen. 
He  d.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  26,  1826.     He  had  five  children  : 


GENEALOGY. PHELPS.  601 

I.  SALLY,  b.  at  Harvard,  1768,  m.  William  Conant  of  Shirley,  Nov. 
17,  1796,  and  d.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  i,  1848. 

IL  JOHN,  b.  at  Harvard,  March  8,  1769,  m.  Polly  Brown,  daughter 
of  Dea.  Joseph  Brown,  May  13,  1794.  He  had  two  children,  and 
d.  at  Marietta,  Ohio. 

1.  Anna,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  8,  1800,  m.  Jonas  Longley  of  Shirley, 
June  5,  1830,  d.  March  24,  1850. 

2.  John,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  18,  1802,  m.  Julia  Ayers,  May  29, 
1826,  d.  April  29,  1844.     He  had  seven  children  : 

(i.)  Mary,  b.  April  15,  1827,  m.  Edward  Allen,  Jan.  15,  1851. 
(2,)  Julia,  b.  Aug.  8,  1829,  m.  Lewis  Washburn,  Nov.  27,  185 1. 
(3.)    William,   b.  Nov.   27,   1832,  m.  Celia  Cromwell,  July  14, 

1855- 
(4.)  John,  b.  May  14,  1834. 
(5.)  Joseph,  b.  Feb.  i,  1835. 
(6.)  Sarah,  b.  March  31,  1837. 
(7.)  Katie,  b.  Nov.  15,  1839. 

HL  JACOB,  b.  at  Harvard,  May  8,  1775,  ™-  Susanna  Dickerson, 
Nov.  29,  1798.  He  d.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  29,  1857.  He  had  six 
children,  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

L  Susan,  b.  Dec.  13,  1799,  m.  Merrick  Andrews,  1822.     She  d. 
at  Shirley,  July  18,  1837.     She  had  one  child  : 
(i.)  James,  b.  Feb.  26,  1823,  m.  Rebecca  A.  Blood  of   Pep- 

perell,  Feb.  4,  1851.     He  has  had  four  children  :   i.  "Elmer 

H.,"  b.  July  21,  1857;  2.  "Edward  E.,"  b.  July  2,  1861  ;  3. 

"Jonas  E.,"  b.  March  24,  1865  ;  4.  "Charles  A.,"  b.  Dec.  29, 

1868. 

2.  Salj^y,  b.  Aug.  25,  1801,  m.  July  4,  1825,  George  Farrar,  who 
was  b.  at  Concord  in  1 795.  Mr.  Farrar  was  by  trade  a  blacksmith. 
About  the  year  1830  he  came  to  Shirley  and  established  his 
business  at  the  north  part  of  the  town,  where  he  r.  till  1868.  He 
then  removed  to  Lunenburg,  where  he  r.  till  his  death,  which  took 
place  Jan.  5,  1881,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years.  He  wrought 
at  his  anvil  till  past  the  age  of  three-score  and  ten,  when,  having 
secured  a  competency,  he  laid  down  the  implements  of  his  trade 
and  devoted  his  time  and  strength  to  horticulture.  His  industry, 
honesty  and  obliging  habits  secured  for  him  the  respect  and  good- 
will of  his  townsmen.  His  widow  r.  Lunenburg  (1883).  She 
has  had  four  children  : 

(i.)  George,  b.  at  Concord,  Sept.  25,  1825,  m.  March  29,  1852, 
Emily  Perkins  Bowker  of  Lyndon,  Vt.  She  d.  at  Fitchburg, 
Oct.  15,  1877.  He  is  a  machinist,  and  r.  at  Fitchburg  (1883). 
He  has  had  two  children  :  i.  "  Lizzie  Estelle,"  b.  at  Fitchburg, 
May  29,  1855,  m.  Oct.  12,  1880,  George  H.  Johnson,  of  North 
Andover,  and  has  one  child.:  i.  May  Louise,  b.  Nov.  12,  1882  ; 
r.  Fitchburg;  2.  "Freddie  A.,"  b.  Oct.  1859,  d.  March  22. 
1862. 
76 


602  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(2.)  Amos  IVrighf,  b.  at  Concord,  Feb.  19,  1827.  He  has  been 
twice  m.,  (first)  to  Mary  Ann  Farrar,  Nov.  26,  1846  ;  she  d.  Jan. 
31,  1856  ;  he  m.  (second)  Mary  Harris  of  Shirley,  April  10, 
185 7,  r.  Shirley.  He  has  had  four  children  :  i.  "  Eva  Frances," 
b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  i,  1856,  m.  Daniel  Adams  of  Concord;  2. 
"John  W.,"  b.  at  Shirley,  May  30,  1858  ;  3.  "Henry  W.,"  b. 
at  Shirley,  Oct.  23,  1859  ;  4.  "George,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  4, 
1862. 

(3.)  Ephraim  Elisha,  b.  at  Concord,  Feb.  5,  1829,  m.  Ida  May 
Putney,  daughter  of  L.  D.  Putney  of  Fitchburg.  She  d.  Nov. 
21,  1875.     Mr.  Farrar  r.  Fitchburg  (1883). 

(4.)  Charles  Stillman,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  14,  1831,  m.  Augusta 
Taylor,  Nov.  29,  1859,  r.  Lunenburg  (1883).  He  has  had  one 
child  :  I.  "Charles  Augustus,"  b.  Sept.  20,  1864,  d.  in  Lunen- 
burg, Dec,  1 88 1. 

3.  Jacob,  b.  March  29,  1803,  m.  Hannah  Nutting  of  Pepperell, 
Sept.  17,  1839.  She  d.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  26,  1853.  He  d.  Nov. 
24,  1854. 

4.  Clarissa,  b.  Feb.  9,  1804,  m.  John  Taylor,  Dec.  16,  1835. 
Her  husband  d.  May  4,  1854.  She  is  a  widow,  r.  Shirley  (1883). 
She  has  had  five  children  : 

(i.)  John,  b.  April  8,  1838,  d.  Oct.  19,  1841. 

(2.)  Henry,  b.  Aug.  30,  1839. 

(3.)  Augustus,  b.  Jan.  30,  1843,  r.  Lunenburg  (1883). 

(4.)  Augusta,  b.  Jan.  30,  1843,  m.  Charles  S.  Farrar  of  Shirley, 

Nov.  29,  1859. 
(5,)   Walter,  b.  Sept.  18,  1844,  m.  Amelia  Sherman. 

5.  Lucy  D.,  b.  March  2,  1809,  m.  Luther  Holden  of  Shirley,  May 
26,  1835,  r.  Shirley  (1883),  a  widow. 

G.  Stewart,  b.  Sept.  26,  181 1,  m.  Priscilla  B.  Winslow,  Jan.  16, 
1840,  r.  Shirley  (1883).  He  has  had  eleven  children,  all  b.  in 
Shirley  : 

(i.)  Luther  S.,  b.  May  17,  1840,  r.  Lunenburg  (1883),  unm. 
(2.)   Stillman  P.,  b.  May  3,  1842,  d.  at  Lunenburg,  Aug.,  1869. 
(3.)   Susie,  b.  Jan.  6,  1843,  d.  Nov.  8,  1847. 
(4.)   Sarah  Jane,  b.  March  31,  1844,  d.  March  23,  1856. 
(5.)   Lucv  Ann,  b.  March  12,  185 1,  d.  July  i,  1868. 
(6.)   Clara    IV.,  b.  Dec.  13,  1853. 
(7.)  Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  May  5,    1855,  m.  Anson  Spaulding  of 

Lunenburg,  May  i,  1875,  r.  Townsend  (1883).     She  has  had 

one  child  :   i.  "William  S.,"  b.  at  Townsend,  May  29,  1876. 
(8.)  Annie,  b.  April  30,  1857,  m.   Charles  Andrews  of  Shirley, 

Feb.   2,    1876,   r.    Shirley  (1883).      She   has  one   child:     i. 

"Jennie  F.,"  b.  Jan.  19,  1877. 
•  (9.)  Susie,  b.  Nov.  27,  1858,  r.  Shirley  (1883),  unm. 
(10.)  Herbert,  b.  Sept.  25,  i860. 
(11.)  Hattic  F.,  b.  Jan.  23,  1863. 


GENEALOGY. PHELPS-PHIPPS.  603 

IV.  JOSHUA,  b.  at  Harvard,  Oct.  ii,  1779,  m.  Nancy  Holman  of 
Salem,  and  -had  four  children.  He  was  a  privateersman  in  the  war 
of  181 2,  and  d.  in  Kentucky. 

V.  POLLY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  9,  1787,  m.  Levi  Crouch  of  Groton, 
and  had  two  children. 


PHILLIPS. 

P!)inipS,  NeljlCmiai),   son   of    Samuel    and   Abigail    (Frost) 

Phillips,  was  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  28,  1 744,   m.   Patience  ,  and 

removed  to  Shirley,  April  3,  1774,  with  four  children,  viz.:  Moses, 
Patience,  Mary  and  Abigail.  How  long  they  remained  cannot  be 
told,  but  the  authorities  of  the  town  refused  to  admit  them  as  legal 
inhabitants. 

Deborah  Phillips,  a  sister  of  Nehemiah,  b.  at  Groton,  April  6,  1 746, 
came  to  reside  at  Shirley,  Feb.,  1 782,  but  was  warned  out  of  town  by 
order  of  the  selectmen. 

J^ijlUipS,  J)Onati)an,  became  an  inhabitant  of  Shirley  pre- 
vious to  1800,  and  left  the  birth-date  of  one  child  upon  its  records  : 

L     JONATHAN  AMASA  MYCALL,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  12,  i8or. 


PHIPPS. 


Mr.  Savage  gives  no  early  immigrant  of  this  name,  and  hence  we 
have  supposed  it  a  corruption  of  Phips,  a  name  often  found  among 
the  New  England  colonists.  He  says  the  names  Phipps  and  Phips 
were  both  used  and  repudiated  by  persons  of  the  same  kindred  ;  and 
on  the  whole  supposes  it  one  and  the  same  name.  The  original  in 
this  country  was  James  Phips,  who  came  from  Bristol,  England,  and 
settled  on  the  Kennebec  river  in  Maine.  He  brought  his  family 
with  him,  which,  with  the  addition  of  those  born  in  this  country,  con- 
sisted of  twenty-one  sons  and  five  daughters, — and  all  the  children 
of  one  mother  !  So  Cotton  Mather  says  in  his  Magnalia,  page  152, 
I  vol.,  Hartford  ed.  One  of  the  youngest  of  these  children,  only  a 
few  months  old  when  his  father  died,  was  the  celebrated  Sir  William 
Phips,  who  was  knighted  by  James  H. 

From  James  Phips  descended  the  early  New  England  families  of 
the  name,  but  to  what  place  in  the  general  record  should  be  assigned 
the  humble  family  of  Phipps  that  settled  in  Groton,  in  the  first  half  of 
the  last  century,  cannot  here  be  told.  Charles  Phipps  m.  Hannah 
Pierce  of  Groton,  and  had  one  child  : 

Pi)il)pS,  (tf^nvltUy  b.  at  Groton,  Sept.  9,  1751,  m.  Hannah, 
daughter  of  George  Chase  of  Shirley,  pub.  Jan.  13,  1774.     He  came 


604  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

to  reside  in  Shirley,  Dec,  1773,  but  was  refused  legal  citizenship  by 
the  town  authorities.  He  remained,  however,  for  some  years,  and 
proved  himself  of  considerable  advantage  to  those  who  rejected  him, 
as  he  helped  make  up  the  town  quota  of  soldiers  for  the  war  of  the 
Revolution.  He  enlisted  in  Captain  Longley's  company,  April  29, 
1775,  for  a  service  of  eight  months,  when  it  was  one  of  the  hardest 
periods  to  secure  recruits. 


PIERCE. 


There  was  a  John  Pierce  settled  at  Watertown  as  early  as  1637. 
His  grandson,  Daniel  Pierce,  was  one  of  the  original  proprietors  of 
Groton, — having  a  ten-acre  right ; — and  probably  lived  there  as  early 
as  1662.  From  him  descended  the  families  of  Groton  and  vicinity 
that  bear  his  name.  Among  these  was  one  John,  (supposed  to  have 
been  a  great-grandson  of  Daniel,)  who  settled  on  that  part  of  the 
territory  now  known  as  Shirley. 

IPCCCCC,  J)Oi)n,  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  4,  1720.     He  was  a  son  of 

Daniel  and  Eleanor  (Boyton)  Pierce,  and  m.  Hannah .     He 

had  four  (and  probably  six)  children  : 

I,     HANNAH,  b.  at  Groton  (afterward  Shirley),  Jan.   5,   1743,   d. 
young. 

n.     JOHN,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  12,  1753,  m.  Sally ,  and  had 

two  children,  b.  in  Shirley  : 

1.  John,  b.  March  31,  1777. 

2.  Solomon,  b.  March  15,  1779. 

in.      HANNAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  27,  1756. 

IV.  SOLOMON,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  18,  1759.     He  enlisted  in  the 
war  of  the  Revolution,  in  Captain  Sylvanus  Smith's  company,  of  the 

Fifteenth  Continental  Regiment,  for  three  years. 
it 

There  were  two  other  persons  by  the  name  of  Pierce,  who  held 
residences  in  Shirley,  and  were  married  here, — the  dates  of  whose 
marriage  render  it  highly  probable  that  they  belonged  to  the  family  of 
John  and  Hannah  Pierce  ;  as  no  other  family  of  the  name  is  known 
to  have  lived  here  before  the  present  century.  So  strong  is  this  pre- 
sumption that  their  names  are  here  entered,  in  connection  with  the 
above  explanation. 

V.  ABNER,  was  m.  to  Lydia  Hartwell,   March   13,    1794,   both   of 
Shirley. 

VI.  JOSHUA,  was  m.  to   Betty  Warren,  April    13,    1794,   both   of 
Shirley. 


GENEALOGY. PORTER-PRATT.  605 

PORTER. 

}^Ot*tCt,  SSEilllcint,  and  his  wife,  Mary,  removed  from  Lunen- 
burg to  Shirley  sometime  between  the  years  1750  and  1753.  They 
had  the  births  of  three  children  entered  upon  the  records  of  Shirley  : 

I.     JOHN,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Dec.  i,  1747. 

IL     MARY,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Feb.  3,  1750. 

in.     WILLL^M,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  20,  1753. 


POWERS. 

Among  the  settlers  upon  the  territory  now  known  as  the  town  of 
Shirley  stands  the  honored  name  of 

JIOtDtrS,  i5ftaf)mCCl.  He  lived  on  a  farm  in  a  northern 
section  of  the  town,  and  was  distinguished  for  his  enterprise  and 
fidelity  to  public  trusts.  He  was  a  signer  of  the  petition  to  make 
Shirley  an  independent  township,  and  was  one  of  the  first  and  ablest 
laborers  in  behalf  of  its  infant  interests.  He  was  chairman  of  the 
selectmen  of  the  town  from  1758  to  1763,  and  filled  other  important 
civil  positions.  He  was  also  a  military  official.  He  removed  from 
town  sometime  previous  to  1769,  and  lived  in  Springfield,  Vt.  From 
there  he  removed  to  what  was  then  regarded  the  "far  west,"  since 
which  little  has  been  heard  from  him  or  his  family.  He  was  m.  to 
Eunice  Bennett  of  Groton,  Feb.  9,  1748.  He  had  eight  children, 
whose  births  stand  upon  the  records  of  Shirley,  and  tradition  says  that 
two  were  subsequently  born. 

L  DAVID,  b.  at  Groton,  (afterward  Shirley,)  Sept.  13,  1751. 
II.  EUNICE,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  26,  1754,  d.  April  20,  1756. 
HI.     EUNICE,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  19,  1757. 

IV.  ASAHEL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  29,  1759. 

V.  PETER,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  24,  1762. 

VI.  MOSES,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  27,  1764. 

VII.  BLANCHARD,  b.  at  Winchester,  May  16,  1769. 

VIII.  ANNE,  b.  at  Springfield,  Vt.,  Oct.  2,  1774. 

IX.  CYNTHIA.       X.     PATTY. 


PRATT. 


^tatt,  liabllJ,  a  son  of  John  and  Hannah  Pratt,  b.  at  Groton, 
Oct.  29,  1748,  m.  Susanna  Hartwell  of  Shirley,  pub.  Dec.  28,  1771. 


006  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

At  that  date  he  became  an  inhabitant  of  Shirley.  He  was  one  of  the 
eighty  vokinteers  called  out  by  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of  April,  1775, 
and  was  one  of  the  eight  months  men  enlisted  the  same  year.  He 
had  three  children,  b.  at  Shirley  : 

I.     ANNA,  b.  June  27,  1772. 

H.     HANNAH,  b.  Feb.  it,  1774. 

HI.     DAVID,  b.  Oct.  18,  1775. 

}|C<rtt,  2£l)CUC^0r,  removed  to  Shirley  from  Weymouth  about 
the  year  1785.  His  family  consisted  of  a  wife  and  six  children,  (b. 
at  VVeymouth.)  He  became  the  owner  and  occupant  of  the  farm 
where  Dr.  James  O.  Parker  now  lives.  After  remaining  there  a  few 
years  he  exchanged  estates  with  Mr.  John  Kelsey,  who  lived  in  the 
south-easterly  part  of  the  town,  on  the  farm  more  recently  known  as 
the  Balch  place,  where  he  passed  the  residue  of  his  life.  He  d.  in 
the  year  1800.     His  children  were  : 

I.     ROBERT. 

H.  SOLOMON,  m.  Hannah,  daughter  of  Capt.  Francis  Harris  of 
Shirley,  pub.  Aug.  i,  1782.  He  was  a  blacksmith  and  edged-tool 
maker, — carried  on  his  business  at  the  water-privilege  now  owned 
by  George  Kilburn,-^and  lived  in  the  house  which  is  at  present 
owned  and  occupied  by  his  grandson,  Sumner  E.  Hopkins.  He 
eventually  left  his  family,  took  a  residence  somewhere  in  the  State 
of  Maine,  and  never  returned  to  his  early  kindred.  He  had  seven 
children,  all  of  whom  were  b.  in  Shirley  : 

1.  Sally  Lovell,  born  March  21,  1783,  m.  Joshua  Durgin  of 
Fryeburg,  Me.     She  had  fifteen  children,  and  d.  1855. 

2.  Mary,  b.  Nov.  i,  1784,  m.  Jesse  Reed  of  Westford,  removed 
to  Concord,  N.  H.,  where  she  d.     She  had  four  children. 

3.  Francis  H.,  b.  June  5,  1786,  m.  Beetle,  r.  in  northern 

New  Hampshire,  and  has  been  twice  m. 

4.  Hannah,  b.  Jan.  20,  1 789,  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Spencer 
Oordon  of  Watertown,  Nov.  27,  1806;  m.  (second)  Columbus 
Warren;  d.  at  Newmarket,  N.  H.,  Aug.,  1857. 

5.  Matilda,  b.  Sept.  10,  1791,  d.  June  3,  1818. 

T).  Susan  Dwight,  b.  July  4,  1795,  m.  Ebenezer  Hopkins,  May  14, 

1 818.     She  d.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  10,  1882.     She  had  two  children  : 

(i.)   Ebenezer,  b.  Nov.  i,  1818,  d.  Jan.  14,  1823. 

(2.)   Sumner  E.,   b.  July  18,  1823.      He   has  been   twice   m., 

(first)  to   Almira  J.   Sawtell,  May  4,  1843;    she  d.   Oct.    12, 

1847  ;  hs  "">•  (second)  Harriet  C.  Adams  of   Pepperell,   Dec. 

19,  1849,  r.  Shirley.     They  occupy  the  same  dwelling  that  had 

been  the  home  of  the  two  preceding  generations  of  the  Pratt 

family.     He  has  had  two  children,   b.   in   Shirley:    i.  "Ella 

Jane,"  b.  April  i,  1850,  m.  John   W.   Bean   of  Portland,  Me., 


GENEALOGY. PRATT-RICIIARDS.  607 

April  I,  1877,  r.  Portland  (1883);  2.  "Fannie  S.,"  b.  Aug.  21, 
1852,  m.  Charles  Ramsdale  of  Shirley,  Oct.  3,  1872,  r.  Salem 
(1883). 

7.  Solomon,  b.  April  30,  1797,  was  a  soldier  in  the  last  American 
war  with  Great  Britain,  and  d.  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  June  3,  18 13. 

III.  EDWARD,  left  town  at  early  manhood,  and  never  returned. 

IV.  EBENEZER,  m.  Eunice  Farewell,  pub.  Dec.  7,  1778,  had  one 
child : 

1.  John,  b.  at  Shirley,  d.  June  16,  1789.     Eunice  (Farewell)  Pratt 
d.  Dec.  27,  1782. 

V.  POLLY,  m.  Joseph  Longley,  Feb.  15,  1787. 

VI.  LORINNA,  m.  William  Gleason  of  Shirley,  Sept.  29,  1 799. 


PRESTON. 

}|tfSt01T,  2!23iniant.  There  was  a  man  of  this  name  who  in 
1747  resided  in  what  was  afterwards  Shirley.  He  signed  the  petition 
to  have  the  territory  of  Groton  divided,  and  a  new  town  incorporated  ; 
but  his  name  appears  in  no  other  record,  nor  yet  in  any  living  tra- 
dition. 


RANDALL. 

.  J^antrall,  .SamUfI,  lived  in  Shirley  as  early  as  1776.  His 
residence  was  in  a  northerly  section  of  the  town,  and  the  births  of 
three  children  have  been  entered  upon  the  records  : 

I.  IVORY,  b.  Aug.  13,  1776. 

II.  CYNTHIA,  b.  June  24,  1778. 

III.  SAMUEL,  b.  April  16,  1780. 


RICHARDS. 

MlCtactJS,  (l^ijarles,  and  his  wife,  were  natives  of  Irelandj 
and  emigrated  to  America,  probably,  at  the  time  of  his  marriage  or 
soon  after, — as  his  first  child  was  b.  in  this  country.  He  resided  in 
Marblehead,  Wenham  and  Lunenburg,  before  he  came  to  Shirley, 
— which  was  about  the  year  1741,  a  few  years  before  its  incorpora- 
tion. He  lived  upon  an  estate  near  I-unenburg  line,  which  has  not 
retained  a  separate  existence,  but  has  been   united  with  others.     He 


608  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

had  a  fair  standing  in  town,  notwithstanding  his  outlandish  birth,  and 
was  a  selectman  for  the  years  1 763  and  1 764.  He  and  his  wife  d.  in 
Shirley.     They  had  nine  children  : 

I.     JOHN,  b.  at  Marblehead,  Jan.  13,  1729. 

n.     MARGARET,  b.   at  Wenham,  June   24,    1732,   d.  at   Shirley, 
Aug.  28,  1752. 

HI.     CHARLES,  b.  at  Wenham,  May  27,  1735,   "i-   ^^^^ 


and  had  three  children  whose  birth-dates   have  found  a  place  on 
the  records  of  Shirley  : 

1.  Charles,  b.  Sept.  5,  1757. 

2.  Mary,  b.  Aug.  20,  1759. 

3.  Daniel,  b.  at  Groton,  Aug.  23,  1761. 

IV.  MITCHEL,  b.  at  Wenham,  May  27,  1737,  m.  Esther , 

and  had  six  children,  five  of  whom  were  b.  at  Shirley  : 

1.  John,  b.  Sept.  18,  1762. 

2.  MiTCHEL,  b.  June  19,  1764,  attempted  to  m.  Lydia  Davis  of 
Harvard,  but  his  father  appeared  personally  and  forbade  the 
bans. 

3.  Joanna,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  May  4,  1 768. 

4.  Esther,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  11,  1773. 

5.  Elizabeth,  b.  May  28,  1775. 

6.  Martha,  b.  Jan.  27,  1780. 

V.  EDWARD,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Aug.  25,  1740,   m.   Mary 


and  had  four  children  b.  at  Lunenburg.  In  1779  he  proposed  to 
remove  to  Shirley  (with  his  wife  and  children,  viz.,  Edward,  Molly, 
Eleanor,  and  Margaret,) — under  the  auspices  of  Mr.  Jonas  Parker  ; 
but  the  selectmen  of  Shirley  refused,  June  2nd  of  that  year,  to 
admit  them  as  legal  inhabitants. 

VI.  ELIZABETH,  b.at  Groton,  (afterward  Shirley,)  Feb.  22,  1742. 

VII.  MOSES,  b.  at  Groton,  (afterward  Shirley,)  May  24,  1745. 

VIII.  ELEANOR,  b.  at  Groton,  (afterward  Shirley,)  April  26,  1748. 

IX.  SURAINA,  b.  at  Groton,  (afterward  Shirley,)  Sept.  15,  1850. 


•    RITTER. 

This  is  a  very  uncommon  name.  It  does  not  appear  in  the  Gene- 
alogical Dictionary  of  Mr.  Savage,  nor  in  any  published  genealogy 
that  has  come  in  our  way  ;  but  the  name  is  found  on  the  records  of 
Shirley.     In  the  latter  part  of  the  last  century, 


GENEALOGY. RITTER-ROBBINS.  609 

3^lttCl%  JttOSCS,  lived  in  the  northwesterly  part  of  the  town, 
near  the  present  residence  of  Abram  Fairbanks.  Dec.  8,  1791,  he 
was  m.  to  Elizabeth  Diggins  ;  and  Lydia  Ritter,  supposed  to  be  his 
daughter,  was  m.  to  Ezra  Clapp  of  Lunenburg,  June  28,  i8u.  This 
is  all  that  is  known  of  them. 


ROBBINS. 

Mr.  Stearns,  the  historian  of  Rindge,  says  there  are  several  families 
in  New  England  bearing  the  name  of  Robbins  ; — meaning,  we  sup- 
pose, that  there  have  been  several  distinct  immigrations  of  persons  of 
the  name,  who  claim  no  relationship,  one  with  the  other ; — and  their 
posterity  have  spread  themselves  through  a  large  portion  of  the 
Eastern  States.  Savage  says  that  thirteen  of  the  name  have  gradu- 
ated from  Yale  College,  nine  from  Harvard  University,  and  seven 
from  other  New- England  colleges.  This  shows  that  they  have  been 
both  numerous  and  distinguished.  Butler  says,  in  his  History  of 
Groton,  that  a  family  by  the  name  of  Robbins  was  settled  in  that 
town  as  early  as  1697,  and  were  probably  the  immediate  posterity  of 
immigrants.  From  this  Groton  family  descended  the  Robbins  family 
of  Shirley, — descendants  of  the  name  still  being  residents  in  the  town. 

ilOttinS,  iSlrafCr,  was  b.  at  Harvard,  May  15,  1751.  He 
was  a  son  of  Eleazer  Robbins  of  Harvard,  who,  it  is  supposed,  was  a 
son  of  Eleazer  Robbins  of  Groton,  and  b.  there,  July  18,  1714. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  served  his  country  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  is  said  to  have  been  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 
He  was  twice  m. ;  (first)  to  Martha  Warner  of  Guilford,  Vt.,  by  whom 
he  had  one  child,  a  daughter,  who  d.  in  infancy,  or  while  very  young. 
He  then,  with  his  wife,  united  with  the  Shaker  community,  and  be- 
came, as  he  then  supposed,  a  permanent  receiver  of  their  faith  and 
church  polity  ;  so  much  so  as  to  freely  incorporate  his  private  property 
with  the  general  funds  of  the  order, — a  step  which  he  was  led  subse- 
quently to  regret.  Mrs.  Robbins  d.  while  with  the  Shakers — and  her 
widowed  husband  soon  after  renounced  his  faith  in  their  mysteries, 
and  again  mingled  himself  with  the  outside  world.  He  m.  a  second 
wife,  Mrs.  Polly  Warren,  widow  of  Benjamin  Warren  of  Shirley,  Oct. 
^5)  ^797-  '^^  the  time  of  his  second  marriage  he  resided  at  Lancas- 
ter, but  he  subsequently  lived  in  Shirley  and  other  places,  and  died  at 
Groton,  Jan.  30,  1819.  His  widow  then  came  to  Shirley,  and  passed 
the  residue  of  her  years  in  the  house  now  occupied  by  her  eldest  son. 
Elder  Eleazer  Robbins.  She  d.  at  Cambridge,  June  17,  1845,  ^^^ 
was  interred  in  the  old  cemetery  at  Shirley.     She  had  ten  children  : 

I.  HANNAH  B.,  b.  at  Lancaster,  May  27,  1798,  m.  John  Cham- 
berlain, June,  1839.  Their  home  was  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  and  they 
had  one  child  : 

I.  John,  b.  at  Hartford,  1840. 
77 


610  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

II.  AEROBA,  b.  at  Lancaster,  Nov.  i6,  1799,  m.  Jotham  Keys 
of  Princeton,  Jan.  15,  1824.  Her  home  was  at  Princeton,  and  she 
d.  there,  April  2,  1876.     She  had  six  children,  b.  at  Princeton  : 

1.  George,  b.  1826. 

2.  Edwin,  b.  1828,  d.  1829. 

3.  John  H.,  b.  1830,  d.  1833. 

4.  Edwin,  b.  1832,  d.  1834. 

5.  Mary  R.,  b.  1835. 

G.  William,  b.  1837,  d.  1844. 

III.  SARAH  MANNING,  b.  at  Lancaster,  Sept.  25,  1801,  m. 
Maurice  O'Connor,  April  10,  1823.  He  was  b.  at  Wexford  county, 
Ireland,  June  18,  1795.     She  has  had  nine  children  : 

1.  John  Roderick,  b.  Jan.  16,  1824. 

2.  Sarah  Elizabeth,  b.  Jan.  28,  1826,  d.  July  22,  1826. 

3.  Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  Sept.  27,  1827. 

4.  Cornelia  Rosalinda,  b.  March  23,  1830,  d.  June  17,  1830. 

5.  William  Edwin,  b.  May  5,  1831,  d.  June  30,  1831. 

6.  Jerome  Alonzo,  b.  Aug.  5,  1832. 

7.  Lucy  Aeroba,  b.  April  i,  1835. 

8.  Charles  Benjamin  Clinton,  b.  April  20,  1838. 

9.  Martha  Angelina,  b.  Dec.  8,  1839. 

IV.  ROSALINDA  DAVIS,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  5,  1803,  m.  John 
Parsons,  b.  March  27,  1806,  a  son  of  John  and  Lucy  Parsons  of 
Alfred,  Maine.  They  were  m.  Oct.  16,  1834.  Their  first  home 
was  in  Chesterfield,  Maine,  but  they  have  since  lived  at  Charles- 
town,  and  now  reside  in  Shirley  (1883).  She  has  had  four  children  : 

\.  John  Eleazer,  b.  at  Chesterfield,  Maine,  Nov.  20,  1835.  He 
graduated  from  Harvard  Medical  School,  March  11,  1863. 
He  was  enrolled  as  surgeon  in  the  United  States  navy  three  years, 
and  held  the  same  position  in  the  army  for  one  year,  which  kept 
him  in  the  public  service  during  the  rebel  war.  He  is  now  a 
settled  physician  in  Ayer  (1883),  and  is  fast  advancing  his  repu- 
tation as  a  skilful  and  trustworthy  medical  adviser. 

2.  William  Usher,  b.  at  Chesterfield,  July  20,  1838,  d.  at  Alfred, 
Feb   I,  1840. 

3.  Charles  Oliver,  b.  at  Chesterfield,  May  25,  1842,  d.  at  Cher- 
ryfield,  Me.,  Aug.  24,  1844. 

4.  Charles  Oliver,  b.  Dec.  25,  1846. 

V.  MARY,  b.  June  24,  1805,  m.  James  Hall  of  Cambridge,  a  native 
of  Scotland,  April  3,  1838,  d.  Oct.  31,  1858. 


GENEALOGY. ROBBINS.  611 

VI.  ELEAZER,  b.  at  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  May  30,  1807.  He  has 
been  thrice  m.,  (first)  to  Huldah  H.  Leavell  of  Effingham,  N.  H., 
Jan.  29,  1837  ;  she  d.  at  Waterborough,  Me.,  Oct.  5,  1846  ;  he  m. 

(second)  Arabella  Frances  Baker  of  Portland,  June  29,  1847  ;  she 
d.  at  Shirley,  March  13,  1875  ;  he  m.  (third)  Mrs.  Roxanna  Hart- 
well  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  Nov.  4,  1878,  r.  at  Shirley  (1883).  Mr. 
Robbins  is  a  clergyman  of  the  Baptist  denomination,  and  has  been 
located  in  different  places  as  a  preacher  of  that  faith.  He  has 
manifested  an  earnestness  in  his  pulpit  and  pastoral  labors,  such  as 
rarely  fails  of  producing  salutary  results.     He  has  had  five  children  : 

1.  Mary  Cordelia,  b.  at  Effingham,  April  21,  1838,  d.  at  Shirley, 
Sept.  23,  1863. 

2.  James  Newton,  b.  at  Waterborough,  Maine,  Aug.  8,  1840,  died 
Feb.  21,  1842. 

0.  Charles  Freeman,  b.  at  Waterborough,  Sept.  10,  1843.  He  was 
a  soldier  of  the  Federal  army  during  the  war  of  the  Rebellion. 
While  out  on  a  foraging  expedition  he  was  siezed  by  a  gang  of 
Mosby's  border  ruffians,  and  was  eventually  incarcerated  in 
Libby  prison,  where  he  was  suffered  to  die  of  starvation,  Dec. 
7,  1864. 

4.  Frank  Hall,  b.  at  Waterborough,  Nov.  17,  1845,  d.  at  Shirley, 
March  13,  1875. 

5.  Arabella  Frances,  b.  at  Waterborough,  Sept.  7,  1848,  m.  Rev. 
Ernest  Scott  of  Stoughton.  He  was  b.  there,  March  5,  1850, 
and  graduated  from  Tufts  College,  Medford,  June  17,  1874. 
They  have  lived  in  Brentwood  and  South  Hampton,  N.  H.,  and 
in  1 88 1  removed  to  Centerville,  Mass.  They  have  had  four 
children  : 

(i.)  Ethel  Arabella  McCoUester,  b.  at  Harvard,  Sept.  i,  1875. 

(2.)  Ernest  Robbins,  b.  at  Brentwood,  x'\ug.  5,  1877. 

(3.)  Walter  Erving,  b.  at  South  Hampton,  Sept.  29,  1878. 

(4.)  Olive  Jewell,  b.  at  South  Hampton,  Feb.  17,  1880. 

VII.  MARTHA  W.,  b.  at  Hinsdale,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  2,  1809,  m.  Henry 
F.  Magee  of  Cambridge,  May  12,  1835.  She  r.  Cambridge 
(1881),  has  had  three  children,  and  is  a  widow. 

1.  Marston  E.,  b.  at  Cambridge,  Dec.  12,  1835,  d.  F^b.  15,  1867. 

2.  George  E.,  (called  George  E.  Hall,)  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  30, 
1837- 

3.  Washington  Webster,  b.  at  Roxbury,  Nov.  10,  1839,  d.  Feb. 
II,  1875. 

VIII.  BENJAMIN  WARREN,  b.  at  Lancaster,  April  19,  181 2. 
He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Lucy  K.  Farnsworth  of  Groton, 
June  I,  1836  ;  she  d.  March  i,  1873  ;  he  m.  (second)  Melinda 
Smith,  May  13,  1877,  r.  Shirley  (1881).  He  has  had  eleven  chil- 
dren : 

L  Daniel  O.,  b.  at  Cambridge,  April  18,  1837,  d.  Sept.  27,  1837. 


612  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

2.  Benjamin  W.,  b.  at  Cambridge,  Aug.  ir,  1838. 

3.  Charles  H.,  b.  at  Waterborough,  Me.,  April  18,  1841. 

4.  Martha  A.,  b.  at  Waterborough,  May  30,  1842. 

5.  Albert  F.,  b.  Oct.  17,  1843. 

6.  Mary,  b.  Feb.  17,  1845. 

7.  Frederick  N.,  b.  Jan.  3,  1847. 

8.  James  H.,  b.  July  9,  1848. 

9.  Edward  F.,  b.  Feb.  7,  1850,  d.  Feb.  4,  185 1. 

10.  Lucy  R.  P.,  b.  Jan.  5,  1853. 

11.  Maria  Freeman,  b.  Jan.  26,  1858. 

IX.  LYDIA  L.,  b.  May  24,  1813,  d.  at  Cambridge,  March,  1814. 

X.  CHARLES  H.,  b.  May  14,   1814,  d.  at  Cambridge,   Aug.   10, 
1814.  

RUSSELL. 

The  Russell  settlers  in  New  England  have  been  so  numerous,  and 
their  families  have  been  so  distinct,  that  it  has  been  found  very  diffi- 
cult to  trace  the  pedigree  of  obscure  wanderers  back  to  the  original 
home  of  their  lineage.     One  of  these, 

i^U!^fiiCU,  J)Ot)W,  found  his  way  to  the  territory  of  Groton  in 
early  manhood,  and  settled  in  the  forest,  on  an  estate  that  afterwards 
came  within  the  limits  of  Shirley.  He  was  a  petitioner  that  the  terri- 
tory be  divided,  and  that  an  act  of  incorporation  for  a  new  town  be 
obtained.  He  lived  in  a  remote  part  of  the  town,  north-east  from 
the  centre,  and  far  away  from  any  road.  The  ruins  of  a  cellar,  still 
distant  from  any  settlement,  mark  the  locality  of  the  forest  home  of 
these  early  settlers.  He  married  Mary  Cranson  of  Groton,  Nov.  5, 
1 746,  and,  for  aught  we  have  been  able  to  learn,  they  continued  in 
Shirley  through  their  lives,  though  all  traces  of  the  family  have  long 
since  disappeared.  They  had  four  children,  all  but  one  of  whom 
were  b.  before  the  organization  of  the  town  : 

L     SUSANNA,  b.  Nov.  15,  1747. 

n.     ROBERT,  b.  Aug.  28,  1748. 

HL     AZDILL,  b.  March  24,  1752. 

IV.     HANNAH,  b.  Oct.  24,  1754. 

S^USSCU,    tSolOllTOn,    was  a  son    of    Ephraim    and    Miriam 

Russell  of  Groton;  was  b.  there,  Jan.  29,  1750,   m.  Beulah  , 

and  eventually  became  a  resident  of  Shirley,  where  he  had  the  births 
of  three  children  recorded  : 

L     THADDEUS  BANCROFT,  b.  Dec.  25,  1787. 


GENEALOGY. RUSSELL-SAWTELL.  61 3 

II.  SALLY   HEALD,  b.  April  24,  1791. 

III.  SUKEY  WHEELER,  b.  April  25,  1793. 

"William  Russell,  and  Lucy,  his  wife,  and  their  six  children,  viz., 
Lucy,  William,  Lydia,  Hannah,  Peter  and  Richard,  came  from  Little- 
ton to  reside  in  the  district  of  Shirley,  in  September,  1772.  Entered 
by  order  of  the  Selectmen.  Obadiah  Sawtell,  Town  Clerk." — Town 
Records,  vol.  i,  page  1^2. 


SAMPSON. 

c^^nipSOn^  SSEiUianr,  is  the  nam.e  of  a  man  who  resided  in 
Shirley  during  the  latter  half  of  the  last  century.  We  do  not  know 
that  he  had  a  family,  but  his  name  is  on  the  roll  of  the  eighty  called 
out  by  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of  April,  1775.  He  also  enlisted  in 
Capt.  Robert  Longley's  company,  April  26,  1775,  for  a  service  of 
eight  months. 


SAWTELL. 

This  name  has  been  spelled  and  pronounced  in  different  ways  ; 
indeed,  the  variation  has  been  so  great  that  some  have  believed  that 
they  could  not  all  have  descended  from  the  same  family.  Mr. 
Butler,  the  Groton  historian,  says  that  two  independent  families,  from 
England,  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Groton,  and  that  the  dis- 
tinctive orthography  of  name  has  been  preserved  unto  the  present 
day  by  their  descendants.  Nathaniel  Sartell  came  from  England  and 
settled  in  Groton,  near  the  beginning  of  the  last  century  ;  one  of  his 
sons  was  a  munificent  donor  to  the  town  and  church  of  Groton. 

Mr.  Savage,  in  his  Genealogical  Dictionary,  includes  all  under  the 
name  Sawtell,  though  different  branches  of  the  family  have  spelled 
their  names  Sartell,  Sattell,  Sautell ;  and  Mr.  Sawtelle,  the  historian 
of  Townsend,  adds  to  the  variety  given  by  Mr.  Savage,  the  names 
Sartwell  and  Sortwell.  They,  however,  have  both  inferred  that  all 
have  descended  from  the  same  original  family,  and  that  changes 
have  been  made  through  accident,  or  have  come  out  from  the  notion, 
the  taste  or  caprice  of  individuals. 

According  to  Bond's  History  of  Watertown,  Richard  Sawtell,  (the 
ancestor  of  most  of  those  who  bear  the  name  in  New  England,)  was 
a  proprietor  of  Watertown  as  early  as  1636  ;  and  he  subsequently 
became  a  proprietor  of  Groton.  Mr.  Butler  says  that  Richard  Saw- 
tell and  his  two  sons,  Jonathan  and  Zachariah,  were  among  the 
original  settlers  of  Groton,  and  were  proprietors.  Richard  was  clerk 
of  the  town  the  first  three  years  that  records  were  made.  His  chil- 
dren were  probably  all  b.  at  Watertown,  though  the  births  of  all  have 
not   been  recorded ;    and    he  returned  to  Watertown  to  die.     His 


614  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

death  occurred  Aug.  21,  1694.  Mr.  Bond  adds,  "At  what  time  he 
returned  to  Watertovvn,  or  how  long  he  resided  at  Groton,  has  not 
been  ascertained.  Probably  he  was  driven  back  by  Indian  hostilities 
about  the  year  1675  ^^  1676." 

Of  the  descendants  of  Richard  Sawtell,  five  were  settled  at  Shirley, 
all,  probably,  previous  to  or  near  the  time  of  its  incorporation.  They 
were,  as  near  as  can  be  determined  from  imperfect  records,  of  the 
fifth  generation  from  Richard.  Their  locations  cannot  here  be  pre- 
cisely defined,  in  each  case,  but  their  homes  were,  with  one  excep- 
tion, north  of  the  Mulpus,  on  farms  made  up  of  forest  grants  made 
to  Richard  and  his  sons,  and  probably  nearly  contiguous  one  with 
the  other. 

cSatDtcUt  |]^eKfe(ai),  was  the  first  in  the  order  of  age.  He 
was  a  son  of  Hezekiah  and  Joanna  (Wilson)  Sawtell,  and  was  b.  at 
Groton,  Dec.  11,  1725.  He  was  a  resident  of  Shirley  as  early  as 
1747,  as  his  name  appears  among  the  petitioners  of  that  date  for  a 
separate  township.  He  was  then  twenty-two  years  old,  and  probably 
had  been  one  year  in  possession  of  his  patrimonial  estate.  His 
house  stood  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  present  residence  of  George 
Adams.  He  made  himself  an  active  public  servant  of  the  new  mu- 
nicipality,— was  a  selectman  in  1765,  1766  and  1767,  and  was 
appointed  a  deacon  of  the  church  at  its  organization  ; — and  in  his 
life  proved  himself  a  worthy  professor  of  rehgion  and  church  officer. 
The  genealogy  of  his  family,  which  here  follows,  is  confined  to  one 
generation,  owing  to  the  paucity  of  records  and  tradition  relating  to  it. 

He  m.  Margaret ,  and  d.  where  he  had  lived,  and  his  remains, 

with  those  of  his  wife,  were  interred  in  the  old  cemetery,  without  a 
stone  to  mark  their  resting  place  or  record  the  time  of  their  departure. 
They  had  twelve  children,  all  b.  in  the  same  house,  but  one  of  them 
a  year  before  the  town  received  its  act  of  incorporation. 

I.     HANNAH,  b.  July  17,  1752,   m.  John   Moors  of  Shirley,   pub. 
March  31,  1770. 

n.     SYBIL,  b.  Sept.  11,  1754,  d.  at  Shirley,  June  9,  1765. 

III.  THANKFUL,  b.  Aug.  24,  1756. 

IV.  EUNICE,  b.  Nov.  11,  1757,  d.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  2,  1765. 

V.  PHEBE,  b.  Dec.  11,  1759. 

VI.  ESTHER,  b.  July  30,  1 761. 

VII.  SARAH,  b.  Sept.  26,  1762,  d.  March  23,  1764. 

VIII.  ELIZABETH,  b.  Jan.  22,  1765. 

IX.  DORCAS,  b.  April  15,  1766,  m.  Asa  Holden,  Jr.,  of  Shirley. 

X.  SUSANNA,  b.  Nov.  14,  1767. 
XL  HEZEKIAH,  b.  June,  1769. 
XII.     JOHN,  b.  Oct.  23,  1770. 


GENEALOGY. SAWTELL.  615 

•^actOtCU,  1Elnati)aU,  son  of  Hezekiah  of  Groton,  and 
brother  of  Hezekiah  of  Shirley,  was  b.  at  Groton,  Oct.  21,  1728,  m. 
Mary  Stone  of  Groton,  pub.  March  5,  1752,  and  setded  in  Shirley 
near  the  time  of  its  incorporation, — and  probably  on  a  farm  near  that 
of  his  elder  brother.  We  find  no  record  of  his  death,  and  know  not 
whether  he  lived  in  town  through  life.  He  had  three  children  b. 
in  Shirley  : 

I.  ELNATHAN,  b.  Sept.  14,  1753. 

n.     JOSEPH,  b.  Nov.  22,  1755. 

in.     MOLLY,  b.  Sept.  13,  1757. 

<SaU)tcU,  ®t)alJiai),  son  of  Hezekiah  of  Groton,  and  brother 
of  Hezekiah  and  Elnathan  of  Shirley.     He  was  b.  at  Groton,   Oct. 

II,  1732,  and  was  among  the  early  settlers  and  active  men  of  the 
newly  organized  town.  He  owned  and  occupied  the  farm  known  as 
the  Barrett  place,  now  (1883)  the  home  of  Rev.  Charles  A.  Whitney, 
and  there  kept  a  public  house.  How  extensively  persons  appeared 
from  outside  the  town  for  hotel  accommodations,  tradition  does  not 
inform  us  ;  but  it  was  the  general  resort  of  the  Shirleyites  on  their 
gala  days, — such  seasons  as  the  election  of  his  majesty's  council, 
trainings,  town-meetings,  shooting-matches,  and  other  festive  occa- 
sions; — when  ball-playing,  wrestling,  and  sometimes  boxing,  made  up 
the  out-of-door  entertainments,  and  when  the  veterans  of  the  late 
French  war  would  entertain  their  friends  inside  with  a  relation  of  their 
feats  of  valor  in  the  service  of  his  gracious  majesty,  King  George  the 
HL  against  the  Indians  and  French.  The  landlord  had  litUe  else  to 
do  than  bear  the  noise,  and  supply  his  customers  with  their  required 
potations  of  alcoholic  drink. 

Although  such  meetings  would  now  be  considered  nuisances, 
which  ought  to  be  abated,  they  were  not  wholly  without  their  uses  in 
those  times.  Patriotic  discussions  relating  to  the  "  stamp  act,"  the 
"Boston  port  bill,"  the  "duty  on  tea,"  and  its  destruction  in  Boston 
harbor,  engaged  the  attention  of  thoughtful  minds,  even  at  their 
seasons  of  merry-making.  These  discussions  produced  resolution 
and  action  when  the  news  of  the  scenes  of  Lexington  and  Concord 
was  received  ;  and  the  movements  of  central  statesmen  in  relation  to 
public  grievances  were  seconded  by  these  humble  patriots,  who  en- 
tered into  the  incipient  measures  of  their  leaders,  looking  toward 
revolution  and  independence. 

Among  the  patriots  of  Shirley,  Obadiah  Sawtell  was  found  in  the 
front  rank.  He  was  distinguished  by  the  people  as  "/■/?<?  landlord," 
and  by  children  he  was  reverently  styled  "the  old  landlord;"  and 
either  because  he  could  give  entertainments,  or,  what  is  far  better, 
because  he  had  intrinsic  merit,  he  was  much  respected  by  his  fellow- 
citizens,  and  was  frequently  set  apart  to  official  positions  of  high 
character.  He  was  for  ten  years  the  clerk  of  the  town,  though  his 
chirography  and  orthography  were  hardly  adequate,  even  at  that 
period.  He  likewise  filled  the  office  of  a  selectman  for  eight  years. 
When  the  clouds  of  the  Revolution  began  to   hover  over  the   land. 


616  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Mr.  Sawtell  was  singled  out  as  the  town's  delegate  to  a  Provincial 
Congress ;  he  was  the  first  representative  which  the  town  sent  to  the 
General  Court  under  the  constitution,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the '  con- 
vention that  adopted  the  constitution  of  the  United  States.  He  had 
numerous  appointments  to  smaller  trusts,  all  of  which  goes  to  prove 
that  the  landlord  or  the  man  had  the  confidence  and  the  votes  of  his 
peers.  He  remained  in  the  service  of  the  public  during  the  largest 
part  of  his  active  life. 

Mr.  Sawtell  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Mary  Gould  of  Shirley,  pub. 
May  26,  1756;  she  d.  Feb.  14,  1773;  he  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Sarah 
Fletcher  of  Chelmsford,  1774.     He  had  nine  children  : 

I.  OBADIAH,  b.  at  Groton,  Nov.  29,  1757.  He  was  one  of  the 
eighty  Shirley  volunteers,  called  out  by  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of 
April.    He  also  enlisted  May  7,  1775,  for  a  service  of  eight  months. 

n.  LYDIA,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  15,  1760,  m.  John  Tarbell,  removed 
to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  where  she  died. 

HI.  SOLOMON,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  23,  1762.  He  removed  to 
Rindge,  N.  H.,  about  the  year  1796,  where  he  passed  the  remain- 
der of  his  life;  he  died  there  Aug.  11,  1834.  He  was  an  honest 
man  and  a  highly  respected  citizen.  He  m.  Olive  Converse  of 
Rindge,  Nov.  19,  1801  ;  she  died  Aug.  10,  1843.  They  had  eleven 
children,  all  but  one  born  at  Rindge. 

1.  Mary,  b.  Sept.  4,  1802,  d.  Oct.  11,  1805. 

2.  Arvilla,  b.  June  4,  1804,  d.  Oct.  29,  1805. 

3.  Mary,  b.  June  3,  1806,  d.  young. 

4.  Arvilla,  b.  July  24,  1807,  m.  Ezra  Hudson  of  Templeton.  She 
had  two  children  : 

(i.)  Arvilla,  m. Blodgett. 

(2.)  A  Son,  d.  in  infancy. 

5.  Cynthia,  b.  at  Chelmsford,  June  14,  i8og,  m.  Lucius  Converse 
of  Rindge. 

6.  Sherebiah  Fletcher,  m.  Sarah  Woodbury,  removed  to  Gardner, 
where  he  d.  Nov.  8,  1845.     ^^^  ^^*^  children  that  d.  in  infancy. 

7.  Augustus  W.,  b.  June  10,  1813,  m.  Orris  M.  Butterfield,  removed 
to  Warren,  where  he  d.  Nov.  21,  1846.  He  had  three  children 
b.  at  Warren. 

(i.)  Adelaide  L.,  b.  April  22,  1840. 

(2.)  Harriet  A.,  b.  Sept.  20,  1842,  m.  C.  H.  Baker  of  Warren, 
Oct.  20,  1862. 

(3).  Martha  P.,  b.  Aug.  20,  1844,  m.  Henry  L.  Merritt  of  War- 
ren, June  I,  1872. 

8.  Alonzo,  b.  Oct.  II,  1815,  m.  Mary  x\nn  Davis,  b.  Nov.  25, 
1 82 1,  daughter  of  Jonas  and  Hepsibah  Davis  of  Temple,  N.  H., 
removed  to  Gardner,  Mass.,  and  soon  after  to  Minneapolis, 
Minn. 


GENEALOGY. SAWTELL.  617 

9.  Obadiah,  b.  May  ii,  1817,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Sarah  F. 
Jennison,  May  1,  1842;  she  d.  June  i,  1850;  he  m.  (second) 
Clarissa  Rand.  He  has  resided  in  New  York,  and  in  Texas ; 
now  lives  in  Manitowoc,  Wis.,  (1875).  He  has  had  seven 
children  : 

(i.)  Oscar,  b.  March  24,  1845,  ^-  Sept.  10,  1845. 

(2.)  Sarah  Olive,  b.  June  26,  1847,  ^^-  David  H.  Spear  of  Tem- 

pleton,  Sept.  24,  1870,  r.  Lowell  (1875). 

(3.)  Calvin  C,  b.  Nov.  14,  1863. 

(4.)  Charles  S.,  b.  Aug.  26,  1865. 

(5.)  Fanny  Maud,  b.  Sept.  i,  1869. 

(6.)  Minerva  R.,  b.  April  15,  1871. 

(7.)  Edith  R.,  b.  Nov.  29,  1872,  d.  Oct.  6,  1873. 

10.  Solomon,  b.  Jan.  29,  1821,  m.  Mary  Ann  Carpenter  of  Staf- 
ford Springs,  Conn.,  removed  to  Warren,  Mass.,  where  he  d. 
Feb.  29,  1852. 

11.  Rachel  Eliza,  b.  April  20,  1824,  d.  Oct.  13,  1852,  unm. 

IV.  SARAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  2,  1764,  m.  Jesse  Farnsworth  of 
Lunenburg,  pub.  Feb.  i,  1789,  d.  at  Shirley,  May  12,  1845. 

V.  DANIEL,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  18,  1766. 

VI.  REBECCA,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  3,  1768. 

VII.  ZECHARIAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  11,  1770,  d.  Feb.  12, 
1771. 

VIII.  EDE,  b.  June  17,  1772,  d.  Aug.  4,  1772. 

IX.  MARY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  6,  1778. 

SatOtClI,  Midjartl,  son  of  Hezekiah  Sawtell  of  Groton,  and 
a  brother  of  Hezekiah,  Elnathan  and  Obadiah,  of  Shirley.  He  was 
b.  at  Groton,  June  21,  1737,  m.  Elizabeth  Bennett  of  Lunenburg. 
He  d.  Oct.  16,  1815.  His  wife  d.  May  14,  1786.  They  had  six 
children  : 

I.  SYBIL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  6,  1763,  m.  Jonathan  Farewell,  Jan. 
25,  1 80 1,  removed  to  Milford,  Mass.,  where  she  d.  March  20, 
1839. 

II.  SALLY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  3,  1765.  She  was  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Edmund  Tarbell  of  Groton,  Jan.  i,  1795  j  he  d.  Jan.  20,  1796  ; 
she  m.  (second)  Israel  Longley  of  Shirley,  June  6,  1799;  shed. 
April  II,  1826.  She  had  three  children,  two  of  whom  were  of  her 
second  husband,  and  were  registered  under  his  name  (See  page 
52§).     Her  first  born, 

1.  Sally,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  25,  1797,  m.  Jerome  Gardner  of 
Harvard,  May  23,  1819.  She  is  now  a  widow,  r.  Shirley  (1883). 
She  has  had  eleven  children,  all  of  whom  were  b.  at  Harvard  : 
(i.)  Moses  Tarbell,  b.  Jan.  23,  1820,  m.  Martha  Fessenden  Bil- 
hngs  of  Lancaster,  June  20,  1844.  He  has  had  five  children, 
78 


61b  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

r.  Shirley  (1883).  i.  "Jerome  Tarbell,"  b,  at  Shirley,  Aug.  9, 
1845,  d.  in  infancy  ;  2.  "Martha  Ellen,"  b.  at  Shirley,  May  19, 
1847,  d.  July  19,  1853;  3.  "Clara  Billings,"  b.  at  Shirley, 
Nov.  4,  1850;  4.  "Fred  Tarbell,"  b.  at  Shirley,  July  26, 
1854,  d.  Jan.  16,  1862. 

{2)  Jerome,  b.  April  27,  182 1,  m.  Ann  Maria,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Ann  (Longley)  Hazen  of  Shirley,  Oct.  24,  1850, 
r.  Shirley  (1883).  He  has  had  three  children  :  i.  "Elfie,"  b. 
at  Shirley,  March  18,  1853,  m.  James  H.  Ross,  Oct.  24,  1882  ; 
2.  "George  Herbert,"  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  5,  1855,  m.  S.  Anna 
Ross  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  May  30,  1879;  she  d.  May  29, 
1880;  3.  "Jerome  Tarbell,"  b.  at  Shirley,  April  9,  i860,  d. 
Aug.  28,  1876. 

(3.)    Waiter  L.,  b.  Feb.  27,  1823,  d.  Oct.  18,  1830. 

(4.)  Sarah  Tarbell,  b.  Dec.  17,  1824,  m.  Samuel  Fletcher  Whit- 
ney of  Harvard,  Oct.  26,  1848,  r.  Harvard  (1883).  She  has 
had  eight  children,  all  b.  at  Harvard  :  i.  "Estella,"  b.  Dec. 
II,  1 85 1,  m.  Albert  Scattergood  of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  May  12, 
1875  ;  2.  "Harry  Fletcher,"  b.  May  5,  1853,  m.  Hattie  God- 
dard  of  Harvard,  daughter  of  Rev.  Daniel  F.  Goddard,  Aug. 
22,  1877,  r.  Harvard;  3.  "Jerome  Gardner,"  b.  Jan.  13, 
1855;  4.  "Clara  Sophia,"  b.  June  7,  1856;  5.  "Samuel 
Willie,"  b.  Feb.  23,  1859;  6.  "Gertrude  Gardner,"  b.  June 
2,  1861  ;  7.  "  Ruth,"  b.  Jan.  i,  1863,  d.  Dec.  18,  1864;  8. 
"Evelyne,"  b.  Sept.  25,  1866. 

(5.)   Clarissa  Simons,  b.  Feb.  7,  1827,  r.  Shirley  (1883). 

(6.)  Margaret  Blanchard,  b.  Dec.  2,  1828,  m.  Daniel  Hartwell 
Fairbanks  of  Harvard,  Sept.  19,  1850,  d.  June  15,  1874.  She 
had  one  child  :  i.  "Margaret  Eugenie,"  b.  at  Harvard,  March 
30,  1853,  m.  Charles  F.  Wyman  of  Worcester,  Sept.  10,  1878, 
d.  Sept.  23,  1879. 

(7.)  Sophia  Longley,  b.  Jan.  16,  1831,  m.  Franklin  Wyman  of 
Westminsj;er,  Dec.  8,  1865,  r.  Worcester  (1883).  She  has  had 
one  child:   i.  "Evelyne,"  b.  at  Westminster,  Dec.  10,  1871. 

(8.)    Walter  Longley,  b.  Dec.  31,  1832. 

(9.)  George,  b.  Nov.  16,  1834,  ni.  Violetta  Frances  Hosmer  of 
Harvard,  Nov.  18,  1856.  He  has  had  six  children,  all  b.  at 
Acton:  i.  "Arthur,"  b.  Jan.  24,  1858;  2.  "Alice  Gertrude," 
b.  Feb.  28,  1864,  d.  Feb.,  1870;  3.  "Ada  Violetta,"  b.  Dec. 
2,  1866,  d.  in  infancy ;  4.  "Walter  Clifton,"  b.  Jan.  30,  1869  ; 
5.  "Bertha  Louisa,"  b.  Feb.  3,  1871  ;  6.  "Myra  Adelia,"  b. 
April  21,  1875,  d.  in  infancy. 

(10.)  Alfred  Wilder,  b.  Aug.  21,  1836. 

(11.)  Mary,  b.  Oct.  24,  1838,  m.  Charles  F.  Lamb  of  Fitchburg, 
Oct.  26,  1862. 

HL     RICHARD,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  6,  1768,  removed  to  Norridge- 
wock.  Me.,  where  he  married,  passed  his  life  and  died. 

IV.  MARIA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  13,  1770,  d.  April  21,  1808. 

V.  PHINEHAS,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  22,  1773,  d.  Sept.  20,  1775. 


GENEALOGY. SAWTELL-SLOAN.  619 

VI.     NABBY,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  i,  1779,  m. Abbott,  removed 

to  Maiden. 

cSaiUtcU,  ^OSCB,  son   of    David   Sawtell    of   Groton,    b.   at 

Groton,  Jan.  24,   1731,   m.    Elizabeth .     He   lived  in  Groton 

until  after  the  birth  of  his  first  child,  when  he  removed  to  Shirley, 
where  five  more  children  were  born.  It  is  probable  that  Mr.  Sawtell 
and  his  wife  d.  at  Shirley,  though  of  this  we  are  not  certain,  as  no 
descendants  of  the  family  remain  in  town. 

I.  NATHAN,  b.  at  Groton,  Feb.  24,  1758. 

II.  DAVID,  b.  Oct.  17,  1763. 

III.  REUBEN,  b.  Feb.  26,  1766. 

IV.  RHODA,  b.  Jan.  12,  1768. 

V.  AMAZIAH,  b.  Jan.  20,  1770. 

VI.  TABITHA,  b.  May  25,  1772. 


SHAW. 


^))aU)t  212IlUiam,  lived  in  Shirley  near  the    close  of  the  last 
century,  and  m.  Thirsa  Stimpson  of  Shirley,  pub.  Nov.  10,  1799. 


SIMONDS. 

The  natural  inference  would  be  that  the  names  Simonds  and 
Symonds  are  different  spellings  of  the  same  name  ;  but  never  having 
seen  this  confirmed  by  any  genealogy  that  has  passed  under  our 
observation,  we  are  led  to  suppose  that  they  must  designate  different 
families,  independent  of  relationship. 

.SimontiS,  S23.lUtam,  lived  in  what  was  afterward  the  town 
of  Shirley,  as  early  as  1747,  and  signed  the  petition  that  led  to  its 
being  made  a  separate  town.  The  farm  owned  by  Charles  Andrews, 
in  a  northern  section  of  the  town,  was  the  home  of  the  Simonds 
family,  but  no  genealogical  information  concerning  them  can  be  found 
on  the  records  of  the  town. 


SLOAN. 


^loaitt  IBtJiJlTl,  resided  in  Shirley  before  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution, with  his  family.  He  had  a  son,  David  Sloan,  Jr.,  who  was  m. 
here  to  Rachel  Gould  of  Shirley,  pub.  Oct.   17,   1774.     David  Sloan 


620  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

was  one  of  the  19th  of  April  patriots,  and  both  father  and  son  were 
among  the  eight  months  recruits,  under  Captain  Robert  Longley. 
'J'hey  enhsted  April  29,  1775.  David  Sloan  enlisted  for  a  term  of 
three  years,  Dec.  2,  1777,  in  Captain  Sylvanus  Smith's  company. 


SMITH. 


At  an  early  period  in  the  history  of  Shirley, — long  before  the  terri- 
tory of  which  it  was  formed  had  a  distinct  existence  as  a  town, — 

c^ntttl),  TSTatiian,  with  his  wife,  Rebecca,  and  their  family, 
became  settlers,  and  were  located  upon  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
present  residence  of  Abram  Fairbanks.  It  cannot  here  be  told 
whence  he  came,  nor  from  what  branch  of  the  original  settlers  of  this 
name  he  was  descended.  He  occupied  but  a  humble  position  in  the 
settlement,  and  his  name  does  not  appear  among  the  petitioners  for 
a  division  of  the  territory  of  Groton  and  the  incorporation  of  a  sepa- 
rate town. 

His  wife,  Rebecca,  died  in  Shirley,  Feb.  12,  1784,  and  her  remains 
lie  interred  in  the  old  cemetery  of  the  town.  He  m.  (second)  Mrs. 
Mary  Jupp,  widow  of  John  Jupp,  pub.  April  23,  1785.  She  died  his 
widow,  Dec.  14,  1826.  He  is  presumed  to  have  died  at  Shirley,  but 
no  record  of  his  death  has  been  preserved.  He  had  seven  children, 
of  whom  the  eldest  three  were  born  before  he  came  to  Shirley. 

I.  NATHAN,  b.  1738,  m.  Ruth  Moors  of  Boylston,  July  i,  1762,  and 
d.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  1834,  aged  ninety-six  years.  He  had  no  children. 
Mr.  Smith  was  a  soldier  in  the  American  army  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. He  was  a  rough,  unlearned  man, — of  dauntless  courage  and 
determined  patriotism.  Ready  at  all  times  to  risk  his  own  life  for 
the  liberty  of  his  country,  he  doubtless  would  have  been  equally 
ready  to  have  sacrificed  the  life  of  a  tory,  had  one  been  so  unfor- 
tunate as  to  have  fallen  into  his  hands.  He  made  himself  conspicu- 
ous as  a  leader  in  the  Shays  rebellion  ; — and  it  may  safely  be  said 
that,  had  Nathan  Smith  been  in  the  place  of  Daniel  Shays,  there 
would  have  been  no  cowardly  retreat  into  Canada,  but  instead — (a 
result  sure  to  have  been  deplored  by  every  true  friend  of  law  and 
order) — more  courts  would  have  been  suspended,  and  desperate 
and  bloody  resistance  would  have  attended  the  capture  of  the 
leader.  Though  brave  and  patriotic,  he  was  coarse  ■  in  habit  and 
undisciplined  in  temper.  His  qualities  as  a  soldier  in  time  of  war 
equally  fitted  him  to  play  the  pugilist  in  time  of  peace.  In  the 
exercise  of  his  prowess  in  this  direction,  it  may  be  added,  he  lost 
an  eye  in  a  rencounter  with  one  of  his  neighbors. 

II.  SYLVANUS,  m.  Agnes  Moors  of  Boylston,  had  seven  children, 
and  d.  at  Shirley  in  1831.  He  went  through  the  war  of  the  Revo- 
lution. He  began  his  career  of  military  duty  as  a  volunteer  in  the 
company  of  eighty  men  called  out  by  the  alarm  of  April  19th, 
1775,  and  was  first  lieutenant  in  the  command.     He  was  also  first 


GENEALOGY. SMITH.  621 

lieutenant  under  Captain  Robert  Longley,  during  the  eight  months 
service.  He  commanded  a  company  during  the  residue  of  the 
war,  and  was  in  the  Fifteenth  Continental  regiment,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Col.  Timothy  Bigelow  of  Worcester.  Few  men  saw  more 
service,  during  the  seven  years  struggle,  than  Captain  Sylvanus 
Smith.  He  was  a  member  of  the  society  of  Cincinnati,  established 
by  the  officers  of  the  American  army  in  1783.  From  the  funds  of 
this  society  his  descendants  have  received  a  small  annual  income 
unto  the  present  time.  Mr.  Smith  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and 
builded  the  first  dam  across  the  Nashua  river,  at  what  has  been 
called  the  Page  mills.  He  was  never  the  proprietor  of  a  home, 
but  lived  at  different  places  in  town  on  hire,  and  resided,  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  at  the  Whitney  parsonage,  near  the  residence  of. 
Mr.  Thomas  K.  Fisk.     His  children  were  : 

1.  Sylvanus,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  11,  1766,  m.  Abigail  Farley  of 
Groton,  April  9,  1797.  He  removed  to  Milford,  N.  H.,  at  the 
time  of  his  marriage,  and  remained  there  through  life.  He  d. 
Feb.  20,  1847.  His  wife  d.  Aug.  19,  1830.  He  had  three 
children  : 

(i.)  Abbot,  b.  at  Milford,  Dec.   22,   1798,   m.   Betsey  Gray  of 

Wilton,  N.  H.,  Sept.  25,  1827.     He  had  two  children,  and  d. 

Dec.  28,  1852.     His  widow  d.   Oct.  6,   1869.      His  children 

were:   i.  "  Handel  Abbot,"  b.  at  Milford,  Feb.   i,    1830,  m. 

Marinda  Burns,  June  6,  1855;    2.  "Ona  G.,"  b.  at  Milford, 

May  19,  1835,  d.  Feb.  11,  1837. 
(2.)  Mary  Ann,  b.  at   Milford,   May    11,    1801,   d.  March   26, 

i860,  unm. 
(3.)   Cynthia,  b.  at   Milford,   Feb.  8,    1803,   m.   Peter  Burns   of 

Milford,  July.ii,  1833,  r.  Milford  (1881). 

2.  Ruth,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  28,  1768,  removed  from  Shirley  to 
Woodstock,  Vt.,  where  she  d.,  unm. 

3.  Hugh,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  23,  1769,  left  town  at  early  manhood, 
and  went,  as  tradition  declares,  to  some  town  in  Vermont,  where 
he  m.,  had  a  family,  and  d. 

4.  Lucy,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  6,  1772,  m.  Gowen  B.  Newman  of 
Lancaster,  June  2,  1792.  She  had  four  children,  all  b.  at 
Lancaster  : 

(i.)  Liuy  Channing,  b.  Dec.  7,  1796,  d.  at  Wayland,  Sept.  27, 
1861,  unm,  "Caroline  Maria,"  daughter  of  Lucy  C,  Newman, 
b.  Dec.  5,   18 1 5,  d.  at  Lancaster,  March,  1845. 

(2.)  Williatti,  b.  Oct.  21,  1798,  m.  Mary  Nichols,  d.  May  12, 
1843.  He  had  five  children,  all  b.  at  Lancaster:  i.  "Maria 
Blair,"  b.  Oct.  21,  1825,  m.  Albert  Carlton  of  Lancaster,  d.  in 
Connecticut;  2.  "Mary  Ann,"  b,  Dec,  1826,  m.  A.  P: 
Burdett  of  Leominster,  d.  at  Boston;  3,  "Lucy  A.,"  b.  Aug, 
26,  1829,  m.  Charles  Holman,  Jan,  22,  185 1,  d.  Aug.  22, 
1881  ;  4,  "James  Homer,"  b,  Aug,  19,  1833,  killed. by  a  fal- 
ling limb  from  a  tree,  at  Paskoag,  R.  L;  5,  "William 
Nichols,"  b.  July  17,  1838,  d.  June  12,  1843, 


()22  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(3.)  Edward  Self  ridge,  b.  Aug.  20,  1802,  d.  Oct.  24,  1803. 
(4.)  Samuel  Critfefiden,  b.  June  8,  1807,  d.  March  13,  1813. 

5.  Daniel,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  8,  1773,  left  town  with  his  brother 
Hugh,  upon  entering  manhood,  and  chose  a  home,  the  locality 
of  which  it  has  baffled  both  tradition  and  correspondence  to 
ascertain. 

6.  Jerusha,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  30,  1775,  d.  Dec.  30,  1789. 

7.  Agnes,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  7,  1777,  m. McCollester. 

III.  EPHRAIM,  m.  Hannah  Gordon,  probably  the  daughter  of 
Nathaniel  Gordon,  who  removed  from  Shirley  to  Peterborough, 
N.  H.,  about  the  year  1780.  He  (Ephraim)  was  one  of  the  eighty 
volunteers  called  out  by  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  and 
was  third  sergeant  of  the  command.  He  was  second  lieutenant 
under  Captain  Longley,  during  the  eight  months  service,  and 
probably,  with  his  brothers,  did  military  duty  through  the  war.  He 
had  the  birth  of  one  child  recorded  in  Shirley  : 

1.  Sarah,  b.  April  15,  1765. 

IV.  EZRA,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  29,  1755,  ™-  Mrs.  Abigail  Bolton, 
and  had  two  children.  He  followed  the  example  of  his  three  elder 
brothers,  and  entered  with  zeal  into  the  measures  that  were  devised 
for  the  defence  of  his  country  against  British  aggression.  He  was 
one  of  Captain  Haskell's  company  called  out  by  the  alarm  of  the 
19th  of  April,  1775,  he  being  then  twenty  years  of  age.  Eight 
days  afterward  he  enlisted  into  Captain  Longley's  company  for  a 
service  of  eight  months.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  joined 
the  fifteenth  continental  regiment,  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Timothy  Bigelow,  for  a  term  of  three  years,  and  is  credited  on  the 
rolls  at  the  State  House  with  having  served  the  full  period  of  his 
enlistment.  He  lived  about  ten  years  after  the  close  of  the  war, 
and  was  killed  at  the  raising  of  a  meeting-house  in  Boylston,  June 
3,  1793.     His  children  were  : 

1.  Ezra,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  27,  1783.  He  left  home  in  early 
active  life,  and  became  a  seaman,  but  soon  found  his  last  voyage, 
from  which  he  never  returned. 

2.  Rebeccah,  (or  Beccah,  as  she  was  familiarly  known  in  early 
life,)  was  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  21,  1786.  Her  father  d.  when  she 
was  seven  years  of  age,  at  which  time  she  went  to  live  with  her 
uncle,  Nathan  Smith,  where  she  remained  many  years,  and  where 
the  children  of  her  first  husband  were  born.  She  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Artemas  Whitney  of  Shirley,  and  (second)  to  James 
Page  (see  Page  record,  p.  572).  Rebeccah  had  four  children  by 
Mr.  Whitney,  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

(i.)  Al/'ert,  b.  Sept.  4,  1813,   m.  Lucy  Conant,  April    19,  1836, 
d.  Feb.  26,  1864.     He  had  two  children  :   i.  "Charles  Albert," 


GENEALOGY. SMITH-SOLENDINE.  G23 

b.  Sept.  15,  1838,  d.  June  5,  1841  ;  2.  ''James  Tyler,"  b.  P^eb. 
9,  1842,  r.  Leominster  (1881),  unm. 

(2.)  Frescott,  b.  April  29,  1816,  d.  July  10,  1827. 

(3.)  Varnuin,  b.  May  26,  181 8,  m.  Abigail  C.  Parker  of  Lunen- 
burg, d.  Oct.  6,  1850.  He  had  four  children,  all  b.  at 
Lunenburg:  i.  "Albert  J.,"  b.  May,  1844,  d.  within  a  year; 
2.  "  Henry  Hays,"  b.  July  27,  1845  ;  he  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  the  Rebellion,  d.  at  Memphis,  Aug.  22,  1863;  3. 
"Thomas  P.,"  b.  May  24,  1848,  r.  Lunenburg,  unm.  (1881)  ; 
4.  "Abbie  F.,"  b.  Oct.  6,  1850,  m.  John  F.  Howard,  Aug.  18. 
1866,  r.  Lunenburg  (1881)  ;  she  has  two  children:  i.  Lulu 
E.,  b.  April  13,  1867  ;  2.  Minnie  S.,  b.  Jan.  23,  1870. 

(4.)  Sally,  d.  July  11,  1827. 

V.     ANNA,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  13,  1757,  m.  William  Reed  of  Ches- 
terfield, N.  H.,  1778. 

VL     DANIEL,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  31,  1762,  m. McDaniels. 

Vn.     PRISCILLA,  m.  Jonathan  Farewell  of  Harvard. 

Smiti),  IStrUjai'tr,  m.  Annie  Blood  of  Groton,  Nov.  24,  1786. 
He  had  three  children  b.  at  Shirley  : 

L     ANNIE    DAMON,  b.  Oct.  28,  1787. 
IL     EDWARD,  b.  Aug.  23,  1789. 
III.     JANET,  b.  Nov.  14,  1 791. 

cSmfti),  SStJCnCfCr,  m.  Hannah   Farnsworth.      He  had  three 
children,  b.  at  Shirley  : 

I.  ESTHER  SHROVE,  b.  April  15,  1782. 

II.  EBENEZER,  b.  Sept.  26,  1783. 

III.  JOSEPH,  b.  March  22,  1785. 


SOLENDINE. 

cSolentrinC,  JOijn,  b.  at  Groton,  April  28,  1725.  He  became 
a  resident  of  Shirley  at  early  manhood,  and  after  having  been  here 
for  a  time,  removed  to  the  northern  part  of  Lancaster.  He  m. 
Dorcas  Whipple  of  Groton,  June  17,  1752.  In  1753,  (May  22  and 
23,)  his  wife  gave  birth  to  twins,  and  d.  a  few  hours  afterward.  His 
children  were  : 

I.     JOHN,  b.  May  22,  1753. 
IL     DORCAS,  b.  May  23,  1753. 


624  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

SPAULDING. 

We  cannot  learn  that  more  than  one  family  of  this  name  resided  in 
Shirley  before  the  present  century.     The  head  of  that  family  was 

<SpaultllUfi,  ?^C?0feiai}.  He  was  b.  at  Townsend,  Feb.  27, 
1774,  m.  March  27,  1798,  Sally  Lewis,  (who  was  b.  at  Groton,  Feb. 
26,  1776.)  They  settled  on  the  farm  which  had  been  the  home  of 
Dea.  John  Heald,  whose  family  has  been  registered  in  this  history. 
It  is  located  at  the  extreme  north  section  of  the  town,  is  excellent 
land,  and  has  been  under  skilful  cultivation  from  the  beginning. 
Mr.  Spaulding  was  a  farmer,  and  well  understood  his  calling ;  he  had 
a  large  family,  and  was  forced  to  expend  much  in  building,  and  en- 
larging his  boundaries ;  yet  he  kept  free  from  debt,  and  yearly 
increased  the  sum  total  of  his  finances,  while  he  lived.  His  wife,  too, 
was  a  pattern  of  industry,  economy,  and  maternal  wisdom.  She 
trained  up  children  who  were  ever  ready  to  call  her  blessed  ;  she 
lived  to  old  age,  and  retained  the  use  of  her  faculties  unto  the  last. 
She  d.  Jan.  2,  1871,  aged  almost  ninety-five  years.  Mr.  Spaulding 
was  called  before  her  to  the  spirit-world.  He  d.  April  23,  1856. 
'I'hey  had  eleven  children  : 

I.  ELIZA,  b.  Jan.  25,  1799,  m.  Dea.  John  Spaulding,  May  3,  1830. 
She  d.  March  28,  1832.     She  had  one  child  : 

1.  Abel,  b.  Sept.  21,  1831,  m.  Sarah  E.  Twining,  Nov.  11,  1862. 

II.  JOHN,  b.  Nov.  30,  1800.  He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Catharine  Kendall  of  Dunstable ;  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Adehne 
McMartin. 

III.  ABEL,  b.  Nov.  20,  1802.  He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Ehzabeth  Kendall,  May  28,  1829;  m.  (second)  Mary  J.  Risker, 
Nov.  20,  1856.     He  has  had  two  children,  r.  Groton  (1883). 

1.  Sarah  O.,  b.  Sept.  i,  1830,  m.  N.  W.  Perkins,  Dec.  27,  1865. 

2.  Arthur  K.,  b.  Sept.  21,  1861. 

IV.  EDWARD,  b.  July  24,  1804,  d.  Aug.  30,  1804. 

V.  SALLY,  b.  Aug.  i,  1805,  d.  Dec.  28,  1825. 

VI.  GEORGE,  b.  Jan.  4,  1807,  m.  Lovinia  Conant,  d.  June  12, 
1847.     He  had  three  children  : 

1.  Charles  L.,  b.  May  8,  1831,  m.  Mary  E.  Williams,  d.  Oct.  15, 
1864. 

"2.  Sarah  L.,  b.  Dec.  26,  1836,  d.  April  17,  1859. 

3.  Lorenzo  W.,  b.  Sept.  8,  1838,  m.  Eliza  Parker,  July  24,  1866. 

VII.  HANNAH,  b.  Oct.  10,  1809,  m.  Moses  P.  Moulton  of  Boston, 
d.  Jan.  17,  1855.     She  had  one  child  : 

1.  Angeline  a.  M.,  b.  Dec.  26,  1833,  d.  July  23,  1867,  unm. 


GENEALOGY. SPAULDING-STIMSON.  625 

VIII.  ELIZABETH,  b.  March  31,  1813,  m.  Anselm  Lothrop,  May 
26,  1844,  d.  March  31,  1878.     She  had  five  children  : 

1.  Harriet  S.  L.,  b.  May  7, 1845,  "^-  Edward  A.  Talbot,  July  7,  1873. 

2.  Charles  L.  L.,  b.  Oct.  11, 1846,  m.  Mary  Heustis, Sept.  i,  1869. 

3.  Clara  M.  L.,  b.  April  4,  1848. 

•i.  Emma  F.  L.,  b.  Nov.  12,  1849,  ™-  Melzar  Farnsworth,  April  19, 
187 1,  r.  Shirley  (1883). 

5.  Angeline  M.,  b.  Feb.  25,  1852,111.  R.  Fenno  Caverly,  Feb.  i,  1876. 

IX.  NANCY,  b.  June  14,  1815,  d.  March  5,  1847,  unm. 

X.  HEZEKIAH,  b.  June  14,  1818,  m.  Lucy  A.  Hartwell  of  Shirley, 
Nov.  2,  1844.     He  r.  in  Shirley  (1883),  and  has  had  six  children  : 

1.  Kate  L.,  b.  April  i,  1845,  r.  Shirley,  unm.  (1883.) 

2.  Abbie  a.,  b.  Jan.  20,  1847,  m.  Albert  D.  Turner,  June   i,  1871. 

3.  Justin,  b.  Aug.  21,  1849. 

4.  John  E.,  b.  July  11,  1852. 

5.  Nathaniel  H.,  b.  Sept.  28,  1854,  d.  Sept.  13,  1855. 

6.  Hezzie,  b.  Aug.  2,  1858. 

XI.  HARRIET,  b.  June  14,  1818,  m.  Abram  H.  Fairbanks,  April 
15,  1846,  r.  Shirley  (1883).  She  has  had  two  children,  both  b.  at 
Shirley  : 

1.  Granville,  b.  Feb.  i,  1847,  ^^-  Martha  S.  Spaulding,  Sept.   26, 
1874. 

2.  Edwin  L.,  b.  March  17,  1849,  ^'^-  Augusta  A.  Cook  of  Lunen- 
burg, Aug.  7,  1872. 


STICKNEY. 

StlCfentg,  Pctft,  lived  at  Shirley  before  the  present  century. 
All  that  is  known  of  him  is  in  the  following  entry  copied  from  the 
records  of  the  town  : 

"  Peter  Stickney  of  Shirley  and  Eunice  Carlton,  intend  marriage. 
Nov.  7,  1 780.     Obadiah  Sawtell,  Town  Clerk." 


STIMSON. 

.^ttntSOn,  <^tCpl)Cn.  it  cannot  be  here  recorded  when  or 
where  he  was  born,  but  he  married  Maria  Lawrence  of  Pepperell, 
lived  for  a  time  at  Templeton,  and  afterward  at  Groton ;  whence  he 
removed  to  Shirley  at  a  period  previous  to  1777.  He  lived  at  the 
South  Village   of   the  town,  at  what  was  the  residence  of  the  late 

79 


62G  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Eleazer  Davis,  (now  the  property  of  George  Davis,  Esq.,)  and  had  a 
farm  connected  with  his  home.  He  was  jestingly  called  "  the  gov- 
ernor." He  removed  from  the  town,  and  from  the  Commonwealth, 
for  a  distant  home,  while  many  of  his  children  were  yet  in  their 
minority.     He  had  eleven  children  : 

I.     ASA,  b.  at  Templeton,  April  27,  1773. 

n.     THIRSA,    b.  at  Groton,  April  28,   1775,  m.  William  Shaw   of 
Shirley,  Nov.  28,  1799. 

HI.     RUTH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  7,  1777,  m.  James  Dodge  of  Lunen- 
burg, pub.  March  2,  1 794. 

IV.  THOMAS  LAWRENCE,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  i,  1779. 

V.  MARIA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  25,  1781. 

VI.  STEPHEN,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  12,  1783. 

VII.  DAVID,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  11,  1785. 

VIII.  SALLY,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  20,  1788. 

IX.  NABBY,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  12,  1791. 

X.  SOLOMON,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  4,  1793. 

XI.  LUCY,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  4,  1799. 


STONE. 


The  following  entry  appears  in  the  Shirley  registry,  which  shows 
that  a  family  of  the  above  name  has  resided  here  : 

"  David  Stone,  and  Lydia,  his  wife,  and  their  daughter,  Molly,  and 
their  grandson,  John  Stone,  came  from  Townsend  to  reside  in  Shirley, 
Dec.  ye  9,  1773.  The  selectmen  refuse  to  admit  them  as  inhabitants 
of  Shirley.     Obadiah  Sawtell,  Dist.  Clerk." 


TROWBRIDGE. 

On  the  second  day  of  March,  1714,  Rev.  Caleb  Trowbridge  was 
ordained  over  the  church  at  Groton — of  which  town  Shirley  was  then 
a  part.  He  was  a  son  of  James  Trowbridge  of  Watertown,  and  was 
b.  Nov.  7,  1692,  was  twice  ra.,  and  had  nine  children.  The  eighth 
in  the  family  lived  in  Shirley  for  a  season,  and  is  therefore  entitled  to 
a  place  in  this  registry. 

^TVOUjtritJJIC,  ^TljOma.S,  b.  at  Groton,  March  12,  i  739,  was 
twice  m.,  (first)  to  Lucy  Woods  of  Groton,  Oct.  29,  1761,  by  whom 
he  had  three  children.  He  m.  (second)  Ruth  Nevers,  and  had  seven 
children.  It  was  with  his  first  wife  that  he  lived  while  a  resident  of 
Shirley,  two  of  whose  children  were  born  here  : 


GENEALOGY. TROWBRIDGE-WALKER.  627 


I.  LYDIA,  b.  Dec.  25,  1763. 

II.  OLIVER,  b.  Oct.  23,  1764. 


WALKER. 

The  ancestry  of  the  Walker  families  of  Groton  and  Shirley  may  be 
traced  with  reasonable  certainty  to  Capt.  Richard  Walker,  who  came 
from  England  in  1630,  and  settled  at  Lynn.  He  was  born  in  1592, 
was  admitted  a  freeman  of  the  colony  in  1634,  and  lived  a  long, 
active  and  useful  life,  much  respected  by  his  townsmen.  He  was 
chosen  ensign  of  the  military  company  of  Lynn  in  1630,  and  after- 
wards successively  its  lieutenant  and  captain.  In  1638  he  became  a 
member  of  the  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery  Company,  and  the 
same  year  was  chosen  by  the  town  one  of  a  Committee  to  divide  the 
common  lands,  or,  as  it  was  termed,  "to  lay  out  ffarmes."  In  this 
division  Richard  Walker's  allotment  was  200  acres  of  "  upland  and 
meadow." — (Hist,  of  Lynn,  pp.  171,  172.)  In  1640  and  1641,  and 
again  in  1648  and  1649,  ^''^  ^^^^  selected  the  deputy  of  Lynn  to  the 
General  Court. 

Lewis,  the  historian  of  Lynn,  gives  the  following  incident  concern- 
ing him.  In  1630,  the  people  of  Lynn  becoming  alarmed  by  a 
report  that  hostile  Indians  were  meditating  an  attack  on  the  town, 
appointed  men  for  a  night  watch.  "  Once,  about  midnight.  Ensign 
Richard  Walker,  who  was  on  the  guard,  heard  the  bushes  break 
near  him,  and  felt  an  arrow  pass  through  his  coat  and  'buff  waistcoat.' 
As  the  night  was  dark,  he  could  see  no  one,  but  he  discharged  his 
gun,  which,  being  heavily  loaded,  split  in  pieces.  He  then  called  the 
guard,  and  returned  to  the  place,  when  he  had  another  arrow  shot 
through  his  clothes.  Deeming  it  imprudent  to  proceed  in  the  dark 
against  a  concealed  enemy,  he  desisted  from  further  search  till 
morning.  The  people  then  assembled  and  discharged  their  cannon 
into  the  woods  ;  after  which  the  Indians  gave  them  no  further  mo- 
lestation." 

Capt.  Richard  Walker  died  at  Lynn,  May,  1687,  at  the  great  age 
of  ninety-five  years.  Judge  Sewall,  in  his  Diary,  thus  briefly  mentions 
his  burial:  "Monday,  May  16,  1687.  I  go  to  Reading  to  visit  Mr. 
Brock,  and  so  to  Salem.  This  day  Capt.  Walker,  a  very  aged  planter, 
buried  at  Lin."  He  had  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  viz.  : 
Richard,  born  161 1,  who  came  over  in  1635,  and  settled  at  Reading, 
— noted  for  his  bravery  as  a  captain  in  the  Indian  wars ;  Samuel, 
born  16 15,  who  came  with  his  father  in  1630;  Tabitha,  who  married 
Daniel  King,  March  11,  1662;  and  Elizabeth,  who  married  Ralph 
King,  March  2,  1663. 

Samuel  Walker,  Senior,  of  Woburn,  is  supposed  to  have  been  the 
son  of  Capt.  Richard  Walker,  of  Lynn. — (Hist,  of  Woburn,  p.  jyo.) 
He  was  born  in  England,  16 15,  accompanied  his  father  to  New 
England  in  1630,  and  after  residing  for  a  while  at  Lynn,  removed 


628  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

with  his  brother  Richard  to  Reading — originally  Lynn  Village.  To 
whom  he  was  married  has  not  been  ascertained — nor  for  how  long  a 
time  he  was  a  resident  of  Reading.  He  had  children — Samuel,  born 
1643  j  Joseph,  1645  >  ^  daughter,  1647  ;  Israel  and  Hannah,  (twins,) 
1648;  John,  1650;  and  Benjamin,  1651,  (died  soon);  all  of  whom 
were  probably  born  in  Reading, — as  we  find  the  name  of  Samuel 
Walker  and  wife  in  a  list  of  members  of  the  Reading  church  in  1650 
or  soon  after.  In  1652  the  name  of  Samuel  Walker  also  appears  in 
a  division  of  land  by  order  of  the  town  of  Reading,  in  which  he  drew 
a  "lotte"  of  fourteen  acres  of  "playne  land."  Previous  to  the  year 
1662  he  removed  to  Woburn, — his  name  being  first  mentioned  in  the 
records  of  Woburn  in  that  year,  as  one  of  the  highway  surveyors  of 
the  town.  By  occupation  he  was  a  maltster.  He  was  approved  by 
the  selectmen  of  Woburn  in  1675,  f'^''  ^  license  to  keep  a  tavern, — 
being  the  first  person  known  to  have  followed  that  business  in  the 
town.  Sewall,  the  historian  of  Woburn,  says  "he  appears  to  have 
been  much  respected  in  his  day,  being  chosen  selectman  in  1668, 
and  appointed  by  the  town  the  year  before  on  a  very  important  com- 
mittee for  taking  *  a  List  of  the  persons  and  estates  of  the  right  Pro- 
prietors,' among  whom  it  had  been  voted  to  divide  a  large  portion  of 
the  common  lands  of  the  town."  He  died  Nov.  6,  1684;  when 
(agreeably  to  a  testimony  given  by  him  in  court  in  1658)  he  must 
have  been  sixty-nine  years  of  age. 

Joseph  Walker,  born  1645,  son  of  Samuel  Walker,  Senior,  of 
Woburn,  and  grandson  of  Richard  Walker  of  Lynn,  became  a  resi- 
dent of  Billerica  in  1667,  and  made  that  town  his  home  for  life.  The 
date  of  his  settlement  is  shown  by  the  following  extract  from  the 
records  of  the  town  :  "26.  6™"  67.  The  town  of  Billerica  granted  to 
Joseph  Walker  liberty  to  be  an  inhabitant  in  their  town,  in  case  hee 
can  provide  for  his  owne  comfortable  subsistance ;  also,  the  towne  do 
declare  willingness  to  gratify  him  with  some  convenience  of  land,  as 
they  shall  see  meet  afterward."  The  next  year  the  following  record 
appears  :  "22  March,  1668.  The  towne  did  grant  to  Joseph  Walker 
priviledge  upon  our  towne  comons  for  the  future,  in  all  lands  that  are 
not  divided  nor  agreed  upon  for  division  before  this  day,  to  the  pro- 
portion of  a  five-acre  lot,  or  half  a  single  share."  He  received 
several  grants  of  land  from  the  town,  and  made  purchase  of  more, — 
from  the  location  of  which  it  is  inferred  that  he  lived  in  the  easterly 
part  of  Billerica,  near  Woburn  line. — fSee  Hazeti's  Hist.  Billerica.) 

His  name  appears  as  tythingman  of  Billerica  in  1667  ;  he  was  ad- 
mitted a  freeman  1678,  and  was  a  representative  to  the  General  Court 
in  1689.  He  married,  Dec.  15,  1669,  Sarah  Wyman,  (b.  April  15, 
1650,)  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  (Nutt)  Wyman  of  Woburn.  His 
wife  died  Jan.  26,  i  728-9,  aged  seventy-eight ;  and  he  died  July,  1 729, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  Their  children  were  Sarah,  b.  1670,  (d.  in 
infancy);  Joseph,  1673,  (died);  Sarah,  1676,  (m.  Benjamin  Johnson 
of  Woburn)  ;  Elizabeth,  1678,  (m.  Samuel  Fitch  of  Billerica)  ;  Hannah, 
1680,  (m.  Nathaniel  Hill  of  Billerica)  ;  Susanna,  1682,  (d.  in  infancy)  ; 
John,  1684;  Benjamin,  1686;  Jacob,  1689,  and  Seth,  Oct.  12,  1691. 

Seth  Walker,  the  youngest  of  the  ten  children  above  named, 
married,  April  4,  1716,  Eleanor  Chandler,  of  Concord,  (born  1695,) 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  629 

daughter  of  William  and  Eleanor  (Phelps)  Chandler  of  Andover,  and 
became  a  resident  of  Groton  as  early  as  1734.  The  births  of 
their  two  youngest  children,  only,  appear  on  the  records  of  Groton  ; 
but  four  others  are  supposed  to  have  been  born  previous  to  their 
settlement  in  that  town.  In  1741  Mr.  Walker  removed  from  Groton 
to  the  new  township  of  Narraganset  No.  2,  now  Westminster,  and 
located  at  the  outlet  of  Westminster  Pond,  where  he  erected  a  grist- 
mill— the  first  ever  built  in  the  town.  Previous  to  the  year  1750  he 
removed  to  Number  Four,  (afterwards  called  Charlestown,  N.  H.) 
In  that  year  his  name  appears  in  the  roll  of  Captain  Phinehas  Stevens' 
company,  raised  for  the  protection  of  that  frontier  settlement  against 
the  French  and  Indians.  He  was  one  of  the  grantees  of  Charles- 
town  under  the  New- Hampshire  charter  in  1753, — was  one  of  a 
committee  the  same  year  to  provide  a  place  for  public  worship,  and 
in  1754  was  appointed  one  of  a  committee'  to  attend  to  the  build- 
ing of  a  dwelling-house  for  the  first  settled  minister  of  the  town.  He 
was  an  active  and  useful  citizen,  and  his  name  often  appears  in  the 
records  of  the  municipal  affairs  of  the  settlement. 

The  children  of  Seth  and  Eleanor  (Chandler)  Walker  were  Seth, 
b.  April  16,  1717  ;  Eleanor,  b.  March  11,  1719,  (whom.  May  25,  i  741, 
Nathaniel  Parker,  Jr.,  of  Groton);  Samuel,  b.  Aug.  30,  1721  ;  Lucy, 
(who  m.  Jan.  10,  1751,  Philemon  Holden  of  Shirley,) — see  Holden 
family,  p.  462  ;  Abel,*  b.  at  Groton,  April  20,  1734;  and  Sybil,  b.  at 
Groton,  March  23,  1736  ; — and  perhaps  there  were  others. 


*Abel  Walker,  son  of  Seth  and  Eleanor,  became  a  resident  of  Charlestown 
(No.  4)  in  early  life,  and  was  a  prominent  and  leading  man  in  the  town.  He  m. 
Feb.  26,  1767,  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Phinehas  Graves  and  daughter  of  Isaac 
Parker,  Jr.,  of  Groton.  He  kept  a  tavern  or  house  of  entertainment,  in  Charles- 
town, from  1760,  for  upwards  of  thirty  years.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the 
military  as  well  as  municipal  affairs  of  the  town,  was  one.  of  a  committee  of 
safety  in  1775,  held  a  captain's  commission  during  the  exciting  times  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  was  often  called  into  active  service  in  the  cause  of  independence.  In 
the  winter  of  1776  he  went  with  a  company  to  the  relief  of  the  Continental 
forces  at  Quebec,  after  the  disastrous  failure  of  Arnold's  expedition ; — was 
repeatedly  called  to  the  defence  of  Ticonderoga,  and  in  1777  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Bennington,  under  the  gallant  Stark, — his  company  and  regiment  being 
in  the  most  fiercely  contested  part  of  the  field.  He  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  lieutenant-colonel,  which  gave  him  the  title  by  which  he  was  afterwards 
known.  Col.  Walker  was  treasurer  of  the  town  of  Charlestown  for  a  period  of 
eight  years,  from  1772,  and  was  selectman  in  1787  and  1789.  He  d.  in  Charles- 
town, March  14,  181 5,  aged  eighty-one.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  d.  Oct.  8,  1806,  aged 
sixty-two. 

They  had  ten  children,  of  whom  only  four  lived  to  maturity.  A  daughter — 
).  Phila,  b.  Jan.  19,  1773,  m.  Col.  Aaron  Dean  of  Charlestown;  of  her  chil- 
dren, Nathaniel  d.  unmarried ;  a  daughter,  Sally  Walker,  m.  Hon.  Henry  Hub- 
bard of  Charlestown,  afterwards  governor  of  New  Hampshire ;  another, 
Catherine,  m.  Waldo  Flint  of  Boston,  and  d.  without  issue;  Rebecca  Scott  m. 
Hon.  Stephen  Salisbury  of  Worcester — had  one  son,  Stephen  Salisbury,  Jr. 
2.  Elizabeth,  b.  Sept.  7,  1778,  m.  Thomas  Melville  of  Charlestown — had  two 
children,  Nancy  and  George.  3.  Abel,  Jr.,  b.  Sept.  11,  1783,  m.  Sally  Doolittle 
of  Westmoreland,  N.  H.;  was  a  useful  and  esteemed  citizen  of  Charlestown — 
had  three  children,  Mary  D.,  Phinehas,  and  Samuel — and  d.  Oct.  3,  1827.  4. 
Eleuthera,  b.  July  21,  1786,  m.  John  Willard,  Jr.,  of  Charlestown — had  twelve 
children,  ten  of  whom  lived  to  manhood  and  womanhood,  and  have  numerous 
descendants.  Mrs.  Willard  d.  April  12,  1862.  He  d.  April  9,  1852. — [See  San- 
derson's History  of  Charlestaivn\ 


630  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Tradition  says  that  Eleanor  Chandler,  wife  of  Seth  Walker,  was  a 
small  but  a  very  strong  woman.  "  She  could  set  barrels  of  cyder  into 
the  cart  as  fast  as  a  man  could  roll  them  up  to  her."  She  died  Nov. 
6,  1769,  aged  seventy-four.  Mr.  Walker  died  July  7,  1772,  at  the  age 
of  eighty  years.  Both  died  in  Charlestown,  and  their  remains  sleep 
in  the  village  cemetery,  where  suitable  stones,  erected  to  their  memo- 
ry, mark  their  last  resting-places. 

Their  two  eldest  sons,  Seth  and  Samuel,  became  residents  of  Shir- 
ley, and  the  latter  made  it  his  home  for  Hfe.  They  lived  on  farms  in 
the  south-east  part  of  the  town,  bordering  on  the  Nashua  river. 

SSSalfeer,  Srti)/  (Seth,"  Joseph,''  Samuel,^  Richard,')  b.  April 
16,  1 71 7,  m.  Jan.  14,  1742,  Abigail  Holden,  (b.  Sept.  15,  1719,)  daugh- 
ter of  Nathaniel  and  Abigail  (Stone)  Holden  of  Groton.  He  was  a 
resident  of  Shirley  in  1753,  the  year  of  its  incorporation,  and  prob- 
ably had  resided  on  the  same  farm  in  the  south-east  part  of  the  town, 
from  the  date  of  his  marriage, — the  births  of  four  of  his  children,  bom 
previous  to  1753,  being  recorded  in  Groton.  He  remained  here  till 
about  the  year  1760,  when  he  removed  to  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  and 
settled  on  one  of  the  rich  meadow  farms  of  that  town,  afterwards 
occupied  by  his  son-in-law,  Peter  Evans.     His  wife,  Abigail,  died  in 

Charlestown,  Jan.  31,  1762,  and  he  married  (second)  Jemima . 

He  was  injured  by  a  fall  from  his  house,  while  making  repairs,  and  died 
Jan.  4,  1794.  His  wife,  Jemima,  died  in  Charlestown,  March  22, 
1807,  aged  seventy-seven.  He  had  eight  children  by  first  marriage, 
and  three  by  the  second.     Children  : 

I.  NATHANIEL,  b.  in  Groton,  Nov.  6,  1742,  d.  Sept.  23,  1753,  in 
Shirley. 

n.     SYBIL,  b.  in  Groton,  March  3,  1745. 

III.  SETH,  b,  in  Groton,  April  5,  1747.  He  was  the  first  settler  in 
that  part  of  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  afterwards  set  off  and  incorporated 
as  Langdon.  He  went  to  the  place  in  1773,  fifteen  years  before 
the  organization  of  the  town,  and  died  there,  Nov.,  1804; — being 
drowned  in  a  well,  at  his  home,  into  which  he  is  supposed  to  have 
accidentally  fallen.  The  name  of  Seth  Walker  appears,  in  1777, 
as  sergeant  in  Capt.  Abel  Walker's  company,  called  from  Charles- 
town to  the  defence  of  Ticonderoga, — and  is  also  found  on  impor- 
tant committees  in  the  municipal  records  of  Langdon.  He  was 
married  and  had  children,  but  no  account  of  his  family  has  been 
obtained,  beyond  the  fact  that  he  had  a  son,  named — 

1.  Solomon,  who  was  living  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death. 

IV.  ABIGAIL,  b.  in  Groton,  June  10,  1750,  mar.  EHab  Gleason  of 
Charlestown,  N.  H. ;  died  there.  May  20,  1788. 

V.  ASA,  b.  in  Shirley,  Sept.  8,  1753,  settled  in  the  south-easterly 
part  of  Charlestown,  (afterwards  Langdon,  N.  H.);  was  twice  mar- 
ried, and  died  Nov.  8,  1804.  Mr.  Walker  was  one  of  the  peti- 
tioners for  the  incorporation  of  Langdon.  His  first  wife  was  Sally 
,    who  died   Feb.  19,  1793,  aged  forty-two.     He  m.  (second) 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  631 

Jan.  2,  1794,  Sarah  Perry  of  Langdon,  by  whom  he   had  six  chil- 
dren.    (After  Mr.  Walker's  death  his  widow  m. Brown.)    Mr. 

Walker's  children,  by  second  marriage,  were — 

1.  Theda,  mar.  Josiah  Crosby  of  Alstead,  N.  H. ;  died  Jan.  6,  1881, 
aged  eighty-seven.  Mr.  Crosby  d.  Dec.  7,  1852,  aged  sixty-four. 
They  had  no  children. 

2.  Alvah,  b.  1795,  married  Harriet  Blake  of  Charlestown,  N.  H., 
(adopted  daughter  of  Peter  Evans.)  He  was  in  trade  for  a  while 
at  Drewsville,  N.  H.,  afterwards  kept  a  hotel  at  Charlestown,  and 
later  became  proprietor  of  the  Cheshire  House,  at  Keene,  N.  H., 
where  he  died  Oct.  25,  1842.  His  widow,  Harriet  Blake,  died 
at  the  residence  of  her  son,  in  Corning,  N.  Y.,  1881.     Children  : 

1.  James  Evans,  born  at  Drewsville,  became  a  member  of  the 
large  iron  firm.  Corning  &  Company,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and 
died  in  Albany. 

2.  John,  died  young. 

3.  Chai'Ies  C.  C.  Brainard,  removed  to  Corning,  Steuben  Co., 
N.  Y.,  where  he  entered  upon  a  successful  business  career,  and 
in  1874  was  elected  a  member  of  the  44th  Congress.  He  re- 
sides in  Corning, — is  married,  and  has  had  two  sons  and  two 
daughters. 

4.  Harriet,  m.  Dr.  Troup,  of  Palmyra,  Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y.,  had 
one  child,  a  daughter,  who  was  left  an  orphan  at  a  tender  age, 
and  adopted  by  her  uncle,  Charles  C.  C.  B.  V^alker,  of  Corning. 

3.  Clara,  b.  in  Langdon,  married  John  Ingalls,  son  of  John  and 
Hannah  (Massie)  Ingalls,  of  Walpole,  N.  H.  They  had  nine 
children, — all  but  one  b.  in  Walpole.  The  family  removed  about 
1832  to  Dansville,  Steuben  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  Mr.  and  Mrs.  In- 
galls died.     Children : 

1.  Eliza,  born  181 7,  died  unmarried,  aged  twenty-one. 

2.  Maria,  born  Oct.  31,  1819,  m.  King  Belding  Chapman,  born 
Sept.  1 1,  1808,  son  of  Calvin  Chapman  of  Keene,  N.  H.  They 
reside  in  Keene,  (1883)  ; — have  no  children. 

3.  Cynthia,  b.  1821,  m.  Austin  RolHns,  a  farmer,  of  Steuben  Co., 
N.  Y.,  and  died  in  Dansville.  They  had  two  children  :  i. 
"  George,"  is  m.  and  has  children  ;  2.  "  A  son,"  d.  ae.  two  yrs. 

4.  Newcoinb,  b.  1823,  m.  Elizabeth  Preston,  r.  Steuben  Co.,  N. 
Y.,  (1883) — a  farmer.  Has  had  three  children  :  i.  "Frank," 
and  a  son  and  daughter,  both  of  whom  died  in  infancy. 

5.  Lucy,  b.  1825,  m.  Lewis  Robinson,  and  died  in  Steuben  Co., 
N.  Y.,  aged  forty-two,  leaving  no  children. 

6.  Albert,  m.  Lois  Gilbert  of  Steuben  Co.,  N.  Y. ;  two  children  : 
I.  "Merriam;"  2.  "Fred." 

7.  Caroline,  m. Osborne,  a  farmer,  of  Steuben  Co.,  N.  Y. 

They  have  two  children  :    i.  "Albert;"    2.  "Clara." 

8.  Helen,  m.  George  Flint,  a  farmer  of  Steuben  Co.,  N.  Y. ; — 
one  child — i.  "Mary." 

9.  Harriet,  born  in  Danville,  Steuben  Co.,  N.  Y.,  died  unmar- 
ried, aged  twenty. 


<?32  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

4.  Orpha,  b.  1799,  m.  Dec.  28,  181 7,  Samuel  Waldo,  of  Langdon. 
Removed,  1852,  to  Iowa,  where  Mrs.  Waldo  d.  Nov.  1857  ;  he  d. 
June,  1876,  aged  eighty.  They  had  ten  children,  b.  in  Langdon  : 
(i.)  Sarah  E.,  b.  Dec.  1818,  m.  J.  Heywood  of  Iowa  ;  d.  Nov.  '57. 
(2.)  Maria,  b.  May  1821,  m.  Leonard  Buckminster,  d.  June,  1842. 
(3.)  Asa  P.,  b.  April,  1823,  m.  Mary  Allen,  of  Vt.,  d.  Feb.  1883. 
(4.)  SamU  F.,  b.  Nov.  1826,  m.  Harriet  Blanchard,  Cavendish,  Vt. 
(5.)  Rosamond,  b.  1829,  m.  Sept.  22,   1846,  Amos  R.  Hubbard, 

son  of  Jacob  P.  Hubbard  of  Chesterfield,  N.  H.  Mr.  Hubbard 
is  a  farmer  of  Chesterfield, — selectman  1872,  '73  and  '76. 
Children  :  i.  "Rawson  W.,"  b.  Jan.  27,  1848,  d.  unm.,  April 
8,  1881  ;  2.  "Flora  A.,"  b.  Sept.  3,  1851,  m.  Nov.  21,  1873, 
Levi  B.  Ware  of  Westmoreland,  N.  H.,  and  d.  Feb.  3,  1881  ; 
3.  "Clara  M.,"  b.  Oct.  4,  1853,  m.  Nov.  21,  1871,  Charles 
M.  Davis  of  Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  and  d.  March  16,  1879  ;  4. 
"Etta  L.,"  b.  Nov.  16,1866;  5.  "Luna  B.,"b.  April  25,  1870. 

(6.)  Elijah  D.,  b.  Jan.  1833,  m.  Cordelia  Ainsworth,  d.  Nov.  1866. 

{"].)  James  N.,  born  Aug.  1835,  died  1864. 

(8.)  Orpha  A.,  b.  June,  1837,  m.  Henry  Forbes,  Windham  Co.,  Vt. 

(9.)  Harriet  E.,  b.  July,  1840,  m.  Henry  Heywood  ;  d.  July,  1876. 

(10.)  Charles  A.,  b.  Nov.  1845,  married,  and  r.  in  Oregon,  (1883.) 

5.  Rosamond,  d.  in  Langdon,  July  30,  1859,  aged  fifty-seven,  unm. 

(5.  Abigail,  b.  Nov.  20,  1804,  m.  May  29,  1827,  Asa  H.  Carpenter, 
b.  Feb.  26,  1806,  son  of  Dr.  Eber  Carpenter  of  Alstead,  N.  H. 
Mr.  Carpenter  was  a  farmer  of  Alstead;    d.  Dec.  5,   1866  ;    his 
wife,  Abigail  Walker,  d.  Oct.  5,  1861.     Children,  b.  in  Alstead  : 
(i.)  Frederick  IV.,  b.  April   12,  1828,  prepared  himself  for  the 
practice  of  medicine,  and  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.     He 
d.  at  Alstead,  April  23,  1854,  unm. 
(2.)  Mary  J.,  b.  March  15,  1830,  d.  Jan.  23,  1832. 
(3.)  Emily  A.,  b.  April  18,  1833,  d.  Jan.  6,  1855,  unm. 
(4.)  Harriet  Lucretia  Walker,  b.   Dec.   6,    1837,   m.  Aug.    16, 
i860,  Burrill   Porter,  b.   Feb.   22,    1832,  son  of    Burrill  and 
Susan  Porter  of  Langdon,  N.  H.     Mr.  Porter  has  been  prin- 
cipal of  a  high  school  at  North  Attleboro,  where  he  now  r. 
(1883.)       His  wife,  Harriet  L.  W.   Carpenter,  d.  at   North 
Attleboro,  Aug.  4,  1875.     She  had  four  children:   i.  "Susan 
Abigail,"   b.   at  South   Braintree,    May    16,    1866;     2.  "Asa 
Burrill,"  b.  at  North  Attleboro,  May  17,  1S70;  3.  "Benjamin 
Franklin,"  b.  Dec.  12,  1872,  d.  Aug.  2,  1874  ;  4.  "Lawrence 
Garfield,"  b.  June  25,  1875,  d.  Aug.  5,  same  year. 
(5.)  Albert  H.,  b.  Oct.  30,  1841,  m.   Mary  Hale,  daughter  of 
Edmund  Hale  of  Alstead,  and  r.  Covington,  Kentucky. 

VI.  ISAAC,  (twin,)  b.  in  Shirley,  March  30,  1756.  He  was  at  Ti- 
conderoga  in  1776,  in  the  company  under  Capt.  Abel  Walker,  and 
was  also  in  the  service  in  Rhode  Island.  He  d.  unm.,  being  killed 
by  a  fall,  at  the  raising  of  a  bridge,  in  1785,  at  Bellows  Falls.  The 
bridge  then  erected  was  the  first  ever  built  over  Connecticut  river. 

VII.  NATHANIEL,  (twin,)  b.  in  Shirley,  March  30,  1756;— wenj 
with  the  family  to  New  Hampshire,  and  (with  his  brothers  Seth, 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  683 

and  Asa,)  was  among  those  called  to  the  defence  of  Ticonderoga, 
in  1777,  from  Charlestown. 

VIII.  JABEZ,  b.  in  Shirley,  June  2,  1758,  m.  Anna  Watkins  of 
Charlestown,  N.  H.,  pub.  Oct.  17,  1790.  He  settled  in  Charles- 
town,  N.  H.,  where  he  d.  Feb.  20,  181 2.     They  had  six  children  : 

1.  Orlando,  b.  1793,  m.  Naomi  Fowler,  pub.  Jan.  7,  1821.  He 
was  a  farmer  of  Langdon,  N.  H.,  and  d.  May  24,  1837.  Seven 
children  : 

(i.)  Charles  Henry,  b.  1822,  went  in  early  life  to  Detroit,  Mich., 
where  he  engaged  in  express  business,  was  married,  and  had 
one  son,  who  became  a  telegraph  operator  and  railroad  en- 
gineer. 

(2.)  Ellen  Caroline,  b.  1824,  m.  George  H.  Wilder,  and  d.  in 
Swanzey,  N.  H.,  Dec.  11,  i860;  had  one  child:   i.  "Martin." 

(3.)  David  Hubbard,  b.  1827,  went  early  to  New  York  city,  was 
m.,  had  children,  and  at  last  accounts  was  living  in  Jersey 
City,  N.  J. 

(4.)  Ellen  Eleuthera,  b.  June,  1830,  d.  March  24,  1831. 

(5.)  Maryett,  b.  Feb.,  1832,  d.  July  11,  same  year. 

(6.)  Milton  P.,  b.  July,  1833,  d.  Feb.  11,  1834. 

(7.)  Martin  Griswolil,  b.  1835,  went  to  Detroit,  Mich.,  in  early 
Ufe,  and  rem.,  soon,  to  California,  where  he  r.  at  last  accounts. 

2.  Caroline,  m.  William  Livermore,  and  removed  to  Sacketts 
Harbor,  Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.     They  had  four  children  : 

(i.)    William,  r.  in  Watertown,  N.  Y. 

(2.)  Lewis  Walker,  h.  1822,  was  adopted  by  his  uncle,  Lewis  H. 
Walker,  of  Langdon,  N.  H.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  shoe- 
maker, was  m.,  and  r.  at  last  accounts  in  Sacketts  Harbor,  N.Y. 

(3.)  Fannie,  m.  Palmer  of  Sacketts  Harbor. 

(4.)  Helen,  m.  Butts  of  Sacketts  Harbor. 

8.  LuCREiiA,  b.  Aug.  10,  1796,  m.  (pub.  Sept.  26,  1819,)  Roswell 
Hodgkins,  b.  Sept.  28,  1797,  son  of  John  and  Hannah  (Spooner) 
Hodgkins,  of  Charlestown.  Mr.  Hodgkins  was  a  farmer, — died 
in  Langdon,  Aug.  14,  1847;  h'S  widow,  Lucretia,  d.  July  11, 
1849,  '^-  53-     Their  children  were  : 

(i.)  Lucretia  Evans,  b.  Nov.  6,  1820,  m.  Martin  Luther  Hines, 
by  trade  a  silver-plater,  r.  Springfield,  Mass.  (1883.)  They 
have  three  children  :  i.  "  Fred  ;"  2.  "  Eugene  ;"  3.  "  Louise." 
(2.)  Roswell,  b.  April  i,  1823,  m.  Mirab  Russell,  r.  Saxton's  River, 
Vt.  He  is  a  carriage  painter,  has  one  child:  i.  "Frances," 
who  m.  George  Bailey  of  Saxton's  River,  and  has  one  child  : 
I.  Annie. 
(3.)  John,  b.  Oct.  18,  1827,  d.  in  Langdon,  Nov.  28,  1847,  unm., 

aged  twenty-two  years. 
(4.)  Hannah  Louise,  b.  Jan.  18,  1831,  m.  Sept.  29,  1855,  James 
Pierce,  b.  Jan.  27,  1837,  son  of   Sewell  and  Mary  (Stowers) 
Pierce.     They  r.  in  Maiden.     Mr.   Pierce  was  engaged  suc- 
cessfully in  the  dry-goods  business  in  Boston,   from    1858  till 

80 


634  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

J 871,  when  he  sold  out  that  business,  and  has  since  been 
connected  with  the  firm  of  Lane,  Pierce  &  Co.,  leather  mer- 
chants, of  Boston, — being  also  connected  with  an  extensive 
tannery  business  located  in  Albion,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y. 
He  has  been  often  called  to  official  stations  by  his  townsmen 
of  Maiden,  having  served  as  selectman, — for  several  years  as 
representative  to  the  General  Court, — and  for  two  years  as 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  Senate.  When  Maiden  became 
a  city  he  was  made  president  of  the  Common  Council,  to 
which  position  he  was  re-elected  the  present  year  (1883). 
He  has  had  five  children:  i.  "Joseph  Frank,"  b.  in  Lowell, 
Feb.  14,  1858;  2.  "WilHe,"  b.  in  Maiden,  April  15,  1863, 
d.  April  15,  1863;  3.  "Charles  Edwin,"  b.  in  Maiden,  Aug. 
4,  1864,  d.  Oct.  12,  1864;  4.  "AHce  Louisa,"  b.  in  Maiden, 
Jan.  29,  1869;  5.  "Addie  Florence,"  b.  in  Maiden,  May  23, 
1872. 

4.  Abigail,  r.  in  Langdon,  d.  in  Charlestown,  unm. 

5.  Margaret,  b.  Oct.  10,  1800,  (pub.  March  29,  1818,)  m.  Nathan 
Bond,  b.  April  2,  1792,  son  of  William  Bond  of  Charlestown, 
N.  H.  He  was  for  many  years  gate  keeper  at  Cheshire  bridge 
in  Charlestown,  but  removed  to  Claremont,  N.  H.,  where  he  d. 
Mrs.  Bond  d.  in  Charlestown.     They  had  no  children. 

6.  Lewis  H.,b.  1801,  m.  Dec.  25,  1828,  Abigail  Garfield,  b.  Nov.  3, 
1805,  daughter  of  John  and  Susan  (Rogers)  Garfield  of  Charles- 
town, N.  H.  He  was  a  farmer,  r.  Langdon,  and  d.  July  13, 
1843.  His  widow  m.  (second)  Warren  H.  Dodge,  and  died  in 
Charlestown,  Feb.  24,  1874.  Mr.  Walker  had  five  children  : 
(i.)  Fannie  Maria,  b.  Dec,  1829,  d.  Sept.  26,  1830. 

(2.)    George  Mortimer,  b.  1831,  d.  Sept.  12,  1834. 
(3.)   Elizabeth,  m.  Fred  Cooley,  r.  Bellows  Falls,  Vt. 
(4.)  Jabez,  and  (5.)  Eliza,  both  d.  in  infancy. 

(A  daughter  of  Seth  Walker  married  a  Farnsworth,  and  resided  in 
Charlestown  ;  which  one,  has  not  been  ascertained.)  His  children  by 
second  wife,  (Jemima) — born  after  he  left  Shirley — were 

IX.  MARY,  born  in  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  Aug.  9,  1766. 

X.  JEMIMA,  born  in  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  April  27,  1768. 

XL  EMMA  (or  EME),  b.  March  26,  1770,  m.  Peter  Evans,  b.  Oct. 
23,  1773,  son  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Gilbert)  Evans  of  Charlestown, 
N.  H.  They  resided  at  Rockingham,  Vt.,  (where  all  their  children 
were  b.,)  until  181 7,  when  he  removed  to  Charlestown,  and  be- 
came the  owner  of  the  Seth  Walker  homestead.  He  d.  in  Charles- 
town, July  29,  1856,  aged  eighty-three.  His  wife,  Eme,  d.  March 
II,  1862,  at  the  age  of  ninety  three.     Children  : 

L  LucRETiA,  died  Dec.  2,  1820,  aged  twenty-two,  unmarried. 

2.  James  Walker,  m.  Jan.   i,   1825,  Eunice  Hodgkins,  and  d.  in 
St.  Charles,  111.     He  had  eight  children  : 
(i.)  Lucretia,  d.  unm. 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  635 

(2.)  Frances,  d.  unm.     (3.)  A  Son,  d.  young, 

(4.)  Albert,  was  lost  by  the  burning  of  steamer  between  New 
York  and  Nassau.  He  was  m.  and  had  three  children:  i. 
"May,"  b.  in  St.  Charles,  and  two  b.  in  California.  His  widow 
and  three  children  reside  in  California  (1883). 

(5.)  James,  a  machinist,  d.  unm.     (6.)  Edward,  d.  unm. 

(7.)   Catherine,  m.  a  Dr.  Bunker.     (8.)  Martha,  d.  unm. 

.  Seth  Gilbert,  b.   Dec.   13,   1803,  m.  Oct.  28,  1834,  Hannah 
Louise  Hodgkins,  b.  Nov.  21,  1807,  daughter  of  John  and  Han- 
nah (Spooner)  Hodgkins.     Mr.  Evans  d.   May  31,  1856.     Mrs. 
Evans  died  in  Charlestown,  Aug.  24,  1871.     Children: 
(i.)   Clara  L.,  b.  Aug.  16,  1835  ;  m.  July  8,  1862,  Rev.  Lyman 
Dwight  Chapin  of  Amsterdam,  N.  Y.,  b.  Sept.  18,  1836,  (son 
of  Rev.  A.  L.  and  Abby  (Hays)  Chapin  of  Newark,  N.  J.) 
Mr.  Chapin  is  a  graduate  of  Amherst  College  and  of   Union 
Theological    Seminary.      Both  he  and   his  wife  entered    the 
foreign  missionary  field,  under  the  auspices  of  the  American 
Board,     immediately     after    their    marriage.       Children :    i. 
"Lyman  Dwight,"  b.  at  Tientsin,  North  China,  Jan.  11,  1864, 
d.  Feb.  2,   1867;    2.  "Louise  Evans,"  b.  at  Tientsin,  North 
China,  Jan.  10,  1866;  3.  "Abbie  Goodrich,"  b.  at  Tungchau, 
North   China,  April   2,   1868;    4.  "Edward    Dwight,"    b.  at 
Tungchau,  North  China,  Nov.  12,  1869  ?  5-  "Mary  Hannah," 
born  at  Tungchau,  Feb.,  1872  ;  6.  "Nellie  Gertrude,"  born  at 
Tungchau,  July  30,  1874,  died  at  Tientsin,  June,  1875. 
(2.)  Louisa  Dana,  b.  March  9,  1837,  d.  July  22,  1858. 
(3.)  Jane   G.,  b.  Nov.  7,  1838  ;  missionary  at  Tungchau,  China. 
(4.)  Helen  A.,  b.  July  30,  1840,  m.  Feb.  i,  1871,  John  Lefferts 
of  Flatbush,  N.  Y.     Children  :   i.  "Leffert,"  b.  Sept.  27,  1871  ; 
2.  "Dwight  Chapin,"  b.  Oct.  22,  1874;  3.  "Arthur,"  died  in 
infancy  • — all  b.  at  Flatbush. 
(5.)  Seth  Gilbert,  b.  Sept.  16,   1842,  m.  June   17,    1868,  Mary 
Emma    Frederick,  r.    (1883)  in  Albany,  N.  Y.     Children  :   i. 
"Frank  Frederick,"  b.  Oct.  6,  1870;    2.  "Charles  Gordon," 
b.  June  6,  1873. 
(6.)  Martha  Isabel,  b.  Sept.  17,  1844,  m.  Oct.  15,  1874,  Rufus 
Phinehas  Stebbins  Webster,  r.  (1883)  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ;  two 
children, — i.  "Evans,"  and  2.  "Richard." 
(7.)  Lucretia  Estella,  b.  Jan.  9,  1847,  has  been  a  teacher  of  a 

select  private  school  in  Charlestown. 
(8.)  Ada  Marion,  b.  April  29,  1851, — a  teacher. 

Elizabeth,  m.  Epaphroditus  Ely,  son  of  Isaac  H.  and  Relief 

(Stone)  Ely  of  Charlestown.     She  d.  Oct.  7,  1866.     Children  : 

(i.)  Elizabeth  Stone,  m.   Nov.  10,  1846,  Roswell  Smith  of  Had- 

ley,  Mass., — has  one  child:   i.  "Emma  Elizabeth,,"  whom. 

Frank  Smith  of  Hadley. 

(2.)  Louisa  Walker,  m.  Dec.  i,  1847,  Cotton  G.  Nash,  b.  Sept. 

10,  1820,  son  of  Erastus  and  Penelope  (Gaylord)  Nash; — has 

three  children:   r.  "Allan  Ely,"  b.  Nov.  7,  1849;  2.  "Samuel 

Gaylord,"  b.  June  13,  1853  ;  3.  "  Edwin  C.,"  b.  Dec.  27,  1869. 


636  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(3.)  Allan  Evans,  m.  Lois  Brewster,  dau.  of  Jonathan  Brewster 
of  Northampton,  Mass.  He  was  killed  on  a  railroad  in  Geor- 
gia, in  1858.  Had  three  children:  i.  "Henry  Allan;"  2. 
"Esther  Brewster;"  3.  " Louisa  Walker,"  d.  Aug.  22,  1859. 

5.  Peter  Allan,  b.  Jan.  20,   181 1,  m.  Nov.   5,  1838,  Theodosia 
Story  Willard,  (b.  April   14,  181 8,)  daughter  of  John  and  Thera 
Willard  of  Charlestown.     Children  : 
(i.)  Emma,  b.  Dec.  20,   1839,  m.  Oct.  21,  186 1,  John  Stratton 

Walker   of   Langdon.      One   child,    r.    Langdon :    i.    "John 

Stratton,"  b.  March  20,  1867. 
(2.)  Allan,  b.  July  7,  1850,  ra.  Oct.  21,  1871,  Emma  E.  Ryder; 

reside  in   Boston.     Children:    i.  "Waldo  Allan,"  b.  May  21, 

1872,  d.  March  11,  1873;    2.  "Gertrude,"  and  3.  "Grace," 

both  died  in  infancy  ;    4.  "  Alice." 

212Ialfeet,  Samuel/  (Seth,-"  Joseph,"  Samuel,-  Richard,^  vvas 
a  brother  of  Seth  Walker,  the  register  of  whose  descendants  precedes 
this.  He  was  born  August  30,  1721,  married  Dec.  20,  1750,  Mary 
Stratton,    (born    Jan.    2,    1723,)    daughter   of    Ebenezer  and  Lydia 

( )  Stratton  of  Watertown.     He  settled  in   Shirley,  about  the 

time  of  his  marriage,  on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
Charles  H.  Dodge — where  he  continued  to  reside  through  life.  His 
wife  died  Dec.  7,  1794,  and  he  died  Dec.  15,  181 7.  Their  remains 
lie  buried  side  by  side  in  the  old  cemetery,  where  very  few  of  their 
family  relatives  have  joined  them  ; — and  none  of  their  descendants 
now  reside  in  town.  Mr.  Walker  lived  with  his  wife  forty-four  years, 
and  survived  her  a  widower  twenty-three  years,  his  life  being  pro- 
tracted to  the  great  age  of  ninety-six  years. 

During  his  active  manhood  he  was  an  enterprising  and  useful 
citizen,  both  in  a  private  and  public  capacity.  He  was  a  thrifty 
and  successful  agriculturist,  knowing  how  to  turn  both  the  sandy 
plain  and  the  rich  intervale  to  the  best  account.  He  was  also  a 
faithful  public  servant.  For  twelve  years  he  was  chosen  to  the 
responsible  office  of  treasurer  of  the  town,  and  from  a  subaltern  arose 
to  the  chief  command  of  the  town  militia.  In  addition  to  this  he 
was  frequently  called  to  duties  of  a  public  nature,  both  in  church  and 
municipal  affairs,  and  never  allowed  himself  to  betray  his  trust,  or 
depart  from  a  line  of  strict  integrity.  He  vvas  one  of  the  eighty  from 
Shirley  who  responded  to  the  Lexington  alarm,  April  19th,  1775. 

The  Walker  farm  contained  originally  three  hundred  acres,  a  por- 
tion of  which  was  excellent  intervale  land,  while  back  from  the  river 
was  a  magnificent  tract  of  pine  timber,  and  other  portions  heavily 
timbered  with  hickory  and  the  different  kinds  of  hard  wood.  Over 
two  hundred  bushels  of  hickory  nuts  are  known  to  have  been  sold 
frou)  the  place  in  a  single  year,  and  the  pine  timber  has  been  a  source 
of  wealth  to  the  recent  owners.  The  farm  remained  in  possession  of 
the  Walker  family  for  three  generations,  when  Dea.  Samuel  Stratton 
Walker  sold  it  to  Mr.  Levi  Dodge,  the  father  of  the  present  owner. 

Capt.  Samuel  Walker  had  seven  children,  six  of  whom  married  and 
setded  in  New  Hampshire — becoming  pioneers  in  the  settlement  of  a 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  637 

new  country.  Most  of  them  had  large  famiUes  whose  descendants 
are  now  scattered  far  and  wide  over  the  land.  After  the  removal  of 
his  children  to  New  Hampshire,  it  was  the  custom  of  Capt.  Walker 
and  his  wife  to  visit  them  in  the  autumn  of  each  year.  They  always 
performed  the  journey  on  horseback,  tracing  their  way  through  the 
forests  (in  the  days  before  highways  had  been  constructed)  by  the 
aid  of  marked  trees.  After  the  death  of  Mrs.  Walker  in  1 794,  her 
surviving  husband  continued  his  visits  as  often  as  once  in  two  years, 
till  the  autumn  of  1804,  when  he  was  eighty-three  years  old.  On  his 
return  from  his  last  visit  (Oct.,  1804,)  he  was  accompanied  by  his  son 
Abel  and  wife, — all  being  on  horseback.  On  the  way  they  encoun- 
tered a  severe  snow-storm,  accompanied  by  violent  wind.  The  way 
became  so  blocked  with  snow  and  obstructed  by  fallen  trees  that  the 
journey  was  made  with  extreme  difficulty  and  peril.  This  account 
was  received  from  a  daughter  of  Mrs;  Abel  Walker,  born  the  second 
of  April  following  the  event.  The  mother  would  be  likely  to  retain 
a  vivid  recollection  of  the  journey. 

I.  SAMUEL,  b.  in  Shirley,  March  23,  1753,  m.  Dec.  12,  1776, 
Elizabeth  Hartwell  of  Shirley  (b.  March  3,  1753).  He  settled  in 
Chesterfield,  N.  H.,  was  a  deacon  of  the  church,  and  in  other  ways 
a  prominent  and  useful  citizen.  He  d.  in  Chesterfield,  Jan.  22, 
1830;  his  widow  d.  in  Feb.,  1840.  They  had  seven  children,  all 
b.  in  Chesterfield  : 

1.  AijA,  b.  Aug.  20,  1778,  m.  Nov.,  1801,  Sally  Wheeler,  b.  April 
20,  1 780,  daughter  of  Peter  Wheeler.  They  resided  in  Chester- 
field. Mr.  Walker  d.  May  25,  1840,  and  she  d.  May  18,  1856. 
They  had  eight  children  : 

(i.)  Sophia,  b.  Jan.  28,  1803  ;  m.  in  1827,  Abel  Parks  of  Han- 
over, N.  H.     She  d.  May  5,  1843, — had  no  children. 
(2.)  Marx  Priscilla,  b.  May  8,  1805,  m.  April   26,   1821,  Rufus 
Harvey,   and  d.  July  9,    1837.     Mr.    Harvey  d.   March   29, 

1868.  They  had  two  children:  i.  "Horace  H.,"  b.  March 
22,  1822,  m.  April  3,  1845,  Orzaline  K.,  daughter  of  Abel 
Stoddard,  and  d.  May  16,  1853,  leaving  two  children:  1. 
Henry  Webster,  b.  in  Chesterfield,  Dec.  22,  1846,  m.  in  Law- 
rence, Mass.,  Oct.  I,  1867,  Maria  Ruhamah  Gray,  b.  at  Mt. 
Vernon,  Maine,  Oct.  2,  1848,  daughter  of  Timothy  and  Clarissa 
(Miller)  Gray.     Three  children:   i.  Arthur  Henry,  b.  Jan.  3, 

1869,  at  Keene,  N.  H. ;  2.  Grace  Clara,  b.  Aug.  21,  1873,  at 
Keene  ;  3.  Bertrand  Gray,  b.  April  24,  1883  ;  they  reside  in 
Keene.  2.  ".Albert  Horace,"  b.  in  Chesterfield,  July  i,  1852, 
m.  June  11,  1873,  Lillie  Simonds,  b.  .Aug.  12,  1852,  dau.  of 
.Alfred  and  Sarah  M.  Simonds  of  Brattleborough,  Vt.  ;  they 
now  (1883)  r.  in  Lexington,  Kentucky,  and  have  one  child  :  i. 
Leon  Simonds,  b.  May  3,  1874. 

(3.)  Samuel  Harry,  b.  Nov.  17,  1807,  m.  Dec.  30,  1830, 
Laura,  daughter  of  John  Pierce.  She  died  Jan.  28,  1861. 
He  d.  Oct.  4,  1864.     They  r.  in  Chesterfield,  had  one  child  : 


(538  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

1.  "Laura Cornelia,"  who  m.  Almon  White,  of  Newport,  N.  H. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  both  d.  in  Claremont,  N.  H.,  in  1859-60, 
leaving  one  daughter:  i.  Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  Nov.  17,  1858, 
m.  Edward  B.  Knight  in  1882,  and  r.  in  Charleston,  West 
Virginia. 

(4.)   Frances  S.,  h.  Nov.  26,  181 1,  d.  Nov.  3,  1813. 

(5.)  Elizabeth,  b.  June  23,  18 14,  m.  at  Chesterfield,  N.  H., 
Aug.  23,  1837,  William  Francis  Barnard,  b.  Jan.  31,  181 1, 
at  Holmanton,  Me.  She  d.  at  Chesterfield,  April  4,  1849. 
He  d.  at  Sauk  Centre,  Minn.,  May  3,  1865.  They  had 
four  children,  all  b.  at  Chesterfield:  i.  "Sarah  Jane,"  b. 
Sept.  7,  1838,  m.  at  Otsego,  Minn.,  Feb.  3,  1861,  Stephen 
Gulicker  Barnard,  b.  July  23,  1836,  at  Mexico,  Me.,  son  of 
John  G.  Barnard.  They  r.  at  Sauk  Centre,  and  have  three 
children  :  i.  Jennie  Mabel,  b.  Nov.  26,  1862,  at  Anoka,  Minn. ; 

2.  Elmira  Elizabeth,  b.  Feb.  8,  1865,  at  Sauk  Centre,  Minn.; 

3.  John  Gulicker,  b.  Oct.  15,  1871,  at  Sauk  Centre.  2.  "Mary 
Ann,"  b.  Jan.  8,  1841,  m.  at  Anoka,  Minn.,  Nov.  22,  1862, 
Henry  Otis  Nickerson,  b.  Nov.  i,  1833,  son  of  Ephraim  and 
Dora  Nickerson,  of  New  Salem,  Franklin  county.  Me.  Chil- 
dren :  I.  Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  Dec.  13,  1863  ;  2.  Frederic  Wil- 
liam, b.  April  10,  1866  ;  3.  Harry  Barnard,  b.  Dec.  8,  1873  ; 

4.  Alice  Maud,  b.  Jan.  i,  1877.  3.  "Frederic  William,"  b. 
Oct.  22,  1843,  m.  at  Sauk  Centre,  Minn.,  Nov.  20,  1863, 
Annie  Hill  Bartlett,  b.  April  25,  1847,  daughter  of  Philander 
and  Caroline  (Hill)  Bartlett  of  Dubuque,  Iowa.  Children  :  i. 
Francis  Wilder,  b.  Feb.  18,  1864;  2.  William  Norris,  b.  Jan. 
7,  1866;  3.  Mary  Ella,  b.  May  14,  1868;  4.  Harry  Walker, 
and  5.  Hiram  Albert,  (twins,)  b.  Oct.  17,  1870, — Hiram 
Albert  d.  Sept.  1,  1871  ;  6.  Albert  Warren,  b.  March  9,  1874  ; 
7.  Freddie  Arthur,  b.  May  24,  1878.  4.  "Ella  Elizabeth,"  b. 
Jan.  16,  1848,  m.  at  Sauk  Centre,  Nov,  7,  1866,  William 
Pangburn,  b.  May  12,  1836,  son  of  James  and  Polly  Pang- 
burn;  r.  in  Maine.  Children:  i.  Minnie  Ella,  b.  Sept.  3, 
1869;  2.  Frank  Taylor,  b.  Dec.  14,  1871  ;  3.  Josie  Bell,  b. 
Nov.  15,  1873;  4.  Flora  Maud,  b.  Dec.  31,  1875  ;  5.  Jessie 
May,  b.  Aug.  17,  1877;  6.  Harry  William,  b.  Oct.  29,  1880, 
d.  Sept.  29,  1 881  ;  7.  Ralph  Henry,  b.  Nov.  27,  1882. 

(6.)  John  Warren,  b.  Jan.  8,  181  7,  d.  July  17,  1823. 

(7.)  Aimina,  b.  July  26,  1821,  d.  Nov.  18,  1823. 

(8.)  John  IV.,  b.  Sept.  19,  1823,  was  living  at  Bloomfield,  Ohio, 

at  last  accounts  (1875)  ;  has  been  twice  m.,  and  by  first  wife 

had  one  son. 

2.  SiLVA,  b.  Sept.  24,  1780,  d.  Dec.  18,  1782. 

3.  JiMNA,  b.  Sept.  7,  1782,  m.  March,  1804,  Sally  Woods,  b.  Aug. 
15?  1785  ;  r.  in  Westmoreland,  N.  H.,  and  d.  Jan.  7,  1861.  His 
wife  survived  him,  and  was  living  in  1875.  They  had  two 
children  : 

(i.)  Caroline,  b.  in  Westmoreland,  Jan.  28,  1805,  m.  at  same 
place,  July  2,  1828,  George  Edmund  Brewster,  (b.  at  Wal- 
pole,  N.  H.,  Sept.  25,   1800,)  son  of  Edmund  and    Eunice 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  639 

(Snow)  Brewster.  Mr.  Brewster  d.  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  March 
17,  1867.  They  had  eight  children,  all  b.  in  Westmoreland: 
I.  "Sarah  Caroline,"  b.  Dec.  7,  1829,  m.  at  Detroit,  Mich., 
Oct.  17,  1854,  Henry  Douglas  Harris,  son  of  Frederick  and 
Caroline  (Vivard)  Harris.  She  d.  July  27,  1855.  2.  "James 
Edmund,"  b.  Dec.  31,  1831,  unm.  (1883.)  3.  "Frances 
Maria,"  b.  Sept.  21,  1833,  m.  in  Westmoreland,  May  13, 
1857,  Hamilton  Alexander  Britton,  son  of  Calvin  and  Sarah 
(Wetherell)  Britton.  They  have  two  children  :  i .  Ida  Francis, 
b.  in  Winchendon,  Mass.,  Nov.  25,  i860;  2.  Sarah  Caroline, 
b.  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  Aug.  16,  1868.  4.  "Catherine,"  b.  Dec. 
27,  1835,  m.  (first)  in  Westmoreland,  N.  H.,  March  29,  1858, 
Almon  Butler;  he  d.  in  California,  Aug.  18,  1861  ;  had  one 
child:  I.  Sarah  Caroline,  b.  in  Westmoreland,  March  13, 
i860,  d.  Oct.  17,  1863;  sh^  ^-  (second)  in  Rutland,  Vt., 
May  4,  1864,  Charles  Munroe  Wight,  son  of  Forster  and 
Mary  (Foss)  Wight ;  now  r.  in  Novi,  Mich. ;  children  by 
second  marriage  :  2.  Madgie  Caroline,  b.  in  Detroit,  April  12, 
1866  ;  3.  Henry  Brewster,  b.  in  Westmoreland,  N.  H.,  Feb. 
25,  1868.  5.  "Georgianna,"  b.  Feb.  22,  1838,  m.  in  Detroit, 
Mich.,  April  29,  1862,  Edmonds  Green,  son  of  Richard  and 
Mary  Ann  (Arnold)  Green.  They  have  had  two  children  :  i . 
Jessie  Louise,  b.  in  Detroit,  Sept.  19,  1866;  2.  James  Ed- 
monds, b.  in  Detroit,  Oct.  9,  187 1,  d.  Aug.  9,  1872.  6. 
"Henry    Roscoe,"    b.    June    7,    1840,    d.     Feb.    4,    1842. 

7.  "  EHzabeth  Elmina,"  b.  Aug.  4,  1842,  d.  April  21,   1845. 

8.  "Elizabeth  Henrie,"  b.  April  9,  1845,  m.  in  Detroit,  Mich., 
Oct.  I,  1867,  David  D.  Cady,  son  of  David  and  Lovina 
(Potter)  Cady.  They  have  had  five  children,  all  b.  in  Detroit : 
I.  Mabel  Henrie,  b.  June  27,  1869  ;  2.  Carlos  David,  b.  Oct. 
I,  1871,  d.  July  28,  1872;  3.  James  Edmonds,  b.  May  29, 
1875,  d-  J^^y  24,  same  year;  4.  Guy  Brewster,  b.  July  3, 
1876  ;  5.  Elizabeth  CaroHne,  b.  Nov,  8,  1878. 

(2,)  Almina,  b.  Nov.  5,  18 14,  m.  (first)  April  3,  1834,  Jotham 
Lord,  Jr.,  b.  April  11,  181 2,  son  of  Jotham  and  Hannah  Lord 
of  Westmoreland,  (now  Parkhill,)  N.  H. ;  had  one  child:  i. 
"James  Walker,"  b.  Dec.  4,  1836,  who  r.  at  Parkhill,  unm., 
(1883).  Mrs.  Lord  m.  (second)  Sept.  12,  1859,  Chandler 
Ames  Cressy,  b.  Dec.  2,  1806,  son  of  Joseph  and  Martha 
Smith  Cressy  of  Chesterfield,  N.  H.  Mr.  Cressy  d.  in  West- 
moreland, July  25,  1878  ;  his  widow  d.  Dec.  13,  1882. 

4.  Arza,  b.  June  6,  1784,  m.  1807,  Lydia  Baker,  b.  June  26,  1788. 

Mr.  Walker  d.  May  17,  1828;    his  widow,  Lydia,  d.  June   26, 

same  year.     They  had  seven  children  all  b.  in  Chesterfield  : 

(i.)  Sebrana  Shaw,  b.  Jan.  18,   1809,  m.  at  Chesterfield,  July 

14,  1828,  Hon.  Wilham  Haile,  b.  in  Putney,  Vt.,  May  6,  1807. 

He  was  for  many  years  a  prominent  and  influential  citizen  of 

Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  where  he  was  extensively  engaged  in  trade, 

and,  later,  in  the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods.     From   1846 

to  1856,  (with  the  exception  of  two  years,)  he  was  a  member  of 


640  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

one  or  the  other  branch  of  the  New- Hampshire  legislature  ; 
was  president  of  the  State  Senate  in  1855, — and  in  1857,  and 
again  in  1858,  he  was  elected  governor  of  New  Hampshire. 
He  removed  to  Keene  in  1873,  where  he  died,  July  22,  1876, 
and  where  Mrs.  Haile,  his  widow,  still  resides  (1883).  They 
had  four  children:  i.  "Harriet  Cornelia,"  b.  at  Chesterfield, 
June  22,  1829,  m.  Nov.  23,  1853,  at  Hinsdale,  John  Mills 
Stebbins,  b.  at  Hinsdale,  Dec.  27,  1825.  They  have  had  five 
children,  all  b.  at  Springfield,  Mass.  :  i.  William  Haile,  b. 
March  29,  1858,  d.  at  Hinsdale,  March  2,  1862;  2.  Fred- 
erick Haile,  b.  May  24,  i860;  3.  Charles  Gay,  b.  June  13, 
1863,  d.  at  Springfield,  July  7,  1864  ;  4.  Walter  Gay,  b.  June 
4,  1865  ;  5.  Arthur  Walker,  b.  May  20,  1872,  d.  at  Spring- 
field, May  30,  same  year.  2.  "Ellen  Maria,"  b.  at  Chester- 
field, Sept.  12,  1 83 1,  m.  at  Hinsdale,  Dec.  13,  1854,  Sylvester 
Osmond  Davenport,  b.  at  Hinsdale,  1829.  He  r.  at  Hinsdale 
(1883).  Mrs.  Davenport  d.  Feb.  14,  1861.  They  had  one 
child:  I.  Gertrude  Ellen,  b.  at  Hinsdale,  May  3,  1856,  m.  at 
Keene,  N.  H.,  March  5,  1878,  Edmund  Pierson  Dole,  b.  at 
Skowhegan,  Me.  They  have  one  child  :  i.  Henry  Haile, 
b.  at  Keene,  Jan.  30,  1882.  3.  "William  Henry,"  b.  at  Ches- 
terfield, N.  H.,  Sept.  23,  1833  ;  m.  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  Jan. 

1,  186 1,  Amelia  Louisa  Chapin,  b.  at  Springfield,  April  22, 
1840,  daughter  of  Ethan  Samuel  and  Louisa  (Burns)  Chapin. 
Mr.  Haile  r.  at  Springfield,  of  which  city  he  was  chosen  mayor 
at  the  municipal  election  in  1880.  The  following  year  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Senate,  for  1882,  to 
which  body  he  was  re-elected  for  the  present  year  (1883). 
He  is  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods  at  Hins- 
dale, being  a  member  of  the  firm  established  by  his  father, — 
Haile,  PYost  &  Co.  He  has  three  children,  all  b.  at  Spring- 
field :   I.  WiUiam  Chapin,  b.  Dec.  2,  1863,  d.  Aug.  14,  1864; 

2.  Alice,  b.  July  20,  1865  !  3-  Henry  Chapin,  b.  Oct.  26,  1868. 
4.  "Sara  Jane,"  b.  at  Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  Feb.  i,  1837,  m.  at 
Hinsdale,  Dec.  7,  1863,  Obed  Gilman  Dort,  b.  at  Surry,  N.  H., 
Jan.  25,  1828.  Mr.  Dort  is  President  of  the  Citizens  National 
Bank,  Keene,  N.  H.  (1883.) 

(2.)  Horton  Dudley,  b.  June  9,  181 1  ;  m.  (first)  1834,  Susan  P. 
Rugg,  b.  May,  1815  ;  she  d.  June  27,  1837,  and  he  m. 
(second)  Aug.  20,  1839,  Mary  Ellen  Cleaves,  of  Portsmouth, 
N.  H.,  b.  Nov.  3,  1 82 1,  by  whom  he  had  two  children.  He 
m.  (third)  Oct.  11,  1865,  Hannah  Knowlton  of  Portsmouth, 
b.  1825,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Rosanna  Knowlton.  Mr. 
Walker  r.  in  Portsmouth  many  years,  and  was  one  of  its  most 
prominent  citizens.  He  d.  May  g,  1872.  His  children  (by 
second  wife)  were  :  i.  "Susan  Ellen,"  b.  July  4,  1840,  m. 
May  3,  1865,  William  Brooks  Trask,  b.  May  30,  1836,  son  of 
William  G.  and  Rebecca  (Brooks)  Trask.  They  r.  at  Erie, 
Pa.  (1883.)  2.  "Henry  Cleaves,"  b.  Dec.  9,  1841,  m.  Nov. 
8,  1865,  Martha   Davis   Fisk,  b.   Sept.    9,    1843,    daughter   of 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  641 

John  Boyle  and  Arabella  (Robertson)  Fisk  of  Chesterfield, 
N.  H.  He  resided  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  where  he  d.  Jan.  7, 
1876.  He  was  a  representative  from  Portsmouth  in  the  New 
Hampshire  legislature  the  year  previous  to  his  death.  Two 
children:  i.  Horton  Dudley,  b.  June  9,  1869;  2.  Mary 
Ellen,  b.  July  6,  1874. 

(3.)  Polly  Baker,  b.  Nov.  16,  18 13,  d.  Aug.  16,  1815. 

(4.)  Lawson,  b.  July  16,  1816,  m.  (first)  Nov,  13,  1838,  Mary 
Fisk  Lovett,  b.  July  13,  181 6,  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Hannah 
(Standly)  Lovett  of  Beverly.  She  d.  Nov.  9,  1840,  and  he 
m.  (second)  Oct.  27,  1841,  Ellen  Maria  Lovett,  b.  Jan.  18, 
1 819,  sister  of  his  first  wife  ;  she  d.  April  23,  1849,  and  he  m. 
(third)  Nov.  21,  1849,  Elizabeth  Gage  Masury,  b.  March  2, 
1828,  daughter  of  John  and  Sally  (Hull)  Masury  of  Beverly. 
Mr.  Lawson  Walker  had  (by  second  wife)  five  children,  all  b. 
in  Beverly:  i.  "Horace  Lawson,"  b.  Aug.  28,  1842,  m.  Sept. 
6,  1864,  Annie  Maria  Quimby  Smith,  b.  Sept.  28,  1843, 
daughter  of  Francis  A.  and  Sarah  R.  (Brown)  Smith  of  Mar- 
blehead ;  they  have  had  three  children,  b.  in  Beverly  :  i . 
Frank  Lawson,  b.  Oct.  5,  1865  i  ^-  William  Porter,  b.  Nov.  6, 
1868;  3.  Ellen  Maria,  b.  Nov.  12,  1871.  2.  "Mary  Ellen," 
b.  March  19,  1844,  d.  xAug.  3,  1844.  3.  "Mary  Louise,"  b. 
May  16,  1845,  d.  July  30,  1846.  4.  "Josiah  Lovett,"  b.  Oct. 
18,  1847,  ^-  f'^b.  13,  1850.  5.  "Ellen  Maria,"  b.  March  19, 
1849,  ^.  Sept.  22,  1849. 

(5.)  Parker  Davis,  b.  Aug.  26,  1820,  m.  1840,  Margaret  Jaynes, 
and  d.  May  7,  1875.  They  had  six  children  :  i.  "Willie,"  d.  ; 
2.  "Grace;"  3.  "Parker;"  4.  "Albert;"  5.  "Ellen,"  d.  ; 
and  6.  "Charles." 

(6.)  Caroline  Baker,  b.  May  3,  1822,  m.  Nov.  4,  1841,  John  B. 
Merrill,  b.  July  15,  1818,  son  of  Pardon  Hubbs  and  Emily 
(Taylor)  Merrill,  of  Hinsdale,  N.  H.  They  had  two  children  : 
I.  "Gertrude  Emma,"  b.  Sept.  9,  1842,  m.  June  10,  1873, 
Horatio  Pratt,  b.  July  31,  1837,  son  of  Horatio  and  Ann 
(Bushnell)  Pratt  of  Westbrook,  Conn.  Mr.  Pratt  is  a  coal 
merchant,  and  r.  Chicago,  111.  ;  has  had  two  children  :  i . 
Caroline  Merrill,  b.  at  Beloit,  Wis.,  Oct.  9,  1875,  d.  Feb.  18, 
1880;  2.  Anna  Bushnell,  b.  June  25,  1878.  2.  "Isabel 
Walker,"  b.  Oct.  31,  1849,  ™-  ^'^ug.  14,  1876,  Charles  Lin- 
coln Morgan,  b.  Jan.  31,  1849,  son  of  David  and  Marian 
Morgan  of  Boston.  Mr.  Morgan  is  a  clergyman,  residing  at 
Moline,  111.  (1883.)  One  child:  i.  Carl  Merrill,  b.  Jan.  15, 
1880. 

(7.)  William  Porter,  born  Feb.  4,  1825,  m.  August  19,  185 1, 
Anna  C.  Peale,  of  Salem,  Mass.,  b.  Oct.  21,  1826;  had  one 
child:  I.  "Nellie  Peale,"  b.  in  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  April  2, 
1862. 

.5.  Betsey,  b.  Oct.  28,  1786,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to Cham- 
berlain,   and    (second)    Jan.    12,    1815,   to   Joseph    Dewey    of 

81 


642  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Hanover,  N.  H.     She  d.  at  Hanover,  Sept.,  1828.     Mr.  Dewey 
d.  June  30,  1872.     They  had  two  children  : 

(i.)  Gardner  Walker,  b.  at  Hanover,  Jan.  22,  1816,  m.  Sept. 
16,  1839,  Marcia  Ann  Clark  of  Enfield,  N.  H.  ;  he  d.  May 
25,  1872;  his  widow,  Marcia  A.,  is  now  living  (1883)  in 
Des  Moines,  Iowa.  They  had  two  children:  i.  "Walter 
Whipple,"  b.  July  18,  1841,  m.  Julia  Hess  of  Bowling  Green, 
Kentucky,  and  now  r.  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  One  child:  i. 
Ernest,  b.  July  7,  1880.  2.  "Carrie  E.,"  b.  July  22,  1848, 
m.  March  12,  1871,  Addison  L.  Day  of  Utica,  N.  Y.  They 
have  one  daughter:   i.  Daisy,  b.  Dec.  7,  1879,  r.  Utica,  N.  Y. 

(2.)  Catherine  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Hanover,  April  5,  1826,  m.  April 
29,  1852,  J.  Appleton  Melcher  of  Alabama.  They  r.  (1883) 
in  San  Francisco,  Cal. ;  have  one  son  :  i.  "Eugene  Appleton," 
b.  1853,  r.  San  Francisco. 

6.  Phila,  b.  April  21,  1790,  m.  Feb.  28,  18 10,  Ebenezer  Robert- 
son, b.  July  7,  1787.  She  d.  April  10,  1876;  he  d.  April  22, 
1882.     They  had  four  children  : 

(r.)  Stratton  Walker,  b.  Feb.  19,  18 12,  was  twice  m.,  (first) 
June,  1834,  to  Lucy  x'\nn  Curtis,  b.  May  13,  1813  ;  (second) 
June,  1868,  to  Mrs.  Margaret  J.  (Noyes)  Norris.  He  died 
in  Salem,  Mass.,  March  25,  1881.  Children  (by  first  wife) 
I.  "Lucy  Ellen,"  b.  April  24,  1837;  2.  "William  Walker," 
b.  May  28,  1843,  ^-  Oct.  31,  1868,  Mary  Jane  Symonds,  b. 
Nov.,  1843. 

(2.)  Arabell,  b.  April  12,  1815,  m.  Nov.  13,  1838,  John  Boyle 
Fisk,  b.  April  10,  1816,  son  of  Thomas  and  Lucinda  (Trow- 
bridge) Fisk  of  Chesterfield,  N.  H.  Mr.  Fisk  r.  in  Chester- 
field (1883),  is  a  farmer,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  has 
served  his  town  as  selectman.  Mrs.  Fisk  d.  Oct.  3,  1876  ; 
had  three  children,  b.  in  Chesterfield  :  i.  "Harry  F.,"  b.  May 
15,  1840,  m.  Oct.  16,  1865,  at  Winchester,  N.  H.,  Mary 
Wyman,  b.  Aug.  6,  1845,  daughter  of  Timothy  and  Eliza 
Wyman  of  Wardsborough,  Vt.  They  have  one  child  :  i.  Fred 
Nathaniel,  b.  at  Hinsdale,  Aug.  16,  1867  ;  they  r.  in  Spring- 
field, Mass.  (1883.)  2.  "Martha  Davis,"  b.  Sept.  9,  1843, 
m.  (first)  Nov.  8,  1865,  Henry  Cleaves  Walker,  son  of  Horton 
Dudley  Walker  of  Portsmouth  (see  page  640).  She  had  two 
children:  i.  Horton  Dudley,  b.  June  9,  1869;  2.  Mary 
Ellen,  b.  July  6,  1874.  She  m.  (second)  Edward  Stebbins  of 
Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  where  she  r.  (1883.)  3.  "Frank  Delos,"  b. 
Feb.  17,  1846,  m.  Jan.  5,  1870,  Celina  Emily  Aldrich,  daugh- 
ter of  Alfred  Aldrich  of  Westmoreland.  He  is  postmaster 
and  telegraph  operator  at  Hinsdale.  Children:  i.  A  son,  b. 
July  22,  died  August  15,  1874;  2.  Pauline,  born  July  13, 
1875  ;  3-  Marion,  b.  March  30,  1877  j  4.  Florence,  b.  Oct. 
18,   1878. 

(3.)  Noyes,  b.  Nov.  4,  18 18,  m.  (first)  Nov.  2,  1842,  Eveline 
Melissa   Day,   b.  Feb.,  1823,   daughter  of   David   and  Phebe 


MRS,  BATHSHEBA   WALKER    EGERTON. 

.  KniTii  :i  pDitruit  liy  Tuns.  \Vai;k,  1S22. 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  643 

(Fletcher)  Day  of  Chesterfield.  She  d.  Jan.  29"  1852.  He 
m.  (second)  June  9,  1853,  Helen  Maria  Cobb,  b.  Feb.  12, 
1830,  daughter  of  Richard  Cobb  of  Saxtons  River,  Vt.  He  is 
a  farmer,  of  Chesterfield.  Children:  i.  "Edgar  Francis,"  b. 
June  24,  1844,  m.  July  26,  1866,  Sarah  Jane  Amsden,  b.  Aug. 
28,  1845,  of  Hinsdale,  where  he  r.  He  d.  Nov.  13,  1879. 
They  had  three  children:  i.  Chrissie  Eveline,  b.  April  13, 
1869;  2.  Winthrop  Samuel,  b.  July  10,  1875;  3-  Clinton 
Edgar,  b.  April  15,  1877,  d.  Sept.  8,  1877.  2.  "Gertrude 
Eveline,"  b.  Oct.  2,  1855.  3.  "Cadmen  David,"  b.  Nov.  23, 
1863. 
{d,?)  James  Frederick,  b.  Oct.  i,  1824,  m.  March  17,  1846, 
Mary  Emeline  Cobleigh,  b.  Dec.  8,  1823,  daughter  of  Jona- 
than and  Harriet  (Hastings)  Cobleigh,  of  Chesterfield.  He 
d.  March  6,  1865,  in  Chesterfield.  They  have  had  three 
children:  i.  " Emma  Frances,"  b.  vSept.  22,  1847,  i^i-  Nov. 
26,  1868,  Webster  Lucius  Rixford,  b.  Aug.  6,  1848,  of  Winch- 
ester, N.  H.  They  have  two  children:  i.  Willie  Lucius,  b. 
Feb.  3,  1870;  2.  Emma  Frances,  b.  June  28,  1873.  2. 
"Freddie  Stratton,"  b.  Oct.  22,  1855,  d.  Feb.  28,  1857. 
3.  "Cora  Adell,"  b.  Sept.  23,  1858,  m.  Sept.  5,  1878,  Henry 
Hamilton  Pratt,  b.  March  15,  1858,  of  Winchester,  N.  H. 
They  have  one  child  :   i.  Fred  Wells,  b.  Oct.  20,  1879. 

7.  Stratton,  b.  May  18,  1795,  d.  Oct.  10,  181 1. 

n.  MARY,  b.  in  Shirley,  March  10,  1755,  m.  Jonathan  King  of 
Alstead,  N.  H.  (pub.  Nov.  21,  1784.)  After  a  short  residence  in 
Alstead,  they  removed  to  East  Windsor,  Conn.,  where  they  d., 
leaving  descendants.  Mrs.  King  d.  March  8,  1801.  They  had 
two  children,  both  of  whom  were  m.  and  had  families  ;  beyond 
which  facts  we  have  been  able  to  obtain  little  information. 

1.  Lydia,  m.  Epaphroditus  Grant  of  East  Windsor. 

2.  Joel,  m.  and  lived  in  Connecticut. 

HL  BATHSHEBA,  b.  in  Shirley,  Feb.  25,  1757,  m.  Feb.  27,  1783, 
James  Egerton,  b.  at  East  Bridgewater,  March  i,  1753,  and 
settled  in  Langdon,  N.  H.  They  had  seven  children.  (See 
Egerton  family,  pp.  jgg  to  408.)  She  was  a  woman  of  genial 
and  kindly  disposition,  of  rare  force  and  beauty  of  character.  She 
managed  her  household  affairs  with  wisdom  and  prudence,  and 
passed  an  active  and  useful  life,  idolized  by  her  children,  and 
esteemed  by  her  neighbors,  for  her  many  good  qualities  of  mind 
and  heart.  She  d.  March  9,  1849,  her  life  having  been  prolonged 
through  ninety-two  years.  She  lived  to  count  over  forty  grand- 
children and  thirteen  great-grand-children  ;  and  her  residence  in 
the  town  of  Langdon  extended  from  its  settlement  over  a  period 
of  two  generations.     Mr.  Egerton  died  Oct.  15,  18 13. 

IV.  ABEL,  b.  in  Shirley,  July  11,  1759,  m.  Feb.  22,  1783,  Hannah 
Page,  b.  March  24,  1757,  daughter  of  Simon  and  Hannah  (Gilson^ 


644  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Page  of  Shirley.  He  was  one  of  six  brothers  and  sisters  who  mar- 
ried and  left  their  native  town  to  make  homes  for  themselves  in  the 
wild  forests  of  New  Hampshire.  He  settled  in  the  town  of  Lang- 
don,  (then  Charlestown,)  where  he  became  a  skillful  and  success- 
ful farmer,  and  a  worthy  and  respected  citizen.  He  died  April 
1 6,  1833,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  and  his  widow  died  July 
20,  1 84 1,  aged  eighty-four.  They  had  ten  children,  all  born  in 
Langdon  : 

1.  GiLSON,  b.  April  12,  1784,  m.  Abigail  Carter  of  Needham, 
Mass.,  b.  April  16,  1792.  He  was  a  farmer  of  Langdon,  where 
he  d.  Nov.  14,  i860,  aged  seventy-six.  His  wife,  Abigail, 
d.  March  i,  1850.  They  had  eleven  children,  all  b.  in  Lang- 
don : 

(i.)  Otis,  b.  Jan.  24,  1814,  m.  x^pril  4,  1859,  Orpha  W.  Thurs- 
ton, b.  Nov.  14,  1835,  daughter  of  Moses  H.  and  Charlotte 
(Fifield)  Thurston  of  Orange,  Vt.  ;  was  a  farmer  of  Langdon, 
was  often  called  to  the  transaction  of  town  affairs,  and  d.  Oct. 

17,  1870.  He  had  two  children,  b.  in  Langdon  :  i.  "Ellery 
Otis,"  b.  Nov.  I,  i860,  r.  Bellows  Falls,  Vt.,  unm. ;  2.  "Etta 
Maria,"  b.  Oct.  3,  1863.  Mrs.  Walker  r.  Alstead,  N.  H. 
(1883.) 

(2.)  Calvin  Warren,  b.  March  29,  1815,  m.  Sept.  20,  1843, 
Emily  Parker  Scripture,  b.  Nov.  18,  1822,  daughter  of  Hills 
and  Patty  (Parker)  Scripture  of  Nelson,  N.  H.  Mr.  Walker 
r.  at  Bellows  Falls,  Vt.,  where  he  was  the  principal  owner  and 
manager  of  the  Fall  Mountain  brewery.  He  died  Jan.  5, 
1883.  He  had  one  daughter:  i.  "Eva  Louise,"  born  in 
Charlestown,  N.  H.,  Nov.  19,  1847,  m.  Sept.  2,  1880,  Charles 
Marshall  Blake,  b.  July  21,  1849,  ^o^^  o^  Seth  and  Martha 
Jane  (Glover)  Blake  of  Bellows  Falls.  She  has  one  child  : 
I.  Emily  Isabel  Walker,  b.  Jan.  27,  1882.  They  r.  Bellows 
Falls.     Mrs.  Walker  r.  with  her  daughter  (1883). 

(3.)  John,  b.  July  25,  1816,  m.  Nov.  13,  1862,  Evelyn  Sarah 
Upton,  b.  Nov.  13,  1840,  daughter  of  Alson  and  Sarah  (Scott) 
Upton  of  Stoddard,  N.  H.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  an  active 
and  influential  citizen  of  Langdon,  where  he  d.  Nov.  20,  1869. 
He  had  one  child  :   i.  "John  Everett,"  b.  in  Langdon,  Dec. 

18,  1864,  d.  at  Nashua,  N.  H.,  Sept.  25,  1876.  Mrs,  Walker 
r.  Nashua  (1883). 

(4.)  Samuel,  b.  Feb.  9,  1818,  m.  Sept.  12,  1848,  Nancy  Waitt 
Peirce,  b.  Aug.  21,  1827,  daughter  of  James  and  Nancy 
(Waitt)  Peirce  of  Marblehead.  Mr.  Walker  is  an  oil  merchant 
of  Boston,  and  r.  in  Watertown.  He  has  had  six  children  :  i . 
"Abbie  Melissa,"  b.  in  I^oston,  Sept.  19,  1849,  m.  June  6, 
1872,  Charles  Bartlett  Gardner,  and  r.  Watertown  ;  has  one 
child:  I.  Roy  Richardson,  b.  March  6,  1873.  2.  "Ella 
Pierce,"  b.  in  Boston,  Jan.  12,  1851,  d.  May  i,  1862.  3. 
"Walter  Warren,"  b.  in  Boston,  April  8,  1853,  r.  Watertown. 
4.  "  Alma  Carter,"  b.  in  Watertown,  Jan.   22,   1855,  m.   Oct. 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  645 

6,  1 88 1,  Walter  Channing  Whitney,  an  architect,  r.  Minneap- 
olis, Minn.;  has  one  child:  i.  Marion,  b.  Aug.  i6,  1882.  5. 
"Mabel  Waitt,"  b.  in  Watertown,  Nov.  5,  1858,  m.  April  12. 
1877,  John  Dana  Dickinson,  a  dentist,  of  Boston,  r.  Water- 
town,  has  two  children  :  i.  Mabel  Draper,  b.  in  Watertown, 
March  17,  1878;  2.  John  Walker,  b.  Oct.  20,  1879.  6. 
"Mary  Eugenia,"  b.  Oct.  19,  i860,  d.  June  23,  1861. 

(5.)  Caro/ine,  h.  ]an.  11,  1820,  m.  Dec.  15,  1842,  Samuel  H. 
Grinnell,  b.  Oct.  27,  181 1.  Mr.  Grinnell  resides  in  Charles- 
town,  N.  H., — selectman  in  1854,  '55  and  '56.  Mrs.  Grin- 
nell d.  in  Langdon,  Jan.  i,  1846,  of  consumption  ;  one  child  : 
I.  "Abbie  Walker,"  b.  March  17,  1844;  resides  Charlestown. 

(6.)  Nancy,  born  Dec.  6,  1821,  m.  Oliver  Campbell,  and  resides 
in  Cambridge.  Mass.  One  child  :  i.  "Emma,"  b.  in  Alstead. 
N.  H.,  Aug.  5,  1849. 

(7.)  Sophia,  b.  Feb.  14,  1823,  m.  William  Murphy,  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Laura  (Shumway)  Murphy  of  Langdon.  She  d.  in 
Alstead,  N.  H.,  Sept.  20,  1864,  of  consumption.  They  had 
two  children  :  i.  "  Carrie  Walker,"  who  is  married  and  r.  in 
Cambridge  ;   2.  "a  son,"  d.  in  infancy. 

(8.)  Jarvis  Columlnis,  b.  Dec.  14,  1824,  m.  Jan.  4,  1862,  Mar- 
cia  A.  Hammond,  b.  (in  Reading,  Vt.,)  Sept.  7,  1S39, 
daughter  of  Luther  and  Amanda  (Currier)  Hammond  of 
Weathersfield,  Vt.  They  r.  in  Langdon,  N.  H. ;  he  is  a 
farmer.  Two  children:  i.  "Mary  Abbie,"  b.  at  Alstead. 
Nov.  II,  1866;  2.  "Delia  Carrie,"  b.  at  Alstead,  Nov.  20, 
1869. 

(9.)   Harriet,  b.  Dec.  5,  1826,  d.  Dec.  19,  same  year. 

(10.)  Alvah,  b.  July  17,  1828,  m.  Isabel  Flanders,  b.  in  Cam- 
bridge, July  27,  1840,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Nancy  Oakes 
(Coburn)  Flanders.  Mr.  Walker  is  an  oil  merchant  of  Boston, 
and  has  had  two  children  :  i.  "Guy  Warren;"  b.  in  Boston. 
Oct.  5,  1869;  2.  "Blanche  Bel,"  b.  in  Svvampscott,  July  24. 
1872. 

(11.)  Ira,  b.  April  28,  1831,  d.  in  Cambridge,  Mass.,  Dec.  21, 
1863,  unm. 

'2.  John,  b.  Nov.  20,  1785,  d.  unm.  in  Boston,  Aug.  27,  1806. 

3.  Hannah,  b.  Sept.  12,  1787,  m.  June  2,  1806,  Marvin  Way,  b. 
at  Newport,  N.  H.,  March  24,  1781,  son  of  Raynolds  and  Irena 
Way.  Mr.  Way  became  a  resident  of  Langdon,  N.  H.,  where 
he  followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer,  and  d.  there  Oct.  6. 
1856.  Mrs.  Way  d.  April  16,  of  the  same  year.  They  had 
seven  children  : 

(i.)  Warren  Walker,  b.  in  Windham,  Vt.,  Nov.  4,  1807,  m. 
Nov.  21,  1836,  Mary  Ann  Osgood,  b.  Oct.  i,  181 6,  daughter 
of  Manassah  Osgood.  Mr.  Way  was  a  farmer  in  Charles- 
town,  N.  H.,  where  he  d.  March  25,  1872.  Mrs.  Way  d. 
Oct.  6,  1869.  They  had  two  children,  both  b.  at  Newport, 
N.  H. :   I.  "Mary  Maria,"  b.  April  15,  1840,  m.  Oct.  9,  i860. 


(34(i  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

George  Sumner  Bond,  b.  March  2,  1837,  son  of  Silas  and 
Alice  (Abbott)  Bond  of  Charlestown,  N.  H. ;  child:  i.  Her- 
bert Warren,  b.  July  30,  1861,  r.  Charlestown.  2.  "Alvah 
Charles,"  b.  Dec.  5,  1843,  m.  Sept.  30,  1867,  Catherine  Jane 
Putnam,  b.  Sept.  15,  1845,  daughter  of  Oliver  and  Catherine 
(Dunsmoor)  Putnam  of  Charlestown,  N.  H.  Children:  i. 
Stella  Augusta,  b.  April  17,  1870;  2.  Frederic  Elwin,  b.  June 
II,  1872  ;  3.  Byron  Oliver,  b.  1874,  r.  Charlestown. 

(2.)  Sophronia,  b.  at  Windham,  Vt.,  April  2,  1810,  m.  Jan.  i, 
1833,  Asa  Smith,  b.  March  6,  1807,  son  of  Ebenezer  and 
Susan  (Durant)  Smith  of  Langdon,  N.  H.  They  reside  in 
Langdon,  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  good  old  age,  having  passed 
over  fifty  years  of  wedded  life  together.  He  is  a  farmer. 
One  child:  i.  "Ira  Persons,"  b.  in  Langdon,  May  29,  1835, 
m.  Jan.  24,  i860,  Melissa  Maria  Hurd,  b.  Aug.  9,  1842, 
daughter  of  Moses  and  Adelia  D.  (Barton)  Hurd  of  Newport, 
N.  H. ;  r.  in  Langdon. 

(3.)  Samuel  Walker,  b.  in  Newport,  April  17,  18 12,  m.  Ange- 
line  Turner  of  Maine,  settled  at  Nealesville,  Clark  county, 
Wis.,  where  he  r.  at  last  accounts  (1872),  a  farmer.  Children  : 
I.  "Arthur;"   2.  "Nettie;"  3.  "Seward." 

(4.)  Cynthia  Maria,  b.  in  Newport,  N.  H.,  July  4,  1815,  m. 
May  26,  1838,  Joseph  Burt,  b.  in  Milford,  N.  H.,  July  22, 
1 8 14,  son  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Abbott)  Burt.  He  is  a 
carpenter.  They  r.  in  Charlestown,  N.  H.  (1883),  and  have 
had  three  children:  i.  "James  Elliott,"  b.  in  Putney,  Vt., 
Sept.  24,  1839,  m.  in  Worcester,  Fanny  DriscoU  of  New  Bed- 
ford, r.  Somerville,  is  a  news-dealer;  2.  "Joseph  Ellery,"  b. 
in  Alstead,  N.  H.,  Feb.  7,  1843,  "f^-  i'^  Philadelphia,  Ara 
Banner  DeMille,  r.  Washington,  D.  C.  ;  3.  "  George  Marvin." 
b.  in  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  Feb.  11,  1857,  m.  in  Boston, 
Bessie  Chapin. 

(5.)  Jonathan  Brcnvn,  b.  in  Newport,  N.  H.,  May  29,  1818,  m. 
May  13,  1852,  Emily  Sartwell,  b.  Oct.  21,  1827,  daughter  of 
Simon  and  Betsey  (Elwell)  Sartwell  of  Langdon,  N.  H.  He 
died  at  Alstead,  N.  H.,  July  14,  1869.  Children:  i.  "John 
Sartwell,"  b.  in  Alstead,  Oct.  9,  1854,  m.  Jennie  Humphrey, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Jennie  (Moulton)  Humphrey  of  Bos- 
ton, resides  in  Boston  ;  2.  "Emily,"  b.  Dec.  3,  1858,  d.  April 
■  15,  1859;  3.  "Minnie  Etta,"  b.  Oct.  28,  i860,  d.  June  26, 
1862;  4.  "Freddie  Marvin,"  b.  May  22,  1863,  d.  Aug.  15, 
1865;  5.  "Ida  Betsey,"  b.  .Aug.  22,  1866;  6.  "Gertrude 
.Abbie,"  b.  March  4,  1869.  Mrs.  Emily  Way,  widow  of  Jona- 
than B.,  (now  Mrs.  Ansel  Glover,)  resides  in  Alstead  (1883). 

(6.)  James  Egerton,  b.  Nov.  27,  1820,  d.  Sept.  2,  1824. 

(7.)  Elvira,  b.  Sept.  19,  1823,  d.  Dec.  21,  1827. 

4.  Abel,  b.  Oct.  3,  1789,  m.  Rachel  Perkins.     He  d.  in  Langdon, 
July  22,  1825.     He  had  two  children  : 

{i.)  John  Z.,  b.  in  Langdon,  1825,  d.  June  3,  1826,  aged  four- 
teen months. 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  647 

(2.)  William,  b.  in  Langdon,  1 826,  m.  and  r.  in  Cambridge  (i  883 ). 
5.  Samuel,  b.  Dec.  12,  1791,  d.  in  Langdon,  Jan.  5,  1792. 

().  Lucy,  b.  Aug.  31,  1793,  m.  Feb.  13,  181 1,  Calvin  Dinsmore,  b. 

Feb.  7,   1 788,  son  of  Thomas  and  Sally  Dinsmore,  of  Alstead, 

N.  H.     Mr.  Dinsmore  was  a  farmer,  of  Alstead,  where  he   d. 

June  26,  i860.     His  widow,  Lucy,  d.  Aug.  18,  1863.     They  had 

elev'en  children  : 

(i.)  Mary  Ann,  b.  in  Langdon,  July  27,  1812,  m.  March  16, 
1838,  Frederick  Willard  Scovell,  of  Walpole,  N.  H.  She  d. 
at  Walpole,  July  26,  1848.  Mr.  Scovell  r.  in  California  (1883). 
They  had  five  children,  all  born  in  Walpole:  i.  "George 
Henry,"  b.  Dec.  23,  1838,  m.  Caroline  O.  Mason  of  Walpole. 
has  one  daughter:  i.  Lillian  Mason,  born  Aug.  4,  1876.  Mr. 
Scovell  deals  in  butter  and  cheese,  at  Faneuil-Hall  market,  and 
r.  in  Boston  ;  2.  "Albert  Dinsmore,"  born  March  30,  1840,  m. 
Carrie  Wright  of  Walpole,  has  one  son  :  i.  Homer,  and  r.  in 
Manchester,  N.  H. ;  3.  "Mary  Ellen,"  b.  April  27,  1842,  m. 
Martin  Van  Buren  Clark,  who  is  a  grocer  of  Keene,  N.  H. 
They  have  three  children  :  i.  George  Henry,  b.  Nov.  17,  1867  ; 
2.  Nellie  Elizabeth,  b.  Feb.  6,  1872  ;  3.  Lena  Agnes,  b.  June 
13,  1877.  4.  "Ozro  Addison,"  b.  June  6,  1845,  m.  Emma  F. 
Drew,  daughter  of  A.  S.  Drew  of  East  Boston  ;  they  r.  in 
Chelsea,  and  have  three  children  :  i.  Edith  Aileen,  b.  March 
16,  1876;  2.  Clifford  Addison,  b.  May  15,  1877;  3.  Orzo 
Mortimer,  b.  Aug.  6,  1878.  Mr.  Scovell  is  in  the  provision 
business  in  Faneuil-Hall  market,  Boston.  5.  "Frederick  S.," 
b.  July  9,  1848,  went  to  Nevada,  and  m.  there. 

(2.)   Caroline,  b.  in  Langdon,  Feb.  11,  1815,  d.  March  14,  1816. 

(3.)  y^ohn  Green,  b.  in  Alstead,  Jan.  29,  181 7,  m.  Sept.  29. 
1846,  Mary  Elizabeth  Spencer,  b.  in  Springfield,  Vt.,  Nov.  26. 
1826,  daughter  of  Guy  and  Mary  (Warren)  Spencer  of  Spring- 
field, Vt.  One  child  :  i.  "William  Warner,"  b.  in  Alstead, 
Feb.  12,  1857.     They  r.  in  Alstead. 

(4.)  Caroline,  b.  in  Alstead,  Nov.  5,  1818, — fatally  injured  by 
a  fall  from  a  carriage, — d.  at  Alstead,  March  31,  1842,  unm. 

(5.)  Thomas,  b.  in  Alstead,  March  4,  182 1,  m.  March  27,  1844, 
Mary  A.  Graham.  Mr.  Dinsmore  is  in  the  butter  and  cheese 
business  at  Faneuil-Hall  market,  Boston,  but  resides  in  Alstead, 
N.  H. ;  has  been  railroad  commissioner  for  the  State  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  New-Hampshire 
Senate  for  1883.  He  has  two  children  :  i.  "Arthur Thomas," 
b.  in  Boston,  Sept.  25,  1857,  m.  Sept.,  1880,  Lizzie  Buchanan, 
daughter  of  John  Buchanan  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  He  is  in 
business  in  Faneuil-Hall  market,  Boston;  has  one  child  :  i. 
Artie  Agnes,  b.  Feb.,  1881.  2.  "Mary  Graham,"  m.  Charles 
G.  Maynard.  Mr.  Maynard  is  proprietor  of  the  Dinsmore 
House,  Walpole,  N.  H. 

(6.)  Sumner,  b.  in  Alstead,  Aug.  24,  1822,  d.  Aug.  14,  1824. 

(7.)  Lemuel  Willis,  b.  in  Alstead,  March  24,  1824,  m.  Jan.  10, 
1855,  Clarissa  Maria  Egerton,  b.  Jan.   23,   1820,  daughter  of 


648  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Samuel  and  Clarissa  (King)  Egerton  of  Langdon.  He  is  a 
farmer,  and  occupies  the  Calvin  Dinsmore  homestead  in 
Alstead. 

(8.)  Lucy  yane,  b.  in  Alstead,  Feb.  28,  1826,  m.  June  2,  1846, 
George  Addison  Brooks,  b.  April  15,  1826,  son  of  Frederick 
and  Susan  H.  Brooks  of  Stoddard,  N.  H.  Mr.  Brooks  is  a 
manufacturer  of  edged  tools,  and  r.  at  Alstead.  They  have 
had  two  children  :  i.  "George  Eugene,"  b.  April  19,  1849,  ^• 
April  23,  1862  ;   2.  "Addie,"  b.  May,  1853,  d.  in  infancy. 

(9.)  Ellen  Sophia,  b.  in  Alstead,  Nov.  16,  1827,  m.  Dec.  30, 
1852,  James  Egerton  King,  b.  May  13,  1822,  son  of  Samuel 
and  Sophia  (Egerton)  King  of  Acworth,  N.  H.  Mr.  King  d. 
Oct.  16,  1 86 1,  and  she  m.  (second)  Jacob  Richardson,  a 
merchant  of  South  Acworth.  Her  children  (by  first  husband) 
were:  i.  "Emma  Eliza,"  b.  at  Ottawa,  Canada,  April  25, 
1856;  2.  "Clarissa  Elmira,"  b.  at  Ottawa,  Oct.  20,  i860,  d. 
in  Alstead,  Sept.  20,  1865. 

(10.)  Eihnund,  b.  in  Alstead,  Jan.  18,  1832,  ni.  Jan.  31,  1861, 
Arvilla  L.  Barrett,  daughter  of  Asa  and  Arvilla  (Wheeler) 
Barrett.  They  r.  in  Alstead  ;  have  had  four  children  :  i . 
"Elmira  E."  b.  Nov.  19,  1861,  d.  Mar.  19,  1864  ;  2.  "Myra," 
b.  1863,  m.  March  26,  1883,  Ernest  Mack  of  Marlow,  N.  H. ; 
3.  "George  Calvin,"  b.  1866;  4.  "Gertie  May,"  b.  May  23, 
1872,  d.  Dec.  14,  1874. 

(11.)  Elmira,  b.  in  Alstead,  Oct.  9,  1833,  m.  Sept.  30,  1854, 
Elisha  Smith  Kent,  son  of  Isaac  and  Susan  (Ware)  Kent  of 
Alstead.  She  d.,  Sept.  10,  i860,  in  Alstead.  Two  children  : 
I.  "Charles,"  b.  Dec.  9,  1854,  a  blacksmith,  r.  Alstead;  2. 
"Carrie,"  b.  May  2,  1856,  m.  Norman  Howard,  son  of 
Stephen  Howard  of  Alstead  ;  has  had  three  children  :  i.  Ber- 
trand  Elisha,  b.  in  Alstead,  March  19,  1878;  2.  Bertha  Sarah, 
b.  in  Alstead,  Feb.  24,  1880,  d.  aged  eleven  months  ;  3.  Mabel 
Jane,  b.  in  Alstead,  May  24,  1882. 

7.  Samuel,  b.  June  10,  1795,  d.  Dec.  20,  same  year. 

'S.  Edmund,  b.  in  Langdon,  N.  H.,  Jan.  5,  1797,  m.  April  14, 
1822.  Adaline  Howard,  b.  June  15,  1799,  daughter  of  Jeremiah 
and  Sally  (Humphrey)  Howard  of  Langdon.  He  was  a  farmer, 
and  resided  in  I-angdon,  where  he  d.  April  20,  1859.  His. 
widow  d.  April  21,  1872.  They  had  five  children,  all  b.  in 
Langdon,  viz.  : 

(i.)  Harriet  Elizabeth,  b.  Jan.  19,  1823,  m.  Nov.  24,  1842, 
Almon  Franklin  Cooper,  b.  June  27,  1819,  son  of  Horatio 
and  Betsey  (Gale)  Cooper  of  Alstead,  N.  H.  Mr.  Cooper 
was  a  blacksmith.  His  wife  d.  at  Langdon,  Dec.  25,  i860, 
leaving  one  daughter:  i.  "Emma  Anna,"  b.  at  Alstead, 
March  30,  1843.  She  m.  July  14,  1862,  Bernard  Harrington, 
b.  Sept.  4,  1 81 8,  son  of  Nahum  and  Rachel  (Miles)  Harring- 
ton of  Northborough,  Mass.  They  have  had  three  children, 
b.  in  Keene,   N.   H.,  where  she  still  r.  (1883.)      Children: 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  649 

I.  "Mary  Emma,"  b.  Nov.  28,  1863,  d.  Feb.  27,  1864;  2. 
"Edith  Rachel,"  b.  Oct.  28,  1865;  3.  "Helen  Eliza,"  b. 
Sept.  14,  1869. 

(2.)  Sarah  Adaiine,  b.  Nov.  19,  1825,  m.  Sept.  9,  1847, 
Winsor  Gleason,  b.  Jan.  19,  181 7,  son  of  Curtis  and  Betsey 
(Randall)  Gleason  of  Langdon.  Mr.  Gleason  is  a  produce 
merchant,  and  r.  in  Boston.  Mrs.  Gleason  d.  March  17,  18S1, 
leaving  three  children,  all  b.  in  Boston,  viz.:  i.  "Haskell 
Winsor,"  b.  May  26,  1848,  m.  May  17,  1870,  Nellie  Foss, 
daughter  of  Alfred  and  Sophronia  (Parker)  Foss  of  Woodstock, 
Vt. ;  2.  "Edmund  Walker,"  b.  May  12,  1853,  m.  Jan.  14,  1878, 
Hannah  E.  Paige,  daughter  of  John  Paige  of  Plymouth,  N.  H. ; 
3.  "Walter  Howard,"  b.  Jan.  28,  1864. 

(3.)  Edmund  Howard,  b.  August  12,  1828.  He  is  a  merchant 
in  Boston,  and  r.  in  Melrose  (1882),  unm. 

(4.)  John  Stratton,  b.  March  28,  1831,  m.  Oct.  10,  1861, 
Emma  Evans,  daughter  of  Peter  Allan  and  Theodosia  (Wil- 
lard)  Evans  of  Charlestown,  N.  H.  He  is  a  farmer,  and  r.  on 
the  homestead  formerly  occupied  by  his  father,  in  Langdon. 
He  has  one  child  :   i.  "John  Stratton,"  b.  March  20,  1867. 

(5.)  Frances  Adelaide,  b.  April  25,  1839,  m.  March  8,  1882, 
Winsor  Gleason,  b.  Jan.  19,  1817,  son  of  Curtis  and  Betsey 
(Randall)  Gleason  of  Langdon,  N.  H.  (being  his  second  wife.) 
They  r.  in  Boston. 

y.  Jonas  Page,  b.  Sept.  6,  1800,  m.  in  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  June 
II,  1826,  Eliza  Spaulding,  b.  June  15,  1805,  daughter  of  Alpha 
and  Elizabeth  (Tyler)  Spaulding  of  Leominster,  Mass.  He  set- 
tled first  at  Westport,  N.  Y.,  but  soon  removed  to  Essex,  N.  Y., 
which  place  he  made  his  home  for  life,  following  the  occupation 
of  a  farmer.  Mrs.  Walker  d.  June  15,  1853;  he  d.  May  12, 
1 86 1 .     They  had  six  children  : 

(i.)  Eliza  Ellen,  b.  in  Westport,  May  9,  1827,  m.  March  10, 
1 85 1,  Melville  Sheldon  of  Essex.  She  died  Feb.  5,  185-,  of 
consumption,  leaving  no  children. 

(2.)  Gardner  J^onas,  b.  in  Westport,  Oct.  24,  1828,  m.  June 
26,  1853,  Camilla  Royce,  daughter  of  Calvin  and  Abigail  W. 
(Mather)  Royce  of  Essex.  He  is  a  farmer  of  Whallonsburgh, 
Essex  county,  N.  Y.,  (1883)  and  has  four  children  :  i.  "Jonas 
Gardner,"  b.  June  13,  1854,  m.  Feb.  9,  1882,  Charlotte  Ursula 
Fisher,  b.  Nov.  3,  1863,  daughter  of  William  J.  and  Armenia 
Southwell  (Skinner)  Fisher;  2.  "Howard  Calvin,"  b.  June  13, 
1859,  m.  April  12,  1882,  Alma  Augusta  Stafford,  b.  Nov.  24, 
1858,  daughter  of  Adam  and  Elvina  (Brasted)  Stafford;  3. 
"Asaph,"   b.  April  27,  1862;    4.  "Ellen,"   b.  May  10,  1865. 

(3.)  Sophia,  born  May  27,  1830,  died  Jan.  12,  1833. 

(4.)  Asaph  T.,  b.  Nov.  8,  1832,  m.  Oct.  8,  1855,  Abbie  Sophia 
Claflin  of  Leominster,  Mass.  He  died  at  Essex,  N.  Y.,  Sept. 
18,  1865,  leaving  no  children. 

82 


650  •  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(5.)  Abel  Page,  b.  Sept.  7,  1835,  m.  July  5,  1866,  Abbie  Bald- 
win, daughter  of  Philip  and  Abigail  (Spaulding)  Baldwin  of 
Essex,  and  has  children;  he  resides  at  Essex  (1883). 

(6.)  Myra  Esielle,  b.  May  5,  1840,  m.  April  23,  1864,  John 
Wilson,  and  resides  (1883)  in  VVestport,  N.  Y.  She  has  three 
children:  i.  "Wallace,"  b.  Dec.  31,  1864;  2.  "Addie,"  b. 
Dec.  17,  1866  ;  3.  "IVlinnie,"  b.  July  13,  1868. 

10.  Harriet,  b.  April  2,  1805,  m.  June  8,  1826,  Elisha  Garfield, 
b.  Jan.  I,  x8o2,  son  of  EHsha  and  Polly  (Vance)  Garfield  of 
Langdon,  N.  H.  Mr.  Garfield  became  the  owner  of  the  Abel 
Walker  homestead  in  Langdon,  where  he  followed  the  occupa- 
tion of  farming  till  1846,  when  he  removed  to  Fitchburg,  and 
was  for  eighteen  years  connected  with  the  Fitchburg  Sentinel 
printing  establishment.  During  his  residence  in  Langdon  he  was 
much  engaged  in  town  affairs,  being  often  chosen  to  represent 
the  town  in  the  legislature,  and  to  perform  the  duties  of  select- 
man and  town  clerk.  In  1865  he  removed  to  Chicago,  which 
city  he  made  his  future  home.  He  d.  while  on  a  visit  to  Sara- 
toga, Oct.  25,  1873.  Mrs.  Garfield  r.  with  her  daughter,  at 
Hartford  (1883).  They  had  six  children  : 
(i.)  Elisha  Sumner,  b.  at  VVestport,  N.  Y.,  March  8,    1827,   d. 

at  Fitchburg,  Jan.  6,  1847. 
(2.)  Allen  Stearns,  b.  at  Westport,  N.  Y.,  April   19,    1829,  d.  at 

Fitchburg,  Nov.  11,  1846. 
(3.)  Albert  George,  b.  at  Westport,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  31,  1831,  m. 
March  11,  1861,  Jane  Amelia  Manchester,  b.  in  New  York 
city,  Nov.  2,  1840,  daughter  of  Peter  Bois  and  Jane  Amelia 
(Sheldon)  Manchester.  They  r,  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Garfield 
being  at  the  head  of  the  Garfield  Manufacturing  Co.,  in  the 
manufacture  and  sale  of  horse-clothing.  They  have  had  three 
children:  i.  "Minnie  Manchester,"  b.  at  Chicago,  April  8, 
1862,  d.  Jan.  8,  1871  ;  2.  "Albert  George,"  b.  at  Allen's 
Grove,  Wis.,  July  20,  1863,  d.  at  Chicago,  March  12,  1864; 
3.  "Walter  Sumner,"  b.  in  Chicago,  June  16,  1868. 
(4.)  Mary  Reed,  b.  July  4,  1834,  m.  Dec.  22,  1873,  Erastus 
James  Bassett,  b.  March  27,  1820,  son  of  Jesse  and  Aurelia 
(Tutde)  Bassett  of  Stockbridge,  Mass.  They  r.  in  Hartford, 
Conn.,  Mr.  Bassett  being  connected  with  the  yEtna  Insurance 
Company. 
(5.)  Ellery  Irving,  b.  Dec.  7,  1837,  m.  March  16,  1864,  Mary 
Elizabeth  Straw,  b.  Aug.  19,  1838,  daughter  of  Stephen  Stan- 
ley and  Miriam  (Bean)  Straw  of  Lowell,  Mass.  Mr.  Garfield 
at  present  resides  in  Lexington,  Mass.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  were  b.  in  Detroit,  Mich.  :  i.  "Alexander 
Stanley,"  b.  March  3,  1866;  2.  "Warren  Hamilton,"  b.  Nov. 
22,  1868;  3.  "Miriam  Elizabeth,"  b.  July  15,  1876. 
(6.)  Sarah  Maria,  b.  Dec.  17,  1839,  m.  Aug.  30,*  1871,  Horace 
Hamilton  Barber,  b.  Oct.  11,  1827,  son  of  Nathaniel  and 
Elizabeth  Ball  (Miller)  Barber  of  Canaan,  N.  H.  They  r.  in 
Chicago.     They  have  had  one  child  :   i.  "  Winthrop  Garfield," 


^■"o. 


ypbp^ 


"nt,  w.  P.  Allen,  Gat^i^ 


Mrs.  HARRIET  WALKER  GARFIELD. 


^'•'Qt,  w.  P.  Allen, 


ELISHA  GARFIELD,  Esq, 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  651 

b.  in  Chicago,  March  19,  1876,  d.  in  Hartford,   Conn.,  Nov. 
30,  1881. 

V.  JOHN,  b.  in  Shirley,  June  3,  1762,  m.  Sept.  6,  1781,  Sarah 
Parker  of  Shirley,  b.  April  29,  1767,  daughter  of  Lemuel  and  Betsey 
Parker.  The  only  member  of  the  family  that  remained  in  his 
native  town,  Mr.  Walker  retained  his  father's  farm, — had  seven 
children, — and  d.  (by  suicide)  July  14,  1820.  His  widow  d.  Jan. 
3,  1822.     His  children  were  all  b.  in  Shirley,  and  were  : 

1.  Basil,  (twin,)  b.  July  14,  1788,  d.  July  24,  1788. 

2.  Blaze,  (twin,)  b.  July  14,  1788,  d.  July  30,  1788. 

3.  John,  b.  Nov.  27,  1789,  m.  Susan  Blood  of  Bolton,  went  to  r. 
in  some  part  of  Alabama,  and  d.  there,  July,  1835. 

4.  Sophia,  b.  March  5,  1792,  m.  Theophilus  Parkhurst  of  Harvard 
in  1812,  had  one  child  :  • 

(i.)  Sophia,  b.  Feb.,  1821,  d.  June  8,  1826. 

h.  Sarah,  b.  July  21,  1794,  m.  June  25,  1818,  Jason  Bigelow  of 
Harvard,  had  one  child,  and  d.  Dec.  21,  1857.     Her  child  : 
(i.)  Sarah  Elizabeth,  b.  June  21,  1819,  d.  June  8,  1826. 

6.  Samuel  Stratton,  b.  Oct.  4,  1796,  m.  Mary  Fletcher  of 
Groton,  lived  for  a  time  on  the  farm  where  he  was  born,  but 
eventually  removed  to  Harvard,  where  he  d.  Nov.  18,  1846. 
He  lived  in  Shirley  at  the  time  of  the  great  excitement  which 
pervaded  the  Commonwealth,  occasioned  by  the  division  in  the 
Congregational  church  into  Unitarian  and  Trinitarian  denomina- 
tions. As  a  follower  of  the  old  Puritan  faith,  Mr.  Walker  took  a 
very  active  part  in  this  excitement,  and  even  went  from  town  to 
town  in  the* vicinity  of  Shirley,  on  a  mission  for  collecting  funds, 
by  the  aid  of  which  the  brick  meeting-house,  in  the  centre  of 
Shirley,  was  erected.  Outside  of  his  efforts  as  a  religionist 
he  was  not  especially  known  to  the  public. 

7.  Harriet,  b.  Aug.  6,  1799,  ^-  i"  Harvard,  Sept.  i,  1856,  unm. 

VI.  LYDIA,  b.  in  Shirley,  March  3,  1765,  m.  Caleb  Hunt  of  Stod- 
dard, N.  H,  He  was  b.  March,  1761,  and  was  descended  from 
William^  Hunt  (the  immigrant)  of  Concord,  through  Isaac-  of 
Concord,  Isaac"  of  Sudbury,  Abidah'*  of  HoUiston,  and  Willard^ 
and  Martha  (Wadkins)  Hunt  of  Dublin,  N.  H.  He  had  been  pre- 
viously m.  (Dec.  25,  1786,)  to  Lavina  Ball.  He  r.  for  different 
periods  of  time  in  Stoddard,  in  Alstead,  and  in  Charlestown,  N.  H., 
and  after  the  death  of  his  second  wife,  Lydia  Walker,  which  oc- 
curred at  Charlestown,  Jan.  15,  1801,  he  removed  to  Marlborough, 
N.  H.,  where  he  d.  May  5,  1811.  He  bore  the  title  of  captain. 
His  children  (all  by  second  wife)  were  : 

1.  Samuel  Walker,  b.  in  Stoddard,  Dec.  3,  1790.  He  became 
clerk  for  James  Reed  &  Co.,  Boston,  where  he  d.  Sept.  18,  181 2, 
unm. 


652  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

2.  Luther  Ball,  b.  March  i6,  1792.  At  the  early  age  of  twelve 
he  left  his  New- Hampshire  home,  and  went  to  the  vicinity  of 
St.  Albans,  Vt.,  where  he  entered  the  office  of  Judge  Turner, 
and  began  the  study  of  law ; — was  admitted  to  practice  at  the 
age  of  twenty, — and  from  that  time  (except  while  serving  the 
town  or  Commonwealth  in  civil  or  military  offices)  was  constantly 
engaged  in  a  large  and  lucrative  practice  of  law.  When  twenty - 
one  years  old,  he  became  a  member  of  the  Vermont  legislature, 
— and  for  seven  years  continued  the  youngest  member  of  that 
body, — democracy  being  his  political  faith.  He  was  a  member 
of  all  the  Constitutional  Conventions  of  the  state  for  fifty  years, 
and  in  1844  was  appointed  Assistant-Judge  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas.  He  r.  for  some  years  at  Fairfax,  Vt.,  but  spent 
the  latter  portion  of  his  life  at  St.  Albans.  He  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Sally,  daughter  of  Capt.  Nathaniel  Gove  ;  she  d.  Jan. 
18,  1 85 1,  aged  fifty-four.  He  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Charlotte  I. 
(Hubbard)  Hall.  His  first  wife,  a  lady  greatly  beloved,  became 
a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  and  died  in  the  com- 
munion of  that  faith.  On  the  7th  of  June,  1852,  Judge  Hunt 
and  his  second  estimable  wife  were  confirmed  in  the  same 
ancient  faith.  He  d.  at  Fairfax,  Feb.  18,  1866.  He  had  seven 
children  : 

(i.)  Jane  L.  C,  b.  Dec.  21,  181 5,  m.  \V.  L.  Strong  of  Bur- 
lington, Vt. 

(2.)  James  L.,  b.  April  23,  181 7,  m.  (pub.  March  9,  1846,) 
Mary  VV.  Bellows,  r.  at  Loon  Lake,  N.  Y.  (1883.) 

(3.)   George  Gove,  b.  Aug.  9,  1824. 

(4.)  Henry  J.,  b.  March  4,  1826,  m.  Sept.  9,  1852,  Sybil  M. 
Browning  of  Hubbardston.  He  d.  at  Chelsea,  Mass.,  Oct.  14, 
1 86 1,  leaving  no  children. 

(5.)  Grace  A.,  b.  Aug.  16,  1827,  m.  Henry  G.  Edson  of  St. 
Albans,  r.  St.  Albans  (1883). 

(6.)  Luther  B.,  b.  Nov.  9,  1830,  r.  St.  Albans. 

(7.)  An  Infant,  d.  young. 

3.  Stratton,  b.  1793,  d.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  27,  1795. 

4.  Elvira,  b.  Sept.,  1795,  d.  at  Alstead,  Nov.  17,  1797. 

5.  Stratton  Ball,  b.  at  Alstead,  N.  H.,  Jan.  12,  1799.  In  1820 
he  went  to  Fairfax,  Vt.,  where  his  brother,  Luther  B.  Hunt  then 
lived, — making  the  journey  on  foot.  After  living  in  Fairfax  five 
years  he  went  to  Cambridge,  where  he  engaged  in  business  with 
success,  but  in  a  few  years  returned  to  Fairfax,  where  he  lived 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  June  i,  1881,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years.  He  was  m.  Oct.  8,  1826,  to  Abigail  C.  Par- 
melee  of  Fairfax,  who  survives  him — with  three  children,  Luther 

B.  Hunt  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Halsted,  and  Clarissa 

C.  Hunt  of  Fairfax.  "  Mr.  Hunt  was  an  invalid  for  fifty  years 
of  his  life.  What  would  have  crushed  ordinary  men  at  once  he 
met,  and  in  a  measure  overcame,  by  his  indomitable  will-power 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  653 

and  resolution  to  keep  himself  interested  in  the  activities  of  the 
social,  civil,  and  political  life  of  the  times.  He  interested  him- 
self with  decided  convictions  and  a  remarkable  tenacity  of 
purpose  in  everything  that  pertained  to  his  own  town  and  the 
political  issues  of  the  country.  His  opinions  once  formed  were 
held  with  an  unflinching  grasp  against  all  opponents,  and  without 
fear  of  consequences.  He  was  a  zealous  Mason  for  sixty  years, 
and  was  buried  with  the  impressive  rites  of  that  order."  He  had 
four  children  : 
(i.)    jfoseph  Parmelee,   b.    Oct.   31,   1833,   m.  June    19,    1861, 

Gynthia  S.  Bradley;  had  one  son  :    i.  "Frank   Parmelee,"  b. 

Jan.   15,  1863,  d.  Dec.  31,  1866.     Joseph   P.    Hunt  d.   Sept. 

15,  1865. 
(2.)  LutJie?'  Ball,  b.  Aug.  30,  1836,  r.  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 
(3.)  Abigail  jfane,  b.  Sept.  24,  1838,  m.  Nov.  15,  i860,  Charles 

E.  Halsted  of  Fairfax  ;  has  two  children  :    i.  "  Aletha  C,"  b. 

May  5,  1862  ;  2.  "Stratton  Hunt,"  b.  June  23,  1866.    Charles 

E.    Halsted  d.  March  8,  1868. 
(4.)    Clarissa  Collins,  b.  Oct.  17,  1842, 

6.  Henry,  b.  Nov.,  1800,  d.  at  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  June  15,  1801. 

Vn.  IS.\AC,  b.  in  Shirley,  March  18,  1767.  He  m.  July  21,  1794, 
Polly  Porter,  b.  Feb.  18,  1769,  of  Charlestown,  N.  H.,  and  settled  in 
Langdon,  N.  H.,  where  all  his  children,  eleven  in  number,  were  born. 
About  the  year  181 3  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Covington,  Tioga 
county,  Penn.,  where  he  d.  July  25,  1839,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two. 
He  followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer.  Mrs.  Walker  d.  in  Cov- 
ington, Mar.  24,  1847,  aged  seventy-eight.  Of  their  eleven  children, 
ten  lived  to  the  age  of  manhood  and  womanhood,  and  became 
industrious  and  useful  citizens  ;  most  of  whom  were  honored  from 
time  to  time  with  offices  of  trust  in  the  townships  where  they  resided. 
At  the  time  when  Mr.  Walker  sought  a  home  for  his  family  in  Penn- 
sylvania, (writes  one  of  his  grand-children)  "  Tioga  county  was  one 
vast  wilderness,  containing  less  than  two  thousand  inhabitants  ; — 
now  it  teems  with  a  population  of  over  fifty  thousand.  Then  there 
were  no  roads  and  no  mills, — the  settlers  having  to  go  thirty  or 
forty  miles  through  the  forests  with  a  pack-horse,  to  get  their  grist 
of  corn  or  wheat  ground  (if  they  were  lucky  enough  to  have  any) ; 
now  the  iron  rail  spans  all  of  our  valleys,  and  the  whistle  of  steam- 
mills  are  heard  in  all  directions.  Then  not  a  ton  of  coal  had  been 
mined  within  the  borders  of  the  county ;  now  the  yearly  shipments 
exceed  nine  hundred  thousand  tons.  Then  there  was  but  one 
school-house  in  the  county ;  now  we  have  a  state  normal-school, 
a  soldiers'-orphan  school,  numerous  high-schools,  and  our  hill-sides 
are  dotted  with  houses  for  the  free  education  of  our  children. 
The  main  industries  of  the  county  are  mining,  tanning,  lumbering 
and  farming."     Children  : 

1.  Royal,  b.  Jan.  14,  1796,  m.  Feb.  7,  1822,  Rachel  Johnson,  b. 
May  8,  1797,  of  Bradford  Co.,  Penn.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  r. 
in    Covington,  where  he  d.  Oct.  16,    1875,  aged  seventy-nine. 


654  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

His  wife  d.  Aug.  30,  1842.     They  had  eight  children,  all  b.  in 

Covington  : 

(i.)  Samuel  S.,  b.  Sept.  28,  1822,  m.  May  18,  1862,  Charlotte 
A.  Johnson,  b.  Aug.  27,  1827,  daughter  of  Jacob  Johnson  of 
Covington.  Mr.  Walker  follows  the  occupation  of  a  railroad 
engineer,  r.  at  Port  Jervis,  N.  Y.  He  has  two  children:  i. 
"Ida  M.,"  b.  at  Port  Jervis,  Sept.  18,  1864  ;  2.  "William  H.," 
b.  at  Port  Jervis,  May  20,  1867. 

(2.)  Eliza,  b.  Aug.  11,  1824,  m.  Jan.  i,  1849,  Charles  Howland, 
b.  Feb.  17,  1820,  a  farmer  of  Covington.  She  had  seven 
children,  and  d.  of  consumption  at  Covington,  Oct.  29,  1873. 
I.  "Ella  J.,"  b.  Dec.  i,  1849,  m.  Dec.  5,  1877,  Sidney  Hoag- 
land ;  2.  "Eddie  L.,"b.  Aug.  13,  1851,  m.  Oct.  29,  1879, 
Mary  Williams,  b.  in  Aberdair,  Wales,  July  4,  i860.  He  r.  in 
Covington,  where  he  is  employed  in  a  glass-factory ;  has  one 
child:  I.  Eliza  May,  b.  May  15,  1881  ;  3.  "Emma  L.,"  b. 
Aug.  2,  1853,  d.  at  Covington,  Sept.  12,  1861  ;  4.  "William 
E.,"  b.  Oct.  16,  1855,  m.  Sept.  11,  1878,  Louise  Lutes  of 
Covington.  He  is  a  farmer,  and  r.  in  Covington.  Children  : 
I.  Maud  Eliza,  b.  March  31,  1880,  in  Troy,  Pa.;  2.  Charles 
F.,  b.  Aug.  10,  1881,  in  Covington  ;  5.  "Charles  H.,"  b.  Feb. 
12,  1858,  m.  Oct.  24,  1877,  Sarah  Coe  ;  6.  "Ransford,"  and 
7.  "Randolph,"  (twins,)  b.  Nov.  18,  1859  ;  Ransford  m.  Nov. 
24,  1881,  Anna  Marvin;  Randolph  d.  July  9,  1862,  at  Cov- 
ington. 

(3.)  William,  b.  March  26,  1826,  went  to  Australia  some  years 
ago,  since  which  he  has  not  been  heard  from. 

(4,)  James  Porter,  b.  Sept.  5,  1830,  m.  Nov.  5,  1859,  Adaline 
J.  Canfield,  b.  Feb.  10,  1839.  He  was  a  railroad  conductor, 
and  r.  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  He  d.  at  Port  Jervis,  N.  Y.,  Jan. 
31,  1882,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  children,  who  r.  (1882)  in 
Brooklyn.  Children:  i.  "Laura,"  b.  Nov,  13,  1861;  2. 
"Ada,"  b.  Jan.  14,  1873. 

(5.)  Henry  E.,  b.  Feb.  6,  1833,  was  killed  by  a  railroad  accident 
on  the  Erie  railroad,  April  18,  1853,  while  employed  as  fire- 
man with  his  brother,  Samuel  S.  VValker. 

(6.)  Elmina,  (twin,)  b.  March  3,  1835,  m.  April  5,  1852,  John 
M.  Hoagland,  b.  Nov.  15,  1827,  son  of  John  Hoagland  of 
Covington.  He  is  section-master  on  the  Tioga  railroad,  and 
r.  in  Covington.  Children,  all  b.  in  Covington:  i.  "Stewart 
M.,"  b.  Dec.  4,  1853,  m.  April,  1875,  Josephine  Crowley  of 
Covington.  He  is  a  railroad  engineer,  and  r.  Port  Jervis.  He 
has  one  child:  i.  Harry  L.,  b.  Aug.  28,  1879.  2.  "Leila 
E.,"  b.  Nov.  8,  1859;  3.  "Kitty  M.,"  b.  March  12,  1866;  4. 
"John  R.,"  b.  Nov.  21,  1871. 

(7.)  Elvina,  (twin,)  b.  March  3,  1835,  m.  Feb.  22,  1872,  Samuel 
Bevans  ;  has  no  children  (1883). 

(8.)  Z'lphia  J.,  b.  May  9,  1837,  d.  at  Covington,  April  4,  1842. 

2.  Isaac,  b.  Feb.  25,  1797,  m.  Aug.  20,  1822,  Sally  Harkness,  b. 
March    10,  1802,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Holland) 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  655 

Harkness  of  Pelham,  Mass.  He  removed  from  Covington,  Pa., 
to  Elmwood  township,  Peoria  county,  111.,  where  he  found  a 
home  for  life,  and  followed  the  occupation  of  farming.  Mrs. 
Walker  d.  Aug.,  1839  ;  he  d.  Sept.  30,  1861  ; — both  d.  of  con- 
sumption.    They  had  three  children  : 

(i.)  Julius  Daniel,  b.  at  Covington,  Pa.,  Nov.  26,  1826,  m. 
Feb.  I,  1849,  Susan  Green,  b.  at  Warren,  R.  I.,  Jan.  6,  1832, 
daughter  of  Abraham  and  Susan  (Smith)  Green.  Mr.  Walker 
is  a  farmer,  and  r.  at  Olathe,  Johnson  county,  Kansas.  Mrs. 
Walker  d.  at  Olathe,  Dec.  29,  1874.  They  had  five  children, 
all  b.  at  Elmwood,  111. :  i.  "Harry  Edgar,"  b.  May  11,  1850, 
d.  at  Olathe,  Kansas,  Jan.  20,  1871,  of  consumption  ;  2.  "Wil- 
liam Ralph,"  b.  Aug.  9,  1852,  m.  Dec.  20,  1876,  Harriet 
Stener;  3.  "Annette  Mabel,"  b.  June  24,  1858,  d.  at  Elm- 
wood township,  Nov.  7,  1859  ;  4.  "Percy  Lynn,"  b.  Sept.  28, 
i860;  5.  "Ray  Elliot,"  b.  Dec.  31,  1865. 
(2.)  and  (3.)   Twins,  both  of  whom  d.  in  infancy. 

3.  Polly,  b.  April  14,  1798,  m.  Nov.  14,  1815,  Absalom  Kingsbury, 
b.  May  6,    1793,  of    Langdon,   N.  H.      Mr.    Kingsbury   was   a 
farmer,  and  r.  in  Covington,  Pa.,  where  he  d.   Aug.   5,    1868. 
Mrs.  Kingsbury  d.  May  4,  1872.     They  had  four  children,  viz.  : 
(i.)   Lucinda,  b.  Dec.  8,   1817,  at   Covington,    m.    March    17, 
1836,  Eli  Dartt,  b.  March  20,  181 1.      He   is  a  farmer,  and  r. 
(1883)  at  Covington.     Mrs.  Dartt  d.  Dec.  11,  1866.     She  had 
two  children  :   i.  "Orson  R.,"  b.  Jan.  21,  1843,  ^t  Blossburg, 
Pa.,  m.  May  8,  1869,  Mary  Jane   Robbins,  who  was  b.  April 
15,  1853,  at  Springfield,  Bradford  county.  Pa.     He  follows  the 
occupation    of   a  blacksmith,   and  r.    in    Covington    (1882). 
They  have  had  four  children  :   i.  Ada  L.,   b.  June   21,   1870, 
at  Morris  Run,  Pa.;  2.  Ray,  b.  March  16,   1875,  ^^  Coving- 
ton, d.  March  27,  1875  ;  3-  Cora,  b.  June  3,  1878,  at  Coving- 
ton ;  4.  Eli,  b.  Feb.  15,  1882,  at  Covington.     2.  "Ellen  A.," 
b.  April  4,  1846,  at  Blossburg,  Pa.,  m.  Sept.  21,  1867,  John  J. 
Bowen,  b.  in  Wales,  June  22,  1833.     He  is  a  farmer,  and  r.  in 
Charlestown,  Pa.  (1882.)     They  have   one  child:    i.  Nellie 
L.,  b.  June  18,  1868,  at  Covington. 
(2.)  Asahel  IV.,  b.  Aug.   2,   182 1,  at  Covington,  m.  Sept.    14, 
1853,  Belinda  Everts,  b.  April  i,  1827,  daughter  of  Cyrus  and 
Olive  (Jennings)  Everts  of  Covington.     He  was  a  farmer,  r. 
at  Covington,  where  he  d.  Feb.  20,  1856,  leaving  one  child: 
I.  "Frederick  W.,"  b.  Sept.  12,  1854. 
(3.)  /ulia  Ann,  h.  July  27,  1827,  at  Blossburg,  Pa.,  m.  Oct.  24, 
1867,  Joseph  W.  Whiting,  b.  in  the  state  of  Vermont,  Jan.  5, 
1820,  son  of  Danforth  and  Rebecca  (Sherman)  Whiting.     He 
follows  the  occupation  of  farming.     They  have  one  child  :    i. 
"  Gena  S.,"  b.  July  28,  1871,  in  Covington. 
(4.)    IVilliam  F.,  b.  in  Blossburg,  Pa.,  Dec.  25,   1837,  m.  (first) 
Jan.  2,  1858,  Jane  Brown  of  Covington,  by  whom  he  had  one 
child.     He  m.  (second)  Ruth  Price  of  Covington,  by  whom 
he  had  two  children,     i.  "  Harry  W.,"  b.  in  Covington,  July 


(i56  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

27,  i860,  m.  July  4,  1879,  Tressa  Whiting;  2.  "Bertie,"  b.  in 
Morris  Run,  Pa.,  April,  1873,  d.  when  about  three  years  old  ; 
3.  "  Ina,"  b.  in  Covington,  Pa.,  May,  1878. 

4.  AsAHEL,  b.  Nov.  24,  1799,  m.  Sept.  23,  1824,  Anna  Holland 
Harkness,  b.  in  Pelham,  Mass.,  June  29,  1805,  daughter  of 
Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Holland)  Harkness.  Mr.  Walker  was  by 
trade  a  carpenter,  and  r.  at  Covington,  Pa.,  till  about  the  year 
1834,  when  he  removed  to  Jubilee  township,  111.  Mrs.  Walker 
d.  in  Elmwood  township.  111.,  Nov.  7,  1853.  He  r.  Elmwood 
(1882).     He  has  had  four  children  : 

(i.)  A?igeline  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Covington,  July  4,  1825,  m.  April 
6,  1842,  Samuel  Wood  Pulsipher,  b.  in  Rockingham,  Vt.,  Oct, 
II,  181 7,  son  of  Samuel  Wood  and  Sally  (Weaver) -Pulsipher. 
Mr.  Pulsipher  is  a  farmer,  and  r.  at  Brimfield  township,  Peoria 
county,  111.  They  have  had  five  children:  i.  "Florence 
Eugenie,"  b.  at  Southport,  111.,  Aug.  6,  1843,  "^-  May  16,  1871, 
James  Edward  Wilson;  2.  "Frances  Augusta,"  b.  at  Brim- 
field  township.  111.,  Nov.  2,  1845  ;  3-  "Edmund  Charles,"  b. 
at  Brimfield  township.  111.,  April  7,  1848;  4.  "Leslie  Orville," 
b.  at  Brimfield  township,  111.,  Sept.  23,  1850;  5.  "Eldon 
Samuel,"  b.  at  Brimfield  township,  111.,  March  8,  1853,  m. 
Oct.  13,  1 88 1,  Ella  Phoebe  Strain. 

(2.)  Julia  Smith,  b.  at  Covington,  Pa.,  June  27,  1831,  d.  at  Cov- 
•ington,  March  4,  1833. 

(3.)  Francis  Marion,  b.  at  Jubilee  township.  111.,  Nov.  27,  1835, 
d.  at  Jubilee  township,  Sept.  19,  1836. 

(4.)  Perry  Stratton,  b.  at  Jubilee  township,  June  23,  1839,  m. 
Jan.  31,  1 86 1,  Nancy  Jane  Klock,  b.  in  Covington,  Pa.,  Sept. 
18,  1842,  daughter  of  Jesse  and  Polly  (Marvin)  Klock.  He 
became  a  member  of  the  77th  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers, 
and  d.  of  disease  at  the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Feb.  16,  1863. 
He  had  one  child:  i.  "Louis  Earl,"  b.  at  Southport,  111., 
Nov.  23,  1861. 

5.  Stratton,  b.  July  7,  1801,  r.  at  Covington,  Pa.,  where  he  d.  Feb. 
14,  1880,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight.     He  was  never  m. 

().  Luther,  (twin,)  b.  Dec.  15,  1803,  d.  in  infancy. 

7.  Lewis,  (twin,)  b.  Dec.  15,  1803,  m.  Dec.  14,  1826,  Isabelle 
Butler,  b.  Aug.  22,  1805.  He  was  a  farmer  of  Covington,  Pa., 
where  all  his  children,  ten  in  number,  were  b.,  and  where  he  d. 
June  17,  1870.  His  widow  d.  at  Covington,  Dec.  23,  1876. 
Children  : 

(i.)  Elizabeth,  b.  Oct.  25,  1827,  m.  Nov.  12,  1846,  Charles 
Jaquish,  b.  in  Kortright,  Delaware  county,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  21, 
1823,  son  of  Joseph  Jaquish.  Mr.  Jaquish  is  a  farmer.  They 
have  had  six  children,  the  first  b.  in  Covington,  the  others  in 
Sullivan,  Tioga  county.  Pa.  :  i.  "Charles  Lewis,"  b.  Feb.  16, 
1848,  m.  Oct.  12,  1871,  Eliza  Robinson  of  Fall  Brook,  Pa. 
He  d,  in  Sullivan,  Pa.,  Dec.  30,   1880,  of  consumption.     He 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  657 

had  one  child  :  i.  Frank,  b.  at  VaW  Brook,  Dec.  7,  1874.  2. 
"George  H.,"  b.  March  14,  1850,  m.  May  21,  1872,  Emma 
A.  Bryant,  b.  in  Covington,  Pa.,  May  i,  1852,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Maria  (Moffatt)  Bryant.  He  r.  at  Mclntyre, 
Lycoming  county,  Pa.,  and  has  had  three  children  :  i.  Lewis 
C,  b.  May  8,  1874;  2.  Hattie  M.,  b.  June  15,  1878;  3. 
Joseph,  b.  June  8,  1880.  3.  "Ellen  L,"  b.  July  7,  1852  ;  4. 
"Joseph  S.,"  b.  Oct.  8,  1855.  5.  "Frances  E.,"  b.  Nov.  i, 
1858,  d.  at  Sullivan,  March  13,  1873.  6.  "Jane  A.,"  b.  Nov. 
12,  1862,  m.  March,  1881,  Lincoln  Whittaker,  and  has  one 
child:  I.  Ray.  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Charles  Jaquish,  d.  March 
27,  1874. 

(2.)  Eincline,  b.  March  13,  1829,  m.  Dec.  24,  1850,  Rev.  James 
G.  Noble.     He  is  pastor  of  the  Baptist  church,  Meriden,  Ct. 

(3.)  Martha  A.,  b.  June  27,  1830,  m.  April  17,  1858,  Holland 
Clemens,  b.  in  Covington,  Aug.  10,  1834,  son  of  Alanson  and 
Luthana  (Copp)  Clemens.  He  is  a  farmer  \  r.  Covington  ; 
has  two  children  :  i.  "Frank  L.,"  b.  Feb.  14,  1862,  at  Cov- 
ington;  2.  "Mary  L,"  b.  Aug.  3,  1865,  at  Covington. 

(4.)  Olive,  b.  June  i,  1832,  m.  Jan.  i,  1852,  Charles  Marvin,  b. 
in  Covington,  April  20,  1829,  son  of  Tilly  Marvin.  He  is  a 
farmer,  r.  Smithfield,  Bradford  county.  Pa.  (1883.)  They 
have  had  eight  children,  of  whom  the  five  elder  were  b.  in 
Covington,  the  others  at  Smithfield,  Pa. :  i.  "Ellis  C,"  b. 
Dec.  16,  1852,  d.  at  Covington,  Oct.,  1861  ;  2.  "Emma  J.," 
b.  Dec.  9,  1854,  m.  April  20,  1879,  Alvin  Palmer;  they  have 
one  child  :  i.  Alice  Olive,  b.  April  20,  1879  '■>  3-  "  Elizabeth," 
b.  Nov.  12,  1856,  m.  Nov.,  1877,  Joseph  Hubbard;  they  have 
one  child  ;  i.  Ona,  b.  April  20,  1879;  4-  "Hattie,"  b.  Jan. 
20,  1859;  5.  "Martha,"  b.  Dec.  20,  1862;  6.  "Fred,"  b. 
March  20,  1867;  7.  "Cora,"  b.  April  5,  1870;  8.  "Lewis 
Tilly,"  b.  Sept.  12,  1872. 

(5.)  Lewis  Randall,  b.  Dec.  i,  1834,  m.  Dec.  26,  i860,  Arvilla 
VVilcox,  b.  in  Delmar,  Tioga  county,  Pa.,  May  28,  1S42, 
daughter  of  John  and  Caroline  Wilcox.  She  d.  of  consump- 
tion, March  14,  1882.  He  is  a  farmer  of  Covington,  and 
has  had  nine  children,  all  b.  at  Covington  :  i.  "Henry  E.," 
b.  May  24,  1862:  2.  "James  A.,"  b.  Nov.  29,  1863;  3. 
"Isaac  D.,"  b.  Sept.  17,  1866;  4.  "Ora  J.,"  b.  Aug.  13, 
1868;  5.  "Eva  A.,"  b.  June  29,  1870;  6.  "Lewis  S.,"  b. 
July  29,  1873,  d.  at  Covington,  March  22,  1876  ;  7."  Earl  S.," 
b.  Dec.  31,  1876;  8.  "Martha  A.,"  b.  Sept.  14,  1878;  9. 
"Alfred  G.,"  b.  July  12,  1880. 

(6.)  Ellis  D.,  b.  April  12,  1836,  d.  Dec.  25,  1838. 

(7.)  Isaac  D.,  b.  May  4,  1838,  m.  Sept.,  1861,  Sarah  Olmsted. 
He  d.  July  27,  1864,  at  Nashville,  Tenn. 

(8.)  Mary  Jane,  b.  Aug.  16,  1840,  m.  Jan.  30,  1869,  Benajah 
Wilcox.     Has  no  children  (1882). 

(9.)  James  IV.,  b.  Aug.  6,  1843.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union 
army,  and  d.  in  Andersonville  prison,  1864. 

83 


658  HISl'ORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(lo.)  Milton  R.,  b.  June  14,  1846,  m.  May  4,  1872,  Hannah 
Wilcox,  b.  in  Covington,  Aug.  30,  1850,  daughter  of  Benajah 
and  Hannah  Wilcox.  Mr.  Walker  is  a  farmer,  and  r.  in  Cov- 
ington. He  has  had  four  children,  all  b.  in  Covington:  i. 
"Cora  May,"  b.  July  10,  1873;  2.  "William  J.,"  b.  Aug.  17, 
1874;  3.  "Lewis,"  b.  Jan.  I,  1878  ;  4.  "  Isabelle,"  b.  Jan.  31, 
1879. 

8.  RoswELL,  b.  May  24,   1805,  m.  at  Covington,   Nov.   4,    1830, 
Huldah  Sampson  Harkness,  b.  in  Pelham,  Mass.,  Dec.  6,   1803, 
daughter  of  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  (Holland)  Harkness.     He  fol- 
lowed the   occupation  of  farming,  and  d.   of   consumption  at 
Jubilee  township,  111.,  Dec.  6,  1855.     He  had  six  children,  two 
b.  at  Covington,  the  others  at  Jubilee  township  : 
(i.)  Jane  Adelaide,  b.  Sept.  18,  1831,  m.    Feb.    3,    1849,   John 
Henry  Green,  b.  Nov.  12,  1827,  son  of  Abraham  and  Susan 
(Smith)    Green.      She    d.    at    Monmouth,    Warren  county, 
111.,  July  18,  1865.      He   d.  Dec.  2,  1869.     Both  d.   of   con- 
sumption.    She  had  three  children  :   i.  "Elizabeth  DeWolf," 
b.    Jan.    15,   1850,    at  Southport,  111.,  d.  June   27,    1873,  at 
Olethe,  Kansas,  of  consumption  ;  2.  "Ella  Eliza,"  b.  Sept.  11, 
1852,  at  Southport,  111.,  d.   Nov.    16,    1882,   at  Southport,  of 
consumption;    3.  "Ellis  Lee,"   b.  June  30,  1857,  in  Warren 
county.  111. 
(2.)  Edward  Irving,  b.  Aug.  30,  1833,  m.  Dec.  25,  1856,  Sarah 
.•\nn  Gibbs,  b.  at  Williamstown,  Oswego  county,  N.  Y.,   Sept. 
25>  1835.     H^  is  ^  farmer,  r.  (1882)  Elmwood,  111.;  has  had 
three  children  :   i.  "Helen  Huldah,"  b.  at  Jubilee  township, 
111.,  Aug.  26,  1858,   d.   at  Elmwood,   111.,   Oct.   2,    1858;    2. 
"  p]thel  Josephine,"  b.  at  Lenox,  Warren  county.  111.,  March 
6,  1862  ;  3.  "Gertrude  Blanche,"  b.  at  Elmwood,  111.,  March 
25,  1867. 
(3.)   Charles  Randolph,  b.  Jan.    10,   1836,  m.  March  9,   1865, 
Josephine  Snyder,  b.  in  Boonville,  Cooper  county,  Mo.,  Oct. 
25,  1842,  daughter  of  Samuel   and  Mary  Jane  Snyder.     Mr. 
Walker  is  a  farmer,  and  r.  (1883)  at  Mexico,  Mo.     He  served 
during  the  Rebellion  as  a  member  of  the  i  ith  Cavalry  Illinois 
Volunteers.     He  has  had  five  children:   i.  "Grace,"  b.  Dec. 
15,  1865,  at  Jubilee  township.   111.;    2.  "Mary  Huldah,"   b. 
June  13,  1867,  at  Jubilee  township,  111.;  3.  "Jessie,"  b.  Feb. 
24,  1871,  at  Jubilee  township.  111. ;  4.  "Dot,"  b.  Feb.  4,  1877, 
at  Newton,  Harvey  county,    Kansas;    5.  "Charles   Edward," 
b.  Aug.  23,  1881,  at  Mexico,  Mo.,  d.  Sept.  25,  1881. 
(4.)  Holland  Harkness,  b.  May  2,  1839,  d.  at  Jubilee  township, 

Dec.  23,  1842. 
(5.)  Ellis  Lewis,  b.  July  15,  1841,  d.  at  Jubilee  township,  Nov. 

15,  1846. 
(6.)  Austin  Ernest,  b.  Jan.  20,  1844,  m.    Dec.   3,    1867,   Olivia 
Catherine  Snyder,  b.  in  Boonville,  Cooper  county.  Mo.,  July 
12,  1S45,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mary  (Stansbury) 'Snyder. 


GENEALOGY. WALKER.  659 

During  the  Rebellion  Mr.  Walker  was  a  member  of  the  7  7th 
Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers.  He  r.  at  Jubilee,  111.,  and  fol- 
lows the  occupation  of  farming ;  has  had  two  children:  i. 
"Alvin  Stanley,"  b.  March  10,  1872,  at  Jubilee,  111.;  2. 
"  Elizabeth,"  b.  July  6,  i88r,  at  Brimfield,  111.,  d.  July  25, 
1881. 

9.  Lydia,  b.  May  27,  1807,  m.  Jan.  20,  1825,  Everett  W.  Bloss,  b. 
Sept.  20,  1800,  son  of  Aaron  Bloss.     Mr.  Bloss  follows  the  occu- 
pation of  farming,  at  Covington,  and  has  had  four  children  : 
(i.)    yuliet  E.,  b.  May  24,  1826,   at  Blossburg,  Pa.,  m.  Aug. 

24,  1843,  Joseph  Husted,  b.  in  Rutland,  Tioga  county.  Pa., 
Dec.  17,  1820,  son  of  David  Husted;  he  r.  (1882)  at  Cov- 
ington, Pa.,  and  has  had  four  children,  all  b.  at  Covington  :  i . 
"Cordelia  L.,"  b.  July  2,  1846,  m.  Nov.  22,  1861,  David  S. 
Ireland,  and  has  had  two  children,  b.  at  Covington:  i. 
Charles  C,  b.  Sept.  9,  1863  ;  2.  William  B.,  b.  Oct.  16,  1865, 
d.  Oct.  24,  1872,  at  Wilmington.  2.  "  VVilmot  D.,"  b.  April 
^5»  1S55,  ™-  J^"-  20,  1876,  Kate  Johnson,  b.  in  Covington, 
Sept.  19,  1856,  daughter  of  Ansel  Johnson.  He  has  three 
children:  i.  Ray,  b.  Jan.  21,  1877,  at  Covington;  2.  Harry 
Lee,  b.  Dec.  6,  1879,  at  Covington;  3.  Marcus,  b.  June  27, 
1882,  at  Mansfield.  3.  "Lyman  S.,"  b.  July  7,  1858;  4. 
"Leila  I.,"  b.  April  3,  1870. 

(2.)  yosephine  M.,  b.  Jan.  27,  1828,  at  Blossburg,  Pa.,  m.  Wil- 
liam Slingerland  ;  has  no  children. 

(3.)  Randolph  F.,  b.  Sept.  16,  1830,  at  Blossburg,  m.  April  19, 
1855,  Mary  Fenetter.  He  is  a  farmer,  r.  Covington  ;  has  had 
two  children  :  i.  "  Edie  R.,"  b.  Aug.  8,  1861,  at  Covington, 
m.  Judson  Burr,  and  had  one  child  :  i.  Herman,  who  died  at 
Blossburg,  Aug.  11,  1882.  2.  "  Mertie  E.,"  b.  April  5,  1867,  at 
Covington. 

(4.)  Warren  IV.,  b.  March  10,  1835,  m.  Jan.  i,  1857,  Maryette 
Dond,  b.  in  Sullivan,  Pa.,  March  22,  1831,  daughter  of  Alvah 
and  Electa  (Rumsey)  Dond.  Mr.  Bloss  is  a  painter  by 
trade,  and  r,  Mansfield,  Pa.  (1882).  He  has  had  two  children, 
b.  at  Covington  :  i.  "Willard  W.,"  b.  March  8,  1858,  d.  June 
18,  1864,  at  Covington  ;  2.  "Arthur  Lafayette,"  b.  July  19, 
1859. 

(5.)  Clara  A.,  b.  April  16,  1844,  m.  John  Everts,  has  no  chil- 
dren (1883). 

10.  James,  b.  April  26,  1809,  m.  Sept.  i,  1833,  Ehza  Hazleton,  b. 
in  Townshend,  Windham  county,  Vt.,  Aug.  12,  1807,  daughter 
of  John  and  Taphath  Hazleton.  Mr.  Walker  is  a  mechanic,  r. 
Blossburg,  Pa.  (1882),  and  has  had  three  children,  all  b.  at 
Covington  : 

(i.)  Delos  Hazleton,  b.  Nov.  25,  1835,  m.  June  9,  i860,  Julia 
A.  Frost,  b.  in  Covington,  June  28,  18319,  daughter  of  Lyman 
and    Hannah   (Ufford)    Frost.      At   the  age   of    twenty    Mr. 


6()0  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Walker  was  elected  clerk  of  Covington  township,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  till  his  removal  to  Morris  Run  in  1863,  from 
which  time  till  1873  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Morris  Run 
Coal  Company  in  the  capacity  of  weigh-master  and  book- 
keeper. In  the  fall  of  1873  he  was  appointed  deputy-sheriff 
for  Tioga  county,  and  removed  to  Wellsboro,  which  position 
he  occupied  till  the  fall  of  1876,  when  he  received  the  repub- 
lican nomination  for  high  sheriff,  to  which  office  he  was 
elected  by  a  majority  of  thirty-three  hundred, — eight  thousand 
three  hundred  votes  being  cast.  After  holding  the  office  for 
the  term  of  three  years  he  returned  to  Covington,  where  he 
now  resides  (1883),  having  resumed  the  occupation  of  his 
youth,  that  of  farming.  He  has  had  five  children  :  i.  "Maud 
Lilian,"  b.  April  11,  1861,  at  Covington,  d.  at  Covington,  June 

21,  1862;  2.  "Bertie  Roswell,"  b.  May  19,  1864,  at  Morris 
Run,  Pa.,  d.  Aug.  31,  1864,  at  Covington  ;  3.  "  Houston  Frost," 
b.  Sept.  6,  1868,  at  Morris  Run,  Pa. ;  4.  "Bertha  May,"  b.  May 
3,  1873,  ^t  Morris  Run,  Pa. ;  5.  "Lyman  James,"  b.  Dec.  24, 
1880,  at  Covington. 

(2.)  Roswell  Amzi,  b.  July  19,  1840,  d.  Dec.  9,  1862,  at  Belle 
Plains,  Va.  He  was  a  member  of  the  152nd  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers. 

(3.)  Mary  Adelaide,  b.  Nov.  6,  1845,  m.  Feb.  25,  1875,  Alfred 
T.  James.     Has  no  children  (1882). 

IL  Cynthia    O.,    b.   May   22,    181 2,    m.    May    i,    1834,    Moses 

Wheeler,  Jr.,  b.  in  Troy,  Bradford  county.  Pa.,  Sept.  27,   18 10. 

She    d.   May  4,    1880,   at  Elba,   Knox  county,   111.,  where  Mr. 

Wheeler  still  r.  (1882.)     They  had  six  children  : 

(i.)  y^nlia  E.,  b.  Jan.  19,  1835,  ^^  Charleston,  Tioga  county. 
Pa.,  m.  June  7,  1854,  H.  H.  Potts  of  Litchfield,  Bradford 
county,  Pa.  They  r.  at  Elba,  Knox  county.  111.,  and  have  had 
nine  children, — five  boys  and  four  girls,  all  of  whom  are 
living  (1882). 

(2.)  Lydia  M.,  b.  July  27,  1837,  in  Charleston,  Pa.,  m.  Feb.  26, 
1857,  W.  P.  Kinyon,  of  Litchfield,  Pa.  They  have  five  chil- 
dren, all  boys,  and  r.  in  Woodson  county,  Kansas. 

(3.)  Charlotte  M.,  b.  Jan.  4,  1841,  at  Charleston,  Pa.,  m.  Dec. 
29,  1859,  Demetrius  H.  Baird.     They  have  had  one  child. 

(4.)  iyane,  b.  Sept.  5,  1842,  at  Charleston,  Pa.,  m.  Nov.  24, 
1864,  Jerome  B.  Curtis.  She  d.  at  Creston,  Union  county, 
Iowa,  March  26,  1878  ;  had  seven  children,  of  whom  five  are 
living  (1882). 

(5.)  Norris  S.,  b.  Nov.   10,   1845,  ^^  Charleston,  Pa.,  m.  Feb. 

22,  1 87 1,  Jerusha  G.  Baird  of  Elba,  111.  He  d.  at  Elba,  Nov. 
8,  1880,  leaving  a  widow,  and  three  children,  all  boys. 

(6.)  Laura  A.,  b.  Sept.  15,  1849,  at  Litchfield,  Bradford  county, 
Pa.,  m.  Oct.  28,  1869,  J.  M.  Oberholtzer  of  Elba,  111.  They 
have  five  children,  four  boys  and  one  girl  (1882). 


GENEALOGY. WARREN.  60 1 


WARREN. 


This  name  was  first  borne  by  William  de  Warenne,  and  was  derived 
from  the  name  of  that  nobleman's  manor  which  was  called  fief  of 
Warenne,  or  as  some  have  supposed,  from  a  rabbit  warren  which 
stood  near  on  his  grounds.  It  has  sometimes  been  spelled  Warrene, 
Warrin,  Warin,  or  Warins. — ( N.  E.  Genealogical  Register.) 

Richard  Warren  was  the  first  of  the  name  in  this  country.  He 
came  over  in  the  Mayflower  in  1620.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  came 
over  in  the  ship  Ann,  in  1623,  and  joined  her  husband  at  Plymouth, 
and  from  them  descended  a  numerous  posterity. 

John  Warren  came  to  Watertown  from  England  in  1630,  hved  and 
died  in  that  town,  and  was  followed  by  a  numerous  posterity.  In 
October,  1651,  he  was  fined  20  s.  for  an  offence  against  the  law  con- 
cerning baptism.  In  1654,  April  4,  he  was  fined  for  a  neglect  of 
public  worship  fourteen  sabbaths,  ^3  los.     He  died  Dec.  13,  1667. 

Joseph  Warren  was  one  of  the  Virginia  Colony,  came  from  England 
in  the  ship  AHce  in  1635,  '^'^^  afterward  became  an  inhabitant  of 
New  England. 

Jacob  Warren  lived  in  Chelmsford  as  early  as  1674,  and  is  sup- 
posed to  be  the  ancestor  of  the  Littleton  and  Shirley  families  of  the 
name.     The  pioneer  settler  in  Shirley  was 

SSaarrnX,  l£pl)Vaim.  He  was  b.  at  Littleton,  May  3,  1737. 
He  was  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Ruth  Warren,  and  probably  a  grandson 
of  Ephraim  Warren  of  Chelmsford.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Sarah  Kezer,  in  1762,  who  bore  him  ten  children.  She  d.,  and  he 
m.  (second)  Ruth  Alexander  of  Lunenburg.  They  were  pub.  Nov. 
25,  1785,  and  had  two  children.  He  lived  a  few  years  at  Townsend, 
and  then  removed  to  Groton.  In  1767  he  went  to  Shirley,  and  was 
estabhshed  on  a  farm  in  a  westerly  section  of  the  town,  his  dwelling 
standing  between  the  Lunenburg  and  Shirley  boundary  line  and  the 
house  of  the  late  Dennis  Page.  Here  the  larger  portion  of  his  family 
was  born,  and  here  was  the  scene  of  his  life  labor.  Subsequently,  in 
old  age,  he  was  removed  over  the  line  into  Lunenburg,  where  he 
passed  the  latter  days  of  his  life,  and  where  he  d.  It  was  on  the 
farm  that  was  afterward  owned  by  his  youngest  son,  and  where  Abel 
Nickless  now  lives  (1883).  He  was  one  of  those  hardy  New  England 
farmers  who  could  live  in  a  small  cottage,  subsist  on  coarse  food,  and 
yet  do  much  towards  peopling  the  other  sections  of  the  country, 
which  waited  for  stalwart  limbs  and  willing  hands  to  find  and  secure 
the  treasures  hid  in  the  soil  of  mother  earth.     His  children  were 

I.  JACOB,  b.  at  Townsend,  Dec.  2,  1762.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  he  was  settled  in  Littleton,  where  he  m.  Lydia  Robbins,  in 
1  784.     He  d.  at  Littleton,  and  had  no  children. 

II.  EPHRAIM,  b.  [1763.]  Though  very  young  he  was  one  of 
the  volunteers  called  by  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of  April,  1775.     The 


662  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

next  year  he  enlisted  for  seventy-five  days,  but  d.  before  his  term 
of  service  had  expired. 

III.  JAMES,  b.  at  Groton,  Nov.  7,  1766,  m.  Susanna  Wheeler  of 
Littleton,  lived  in  Littleton,  and  d.  there,  July  15,  1845.  His  wife 
d.  at  Concord,  Dec.  15,  1824.     They  had  nine  children  : 

L  Mary,  b.  at  Littleton,  Sept.  13,  1794,  m.  Ithamar  A.  Beard  of 
Littleton,  and  d.  Oct.,  1870;  her  husband  d.  March  11,  187 1, 

2.  Susan,  b.  Aug.  29,  1796,  m.  JoeLHoar,  Esq.,  who  d.  Sept.  7, 
1857.     She  d.  Feb.  9,  1874. 

S.  James,  b.  Sept.  16,  1798,  m.  Theresa  Stearns,  April,  1832.  He 
d.  Feb.  13,  1838;  his  widow  d.  Feb.  7,  1881. 

4.  Edward  W.,  b.  Dec.  20,  1801,  d.  unm. 

5.  AsAHEL,  b.  May  15,  1803,  d.  May  25,  1846,  unm. 
•].  SoPHRONiA,  b.  July  5,  1805,  d.  Jan.  29,  1874,  unm. 

7.  Abial,  b.  Aug.  30,  1807,  d.  April  8,  1837,  unm. 

8.  Sabra,  b.  March  31,  1810,  m.  C.  Lewis  of  Maiden,  Aug.  27, 
1841. 

y.  Alden  W.,  b.  June  8,  181 2. 

IV.  RUTH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  21,  1768,  m.  Henry  Farewell,  March 
18,  1793,  d.  1850. 

V.  BENJAMIN,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  15,  1770,  m.  Polly  Woods, 
March  12,  1794,  d.  May  26,  1795.     He  had  one  child  : 

1.  Polly,  b.  Aug.  14,  1794,  d.  July  5,  1795. 

VI.  WILLIAM,  b.  at  Shirley,  Oct.  6,  1772,  m.  Hannah  Dickerson 
of  Shirley,  Nov.  4,  1 798  ;  she  d.  in  Olive,  Noble  county,  Ohio, 
July  29,  1853;  he  d.  in  the  same  place,  March  10,  1854.  They 
had  fourteen  children  : 

L  Priscilla,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  12,  1799. 

2.  Willl^m,  b.  in  Shirley,  Sept.  24,  1800,  m.  Nancy  McAllister  of 
Colebrook,  N.  H.,  in  Marietta,  Ohio,  Oct.  19,  1823;  she  died 
Feb.  I,  1857.     They  had  eight  children,  all  b.  at  Marietta: 

(i.)  Elbridge  Gerry,  b.  March  19,  1825,  d.  at  Marietta,  June  24, 

1825. 

(2.)  Monroe,  b.  July  i,  1826,  d.  Feb.  18,  1828. 

(3.)  Manly,  b.  March  12,  1829,  d.  June  9,  1864. 

(4.)  Han-iet  E.,  b.  June  12,  1831,  d.  at  Marietta,  July  23,  1857. 

(5.)  Putnam,  b.  Oct.  5,  1833,  d.  July  i,  1835. 

(6.)  Sarah  R.,  b.  Sept.  20,  1835. 

(7.)  Victoria  J.,  b.  May  10,  1838,  d.  at  Marietta,  Feb.  22,  1857. 

(8.)  Lucy  L.,  b.  July  23,  1840,  d.  Feb.  21,  1856. 

3.  Nancy,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  4,  1802. 
■4.  Sophia,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  31,  1804. 


GENEALOGY. WARREN.  6()3 

5.  James  S.,  b.  in  Maine,  April  23,  1S05. 
C).  Sarah,  b.  at  Charlestown,  Nov.  17,  1807. 

7.  Delia,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  Oct.  15,  1809,  d.  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
March  11,  1842. 

8.  Ai,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  i,  181 1. 

y.  Caroline,  b.  at  Lunenburg,  May  22,  1813. 

10.  Marilla,  b.  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  May  20,  181 5. 

11.  Elmira,  b.  at  Marietta,  June  22,  181 7,  d.  at  Olive,  Ohio,  Dec. 
29,  1841. 

12.  Andrew,  b.  at  Olive,  Sept.  23,  1820,  d.  at  Olive,  Oct.  26,  1820. 

13.  Weston,  b.  at  Olive,  Aug.  5,  1822. 

14.  Elbridge,  b.  at  Olive,  May  8,  1826. 

VIL  CHARLES,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  7,  1774,  m.  Beulah  Bancroft 
Holden  of  Shirley,  May  6,  1802. 

VIIL  SARAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  26,  1776,  m.  Joseph  Barns  East- 
man of  Townsend,  Feb.  24,  1801  ;  he  d.  at  Townsend,  Aug.  29, 
1820;  his  widow  d.  June  7,  1843.  She  had  seven  children,  all  b. 
at  Townsend  : 

1.  Warren,  b.  Sept.   5,    1802,   m.   Esther  B.   Robinson,   Oct.  9. 
1844,  d.  Dec.  26,  1878. 

2.  Olive  B.,  b.  Aug.  30,  1804,  m.  Levi  Flagg,  d.  March  11,  1847. 

3.  Simon  D.,  b.  June  9,  1806,  d.  Nov.  6,  1820. 

4.  Joseph  R.,  b.  Nov.  7,  1808,  d.  Jan.  7,  1866. 

5.  Charles  A.,  b.  March  29,  181 2,  ni.  Rebecca  Barton,  d.   Dec. 
24,  1858. 

6.  Sarah,  b.  Nov.  2,  1814,  m.  Joseph  Adams,  1835. 

7.  Eliza,  b.  July  16,  18 16,  m.  Oliver  Morse  of  Mason,  N.  H.,   d. 
at  Chelsea,  1877.  . 

IX.  ELIZABETH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  18,  1778,  m.  Jonathan 
Wyeth  of  Townsend.  She  had  four  children,  all  b.  in  Towns- 
end  : 

1.  Joseph,  b.  March  6,  1800,  d.  in  Ohio. 

2.  Jonathan,  b.  Jan.  30,  1802,  d.  at  Lunenburg. 

3.  Eliza,  b.  Oct.  17,  1806,  m.  Benjamin  Nutting. 

4.  Walter,  b.  Aug.  8,  181 2,  m.  Sarah  Adams,  d.  March,  1855. 

X.  JOSEPH,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  26,  1781,  became  a  sailor,  and  was 
lost  at  sea. 

XL     LUCY,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  26,  1786,  d.  at  Lunenburg,  unm. 


664  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

XII.  EPHRAIM,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  i6,  1788.  He  was  thrice  m., 
(first)  to  Nancy  Moors  of  West  Boylston,  April  9,  1812  ;  she  d. 
Dec.  25,  1837  ;  he  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Abigail  Allen  of  Lunenburg, 
Nov.  4,  1838  ;  she  d.  Sept.  10,  1855  ;  he  m.  (third)  Eliza  Edwards 
of  Townsend,  March  23,  1857  ;  he  d.  at  Townsend,  Feb.  11,  1861. 
He  had  thirteen  children,  all  b.  at  Lunenburg  : 

1.  Ephraim  Lewis,  b.  Jan.  29,  1S13,  d.  Aug.  29,  1818. 

2.  Charles,  b.  Sept.  10,  18 14,  graduated  from  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, studied  medicine  at  Harvard  Medical  School,  and 
received  a  diploma.  He  was  engaged  for  a  time  in  teaching, 
and  travelled  in  Europe,  but  d.  June  13,  1848,  unm.  As  a 
mathematician  and  linguist  he  especially  excelled,  and  probably 
would  have  filled  an  important  place  in  the  world  of  letters 
had  his  life  been  continued. 

3.  Ann  Sophia,  b.  Oct.  i,  1816,  d.  Sept.  11,  181 8. 

4.  George  Washington,  b.  Jan.  6,  18 19.  He  has  been  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Lydia  L.  Bigelow,  Sept.  28,  1847  ;  she  was  b.  at  Boyls- 
ton, Sept.  26,  1820,  d.  at  West  Boylston,  Feb.  12,  1861  ;  he  m. 
(second)  Ellen  S.  Flagg,  April  27,  1862;  she  was  b.  at  Boyls- 
ton, Dec.  24,  1837.  He  graduated  from  Amherst  College,  and 
received  a  medical  diploma  from  Pittsfield  Medical  College. 
He  settled  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  West  Boylston,  in 
1847.  He  has  had  six  children,  all  b.  at  West  Boylston  but  one  : 
(i.)   George  H.,  b.  June  20,  1850,  d.  March  i,  1867. 

(2.)   Helen.  C,  b.  March  14,  1852. 

(3.)    Charles  S.,  b.  May  27,  1856. 

(4.)    Williavi  F.,  b.  Nov.  5,  1859,  d.  Sept.  26,  i860. 

(5.)  Ernest  L.,  b.  July  25,  1863,  at  Boylston. 

(6.)   Grace   G.,  b.  May  29,  1870. 

0.  Valeria,  b.  Jan.  20,  1821,  m.  Asa  Smith  of  Lunenburg,  April 
27,  1839;  her  husband  d.  Feb.  3,  1856;  she  is  a  widow,  r. 
Worcester  (1883).  She  has  had  four  children,  all  b.  at  Lunen- 
burg : 

(i.)  Milton,  b.  Aug.  18,  1840,  m.  Sarah  C.   Smock  of  Indian- 
apolis, Ind.     He  has   had   two  children  :    i.  "  Iva  Valeria,"  b. 
July,  1871  ;   2.  "Ruby  Onner,"  b.  April,  1873. 
(2.)  Peter,  b.  March   21,    1844,   m.   Annie   Blood  of  Harvard, 
Sept.,  1871.     He  has  had  three   children:    r.  "Charles   H.," 
b.  Dec,  1875  ;  2.  "Arthur  E.,"  b.  Sept.,  1878;  3.  "Georgie 
v.,"  b.  Sept.,  1880,  d.  Aug.  11,  1881. 
(3.)   Mary  Jane,  b.  June  18,  1846,  m.  Frank  Bowers  of  Clinton, 
April,  1864.     She  has  had  two  children  :   i.  "Charles  Frank- 
lin," b.  Nov.,  1864  ;     2.  "Freddie,"  b.  Feb.,  1866. 
(4.)    Charles  Frank/in,  b.  Dec.  2,  1853,  d.  July,  1870. 

6.  Ephraim  Lewis,  b.  Feb.  14,  1823,  m.  Sarah  P.   Ball,   Aug.    14, 
1852,  r,  Weymouth,  is  a  practicing  physician  (1883)  ;  has  one 
child  : 
(i.)   Anna  Ashton,  b.  at  Weymouth,  Jan.  11,  1870. 


GENEALOGY. WARREN.  665 

7.  Ann  Sophia,  b.  May  21,  1825.  She  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
William  Sawyer  Carter  of  Leominster,  Dec.  27,  1843;  her  hus- 
band d.  June  6,  1847  ;  she  m.  (second)  C.  C.  Field,  M.  D., 
Dec,  1858.  She  d.  Jan.  16,  i860.  She  had  two  children,  b.  at 
Leominster  : 

(r.)  Caroline  Isabel,  b.  Jan.  11,  1846,  m.  Rev.  George  Leonard 
Chaney,  Jan.  3,  187 1.  They  have  a  residence  in  Leominster, 
but  Mr.  Chaney  is  most  of  the  time  abroad,  engaged  in  pro- 
fessional duties.  He  was  the  minister  of  the  Hollis  Street 
church  in  Boston  for  several  years,  but  is  now  laboring  in 
.Atlanta,  Ga.  (1883.)  He  is  both  a  learned  and  able  divine. 
They  have  had  one  child  :  i.  "George  Carter,"  b.  at  Boston, 
Nov.  5,  1871. 
(2.)  Catharine  Sophia,  b.  Oct.  17,  1847,  ™-  William  Sinclair 
Blunt,  April  29,  1867,  r.  New  York,  N.  Y.  She  has  had  three 
children:  i.  "  William  Carter,"  b.  Feb.  20,  1868,  d.  Feb.  9, 
1872;  2.  " Robert  Sinclair,"  b.  Oct.  19,  1869,  d.  Feb.  23, 
1872;  3.  "  Harry  Needham,"  b.  June  17,  1871. 

.S.  N.  Lafayette,    born    March    21,    1827,  m.  Mary   Barnard  of 
Leominster,  Jan.  i,  1851,  r.  Shirley,  and  has  had  nine  children  : 
(i.)  John  Henry,  b.  May  27,  1852,  d.  Jan.  13,  1855. 
(2.)  William  Barnard,  b.  Nov.  16,    1853,   r.   Groton  (1882),   a 

physician. 
(3.)  John  Henry,  b.  July  28,  1855. 
(4.)  An  Infant,  b.  June  2,  1857,  d.  June  3,  1857. 
(5.)    Charles  Arthur,  b.  Dec.  15,  1858. 
(6.)   George  Herbert,  b.  Oct.  15,  i860. 
(7.)  Mary  Emma,  b.  Dec.  18,  1865. 
(8.)  Lewis  Lincoln,  b.  Nov.  30,  1867. 
(9.)  Franklin  Lafayette,  b.  Jan.  23,  1870. 

9.  Amanda  Marietta,  b.  April  5,  1829,  m.  Andrew  Houghton  of 
Harvard,  June,  1847,  d.  at  Leominster,  Aug.  5,  1880,  She  had 
five  children,  b.  in  Leominster  : 

(i.)  Ella  Frances,  b.  Dec.  24,  1849. 

(2.)  Clara  Amanda,  b.  Nov.  17,  1851. 

(3.)  Alice  Maria,  b.  Dec.  11,  1856,  d.  March  24,  i860. 

(4.)  Fa7inie  Gertrude,  b.  Oct.  27,  1859. 

(5.)  Andrew  Lincoln,  b.  Jan.  20,  1866. 

10.  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  b.  April  22,  1831,  d.  Oct.  14,  1852. 

H.  Angela  Streeter,  b.  Aug.  28,  1833,  d.  May  3,  1837. 

12.  Franklin  Hamilton,  b.    Aug.   9,   1836,    m.    Augusta    Maria 
Kidder  of  Townsend,  May  9,  1858,  r.  Townsend  (1883).     He 
has  had  four  children,  b.  at  Townsend  : 
(i.)   Edward  Everett,  b.  Jan.  4,  1859. 
(2.)   Harriet  Augusta,  b.  Jan.  25,  1861. 
(3.)    George  Ephraim,  b.  Oct.  11,  1864,  d.  April  30,  1873. 
(4.)  Bertha  Elizabeth,  b.  Feb.  16,  1877. 

84 


66i^  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

13.  Emily  Victoria,  b.  Sept.  21,  1839,  m.  James  Page  of  Lunen- 
burg, Nov.  27,  1862,  d.  May  8,  1880. 

2!2Eart:cn,  Jl0nati)an,  descended  from  John  Warren  of  Water- 
town,  who  came  to  America  in  1630.  Jonathan  belonged  to  the  fifth 
generation  of  the  descendants  of  John,  and  was  a  son  of  Jonathan 
and  Sarah  (Whitney)  Warren,  b.  at  Weston,  Feb.  26,  1748.  He  m. 
Joanna  Bartlett  of  Shirley,  pub.  Dec.  5,  1773.  He  probably  became 
a  resident  of  Shirley  at  the  time,  and  probably  d.  there,  as  his  wife, 
or  widow,  was  ra.  to  Abel  Chase  of  Shirley,  pub.  Jan.  9,  1779.  He 
had  two  children  : 

I.  BETTY,  as  the  town  record  of  Shirley  declares,  "daughter  of  Jon- 
athan Warren  of  Waltham  [Weston]  and  Joanna  Bartlett  of 
Shirley,  b.  Feb.  21,  1771."  This  makes  the  daughter's  birth  two 
years  previous  to  the  wedlock  of  the  parents.  She  m.  Joshua 
Pierce  of  Shirley,  April  13,  1794. 

n.  JOHN,  b.  Nov.  18,  1774,  m.  Phebe  Holden,  Feb.  18,  1798. 
He  had  four  children  : 

1.  Betsy,  b.  Sept.  11,  1798. 

2.  Cymaisttha,  b.  July  28,  1800. 

3.  John,  b.  April  9,  1802. 

4.  Joanna,  b.  Nov.  30,  1803. 

S^EartCn,  Pttft,  and  Judith,  his  wife,  had  three  children  b. 
at  Shirley,  viz.  : 

I.     DAVID,  b.  April  8,  1780. 

n.     DANIEL,  b.  April  8,  1780. 

III.     LEVI  READ,  b.  Feb.  4,  1782. 

We  have  found  the  following  entry  upon  the  records  of  Shirle}' : 
"  Elijah  Warren,  son  of  Levi  Warren  and  Phebe,  his  wife,  born  in 
Shirley,  March  20,  1783." 


WENT  WORTH. 

212EcntU)OVtl),  JHinTltOtU,  and  her  daughter,  came  from 
Harvard  to  reside  in  Shirley,  in  January,  1774.  The  selectmen 
refused  to  admit  them  as  inhabitants,  and  ordered  them  recorded  as 
non-residents. 

WHEELER. 

212Ei)CClCtr»  JJCti)tO,  came  from  Groton  to  reside  in  Shirley  in 
July,  I  781,  but  was  refused  citizenship  by  order  of  the  selectmen. 


GENEALOGY. WHITE-WHITNEY.  667 

WHITE. 

213Ei)ltC,  SUtlltam,  lived  at  Shirley  at  the  time  of  its  incorpo- 
ration, and  had  one  child  bom  there,  namely  : 

I.     NATHANIEL,  b.  Dec.  21,  1752. 


WHITNEY. 

Families  of  this  name  have  overspread  the  country,  and,  after  those 
who  bear  the  name  of  Smith,  have  been  found  most  numerous.  Mr. 
Bond,  in  his  History  of  Watertown,  gives  an  enumeration  of  293 
families,  and  there  have  recently  been  published  three  massive  quarto 
volumes  of  the  genealogy  of  the  Connecticut  Whitneys.  Bond  says  : 
"There  is  scarcely  a  single  large  town  where  they  may  not  be  found, 
and  it  is  probable  that  most,  if  not  all  of  them  are  descendants  of 
John  and  Elinor  Whitney,  of  Watertown."  John,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-five  years,  and  Elinor,  at  the  age  of  thirty  years,  and  their  five 
sons,  viz.,  John,  aged  eleven  years,  Richard,  aged  nine  years, 
Nathaniel,  aged  eight  years,  Thomas,  aged  six  years,  and  Jonathan, 
aged  one  year,  embarked  at  Ipswich,  England,  in  April,  1635,  ^°^ 
New  England.  He  probably  landed  in  June,  and  setded  at  Water- 
town,  where  he  remained  until  his  death,  which  occurred  June  i, 
1673.  His  family  consisted  of  eight  sons;  and,  judging  from  the 
official  appointments  that  he  received,  he  was  well  respected  by  his 
fellow-townsmen. 

His  sixth  son,  Joshua,  who  was  born  a  few  weeks  after  the  settle- 
ment of  his  father  at  Watertown,  became  an  inhabitant  of  Groton,  as 
early  as  1666.  He  was  a  proprietor  of  Groton,  but  returned  to 
Watertown  after  the  death  of  his  father.  He  had  three  children  born 
at  Groton.  It  is  probable  that  the  first  settler  of  the  name  in  Shirley 
was  a  descendant  of  the  Groton  Whitneys,  and  supposed  to  be  of  the 
third  or  fourth  generation  from  Joshua.  His  name  does  not  appear 
in  the  Groton  records, — omitted  with  some  others,  from  negligence. 

213Ei)ltn0g,  JJOi)n,  was  m.  at  Groton,  to  Hannah  Sawtell,  pub. 
Feb.  26,  1759.  He  lived  on  the  farm  afterward  owned  by  Francis 
Dwight,  situated  in  Mulpus  valley,  and  more  recently  used  by  the 
town  as  a  home  for  paupers.  Mr.  Whitney  lived  in  town  previous  to 
his  marriage, — was  here  as  early  as  1747,  as  his  name  heads  the  list 
of  petitioners  of  that  year  for  a  separate  town.  The  first  town- 
meeting  was  convened  at  his  house  in  1753,  he  having  been 
appointed  to  warn  said  meeting.  He  was  a  member  of  the  board  of 
selectmen  at  the  organization  of  the  town,  and  had  the  names  and 
births  of  two  children  entered  upon  its  records.  He  soon  afterwards 
left  the  town  for  some  other  home,  which  we  have  been  unable  to 
trace  out.     His  children  were  : 

I.     SOLOMON,  b.  June  28,  1759. 


668  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

II.  JOHN,  b.  Feb;  29,  1761.  He  is  supposed  to  have  enlisted, 
May  2,  1775,  in  Col.  William  Prescott's  regiment  for  a  service  of 
eight  months. 

2!3Ei)ltneg,  2£jra,  vvas  for  a  time  a  resident  of  Shirley,  as  the 
births  of  two  children  have  been  entered  upon  its  records.  Their 
names  are  illegible.  The  first  was  a  son,  b.  May  17,  1756  ;  the  other 
was  a  daughter,  b.  Dec.  18,  1757. 

212EI)ltnC5,  ^tnCV,  resided  in  town  for  a  few  years,  and  had 
two  children  b.  there  : 

I.  ABNER,  b.  Oct.  22,  1755.  He  enhsted.  May  2,  1775,  into 
Col.  Prescott's  regiment,  for  a  service  of  eight  months. 

II.  ROYAL,  b.  Sept.  II,  1757. 


^h^^^r^.^^n^t^  P^jCi^Pn^ 


S2ai)ltnC»,    3^Cb.   Pf)inCi)aS,    b.  at  Weston,  April  23,1740. 
He  was  a  son  of  William  and  Hannah  (Harrington)  Whitney,  and 

was  of  the  sixth 
generation  from 
John  and  Elinor 
Whitney,  who,  as 

has  been  said,  were  immigrants  to  America  in  1635.  Phinehas  Whit- 
ney was  graduated  from  Harvard  University,  in  the  class  of  1759,  in 
which  class  are  found  the  distinguished  names  of  Jonathan  Trumbull 
and  Paine  Wingate.  He  was  settled  the  first  minister  of  Shirley, 
(which  had  passed  a  decade  of  years  before  religious  services  could 
be  permanently  established,)  June  23,  1762,  and  d.  at  Shirley,  Dec. 
13,  1819,  making  the  period  of  his  ministry  fifty-seven  years.  Mr. 
Whitney  was  thrice  m.,  (first)  to  Miriam  Willard*  of  Harvard,  April 
28,  1762  ;  she  d.  March  20,  1769;  he  m.  (second)  Lydia  Bowes  of 
Bedford,  pub.  March  3,  1770,  who  d.  Oct.  11,  1805  ;  he  m.  (third) 
Mrs.  Jane  Gaffield  of  Fitchburg,  who  d.  March  4,  1824.  Mr.  Whit- 
ney had  ten  children,  all  by  his  second  wife,  and  all  b.  in  Shirley  : 

I.  THOMAS,  b.  March  19,  1771,  m.  Henrietta,  daughter  of  James 
and  Sarah  (Dickerson)  Parker  of  Shirley,  July  7,  1 799.  He  d.  at 
Shirley,  Jan.  14,  1844. 

Mr.  Whitney  held  a  conspicuous  place  among  his  fellow-towns- 
men during  his  life,  and  carried  with  him  through  the  various  walks 
of  public  and  social  intercourse,  an  influence  which  many  might 
covet  but  few  could  attain.  He  held  the  different  and  progressive 
offices  that  belong  to  the  town  militia,  and  in  civil  life  he  had  twelve 
elections  to  the  office  of  selectman,  was  clerk  of  the  town  forty 
years,  was  the  post-master  in  town,  and  held  the  office  at  the  time 
of  his  death. 

His  manners  were  courteous,  affable  and  easy,  and  his  general 
character  obliging  and  trustworthy.  He  was  a  distinguished  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  to  the  principles  of  which  institution 


*See  Appendix  CC. 


CO 

o 


GENEALOGY. WHITNEY.  669 

he  strongly  adhered  during  all  the  trials  through  which  the  order 
was  doomed  to  pass  in  the  first  part  of  the  present  century.  And 
he  was  regarded  by  those  who  knew  him  best,  as  a  "good  gentle- 
man of  the  old  school."  Mr.  Whitney  had  three  children,  all  b. 
at  Shirley  : 

1,  Thoisias,  b.  April  17,  1800,  m.  Sally  Barrett  of  Shirley,  Oct.  10, 
1822.     She  d.  at  Shirley,  May  4,  1868.     He   d.   Dec.   6,    1865. 

Though  Thomas  was  the  eldest  of  his  father's  family,  he  was 
the  last  called  from  life.  He  was  the  inheritor  of  a  generous 
property  from  his  father  and  brothers,  and  probably  kept  the 
same  intact,  yet  made  few  personal  efforts  towards  the  en- 
largement of  his  estate.  He  was  courteous,  dignified  and  hos- 
pitable in  his  home,  and  carried  abroad  a  gentleness  of  manner 
and  cheerfulness  of  heart  that  commended  him  to  the  different 
classes  of  society  in  which  his  lot  was  cast.  He  somewhat  dis- 
tinguished himself  as  a  military  commander  in  his  early  man- 
hood, rising  from  the  lowest  grade  of  non-commissioned  offices 
to  a  colonelcy.  He  proved  himself  a  master  of  his  position  by 
his  knowledge  of  military  tactics  and  discipline,  and  by  the 
ease  and  grace  of  his  horsemanship.  He  was  an  earnest  and 
efficient  member  of  the  First  Parish  in  town,  constant  in  his  at- 
tendance on  public  worship,  always  giving  to  Christian  institu- 
tions the  weight  of  his  influence  and  support.  The  closing 
months  of  his  life  were  embittered  by  a  wasting  and  painful 
disease,  to  which  the  strong  man  bowed  himself  with  resignation 
and  trust. 

His  widow  survived  him  a  Kttle  more  than  two  years.  She 
ever  proved  herself,  at  home  and  abroad,  one  of  "the  excellent 
of  the  earth."  She  devoted  herself  to  the  true  interests  of  hu- 
manity, a  helper  of  the  helpless,  the  mourner's  comforter,  the 
assuager  of  grief,  and  a  happy  bearer  of  good  tidings  of  good 
to  all  within  the  sphere  of  her  movements.  She  was  a  sincere 
professor  of  the  religion  she  so  abundantly  displayed  in  her 
example.  "  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart  for  they  shall  see 
God."     They  had  one  child  : 

(i.)    Thomas  Edivin,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  i,  1825.     (See  College 
Graduates.) 

2.  James  Phinehas,  b.  Aug.  8,  1802,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Lydia 
B.  P.  Treadwell  of  Ipswich,  May  31,  1836;  she  d.  Feb.  28, 
1842  ;  he  m.  (second)  Sarah  Ann  Treadwell,  a  sister  of  his  former 
wife,  June  10,  1846.     He  d.  Jan.  14,  1847. 

It  was  said  by  one,  long  a  resident  of  the  town  and  otherwise 
able  to  judge  rationally,  that  James  P.  Whitney  was  the  ablest 
business  man  that  Shirley  ever  produced,  and  the  most  of  his 
generation  who  knew  him,  would  be  willing  to  endorse  this  dec- 
laration. Any  who  might  have  doubted  this  could  not  deny  that 
he  passed  his  short  life  in  the  active  discharge  of  what  he  re- 
garded duty,  irrespective  of  consequences.  He  was  engaged 
in  merchandise  from  the  time  he  ceased  to  be  a  minor  unto  the 


(>70  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

day  of  his  death,  and  his  trade  was  very  large,  owing  to  an  ex- 
tensive manufacture  of  palm-leaf  hats. 

Combined  with  his  mercantile  pursuits,  agriculture  came  in  for 
a  share  of  his  attention  ;  and  in  this  he  was  not  the  passive  fol- 
lower of  time-worn  custom,  but  a  judicious  and  consistent 
experimenter.  By  care  and  diligence  his  lands  had  a  yearly 
increase  of  productiveness,  his  barns  were  necessarily  enlarged, 
and  his  example  proved  from  year  to  year  that  farming  is  an 
occupation  no  less  thrifty  than  healthy. 

In  addition  to  all  these  private  cares,  Mr.  Whitney  was  largely 
engaged  in  the  public  interests.  He  was,  in  early  manhood,  a 
member  of  the  Middlesex  Agricultural  Society,  held  for  a  time 
a  commanding  place  in  the  state  militia,  and  filled  many  situa- 
tions of  trust  within  the  town.  He  was  a  selectman  for  ten 
years,  town  clerk  three  years,  represented  the  town  in  the  state 
legislature  for  two  sessions,  and  was  twice  appointed  to  the  state 
senate.  Now,  as  he  died  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years,  his  period 
of  responsible  action  was  confined  to  twenty-four  years ! 
Surely  it  must  be  said  that  his  talents  were  devoted  to  a  careful 
usury.     He  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  Henrietta  Parker,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  ii,  1837,  m.  Andrew 
McFarland  Davis  of  Worcester,  Oct.  23,  1862,  r.  Cambridge 
(1883).  She  has  had  four  children  :  i.  "Bancroft  Gherardi," 
b.  at  New  York,  Oct.  6,  1864;  2.  "Eleanor  Whitney,"  b.  at 
New  Brighton,  May  12,  "1867;  3.  "  Frederica  King,"  b.  at 
New  Brighton,  March  15,  1869;  4.  "Horace  Andrew,"  b.  at 
New  Brighton,  July  16,  1870. 

8.  George  Alfred,  b.  May  30,  1809,  m.  Mary  D.  Hayward  of 
Boston,  Nov.  16,  1841,  and  d.  at  Boston,  March  25,  i860.  The 
following  notice  of  him  appeared  in  a  Boston  newspaper  soon 
after  his  death  : 

"Mr.  Whitney  was  a  grandson  of  Rev.  Phinehas  Whitney, — 
the  first  minister  of  Shirley,  whose  pastorate  was  continued  fifty- 
eight  years.  In  youth  Mr.  Whitney  was  placed  in  a  mercantile 
house  as  clerk,  at  Boston,  and  from  early  manhood  unto  the  time 
of  his  death  was  extensively  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits.  In 
his  business  relations  he  was  universally  regarded  an  upright  and 
honorable  man.  He  was  remarkable  for  his  indomitable  energy 
and  for  his  untiring  activity.  Though  for  many  years  he  was 
eminently  successful  as  a  merchant,  he  was,  during  the  season  of 
1857,  when  about  to  retire  with  a  competency  from  the  cares  to 
which  his  strongest  days  had  been  devoted,  unexpectedly  over- 
taken by  mercantile  disaster.  And  here  was  displayed  the 
unconquerable  will  and  intense  greatness  of  purpose  so  charac- 
teristic of  him.  Though  most  men  of  his  time  of  life,  after 
years  of  severe  and  unremitting  toil,  would  have  sunk  under  dis- 
appointment so  unlocked  for  and  so  disheartening,  yet  with  all 
the  courage  and  buoyancy  of  early  manhood  he  began  his  busi- 
ness life  anew,  and  re-entered  with  cheerfulness  and  hope  its 
toilsome  and  uncertain  ways.     It  was   from   the   midst  of  these 


GENEALOGY. WHITNEY.  671 

busy  scenes  of  his  earthly  re-engagements  that  he  was  suddenly 
summoned  away.  Now,  when  one  in  the  prime  of  his  manhood 
and  usefulness  is  thus  removed  from  his  place,  leaving  to  our 
short-sighted  vision  his  work  but  half  accomplished,  we  pause  to 
acknowledge  the  wisdom  of  a  higher  power,  and  purposes 
reaching  beyond  human  comprehension. 

"In  the  every-day  affairs  and  duties  of  life  Mr.  Whitney  was 
upright,  manly  and  enthusiastic ;  in  his  soci^al  relations  he  was  a 
gentleman  in  the  best  acceptation  of  the  term  ;  dignified,  cour- 
teous and  polite  to  all,  generous,  warm-hearted  and  affectionate 
to  his  friends,  he  was  universally  respected  and  beloved.  The 
poor  and  suffering  found  in  him  a  benefactor,  and  the  institutions 
of  virtue  and  religion  a  zealous  patron.  He  brought  with  him 
into  the  circle  of  private  life  all  that  sunshine  of  deportment  and 
amiableness  of  character  which  ever  secured  for  his  presence  a 
hearty  welcome.  But  it  was  in  his  own  cheerful  home  that  all 
the  finer  traits  of  his  character  were  conspicuous,  his  almost 
womanly  gentleness,  the  sweetness  of  his  temper,  his  wise  coun- 
sels and  prudent  forethought,  his  deep  religious  sentiments.  It 
was  here  in  the  midst  of  his  cherished  family,  that  he  ever 
sought  and  found  the  full  measure  of  his  happiness.  This  deso- 
late home  is  still  hallowed  by  his  invisible  presence  and  by  all 
the  precious  memories  of  his  many  virtues." 

"  His  life  was  gentle ;  and  the  elements 
So  mix'd  in  iiim,  that  nature  might  stand  up, 
And  say  to  all  the  world,  This  was  a  man  /" 

Mr.  Whitney  had  two  children,  b.  at  Boston  : 

(i.)  James  Phinehas,  b.  Jan.  12,  1847,  d.  Sept.  6,  1871.  The 
following  notice  of  him  is  copied  from  the  Necrology  of 
Harvard  College  : 

"He  had  always  lived  in  Boston,  and  was  fitted  by  private 
tutors  for  the  Latin  School,  in  which  he  accomplished  the  full 
course.  He  entered  College  as  a  freshman  in  1865,  and 
graduated  in  1869,  with  special  honors  in  the  departments  of 
history  and  political  economy.  After  his  graduation  he  went 
abroad  in  company  with  several  of  his  classmates,  but  was 
recalled  after  a  short  stay,  by  the  illness  of  his  only  brother. 
From  that  time  until  he  entered  the  Institute  of  Technology, 
in  October,  1870,  his  time  was  devoted  to  the  care  of  an  in- 

■  vahd  brother,  for  whom  he  had  a  deep  affection.  His  father's 
sudden  death,  during  a  temporary  absence  of  a  few  hours,  was 
a  sad  blow  to  his  spirits  and  health,  and  diminished  his 
power  to  resist  the  illness  from  which  he  died  after  days  of 
intense  suffering.  He  was  of  a  modest  and  unassuming  dis- 
position, pure  and  high  minded,  and  incapable  of  a  mean 
action.  All  those  who  knew  him  best  fully  understood  his 
generous  and  unselfish  character." 

(2.)  George  Alfred,  b.  Nov.  15,  1847,  ^-  ^^^-  9'  '^7°-  ^^• 
Whitney  was  one  of  nature's  artists,  or  he  surely  inherited  a 


672  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

love  of  art  which  gave  much  pleasure  to  his  short  life.  His 
merits  are  set  forth  in  an  account  given  of  him  in  the  "  Old 
and  New,"  a  literary  magazine  published  in  Boston  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  from  which  the  following  sentences  have  been 
taken  : 

"  He  had  just  entered  his  twenty-fourth  year  when  he  died  ; 
and,  in  the  five  years  between  eighteen  and  twenty-three,  he 
had  been  kept  from  his  favorite  occupation  by  failing  health 
many  long  months,  either  in  an  invalid's  retirement  or  in 
travel.  But  in  so  short  a  time,  so  much  broken,  always  fol- 
lowing with  the  caution  of  a  modest  student,  he  steadily 
wrought  at  portrait  modelling ;  and  always  the  delicacy  of 
taste  and  eye  with  which  he  was  born  showed  itself,  supported 
with  more  and  more  steadiness  and  precision  of  hand.  We 
have  a  list  of  thirteen  careful  portrait  busts  which  he  finished 
at  that  time.  Besides  these  he  had  wrought  one  and  another 
study  for  works  of  imagination,  which  interested  him,  or  had 
a  place  in  his  plan  of  education,  and  which  gave  cheering 
promise  of  what  he  might  do  if  his  life  was  spared. 

"  In  all  these  portraits,  and  in  all  his  artist  life,  Mr.  Whitney 
showed  much  more  than  the  mechanical  power  of  taking  a 
likeness,  which  is  so  often  mistaken  for  artistic  genius.  The 
characteristic  which  one  remembers  first  of  all  was  a  single- 
hearted  purity  or  sincerity  of  disposition, — a  trait  which 
appears  at  once  in  his  own  portrait  of  himself;  which,  in  the 
depths  of  his  shrinking  modesty,  marked  all  that  he  said,  and 
which  in  one  way  or  another  way,  appears  in  all  his  work. 
There  was  no  disguise  of  any  sort  about  him.  He  knew  only 
the  most  direct  ways  to  achieve  an  object,  and  the  most  simple 
words  to  express  an  idea.  There  is  an  exquisite  beauty  result- 
ing from  this  simplicity  or  purity  in  his  portraits  of  himself 
which  he  has  left  behind  him.  To  our  eye  it  marks  all  his 
works,  and  had  he  lived,  would  have  given  to  his  works  of 
imagination  an  inestimable  value. 

"The  conscientiousness  of  all  his  portraits  of  others  gives 
to  his  work  a  peculiar  value  ;  and  the  few  persons  who  ever 
sat  to  him  for  a  likeness  will  always  cherish  the  memory  of  the 
ready,  enthusiastic,  silent  boy,  as  he  saw  his  work  grow  more 
perfect  under  his  hand,  as  one  of  the  exquisite  pictures  of 
triumphant  spiritual  power  working  its  miracles  over  stupid 
clay. 

"The  tenderest  care  could  not  preserve  for  us  this  delicate 
life  ;  and  such  memories  as  we  have  been  tracing  are  all  that 
is  left  to  us.  He  died  at  the  home  of  his  mother  in 
Boston.  It  is  much  to  ask,  that  God  send  us  other  young 
men  of  aspirations,  organization  so  delicate,  and  character  so 
jjure.  If  so  great  a  prayer  can  be  answered,  it  is  by  that  gift 
more  than  by  any  other  that  art  will  assume  its  function  in  the 
elevation  and  improvement  of  the  land." 


GENEALOGY. WHITNEY.  673 

II.  NICHOLAS  BOWES,  b.  March  21,  1772,  m.  Ann  Adams  of 
Acton,  Nov.  13,  1800,  ordained  pastor  of  the  Second  Parish  in 
Hingham,  Jan.  i,  1800,  d.  Nov.  26,  1835.  (See  College  Grad- 
uates.)    He  had  three  children  : 

1.  Ann  Catharine,  b.  at  Hingham,  Jan.  7,  1802,  m.  Caleb  Hersey, 
Dec.  25,  1821. 

2.  Lydia  Bowes,  b.  at  Hingham,  Aug.  27,  1807,  d.  July  5,  1838. 

3.  Benjamin  Lincoln,  b.  at  Hingham,  June  24,  1810,  m.  Caroline 
C.  Holmes,  Aug.  28,  1837,  d.  May  30,  1855  ;  had  four  children. 

III.  LYDIA,  b.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  8,  1773,  m.  John  Watson  of 
Amherst,  N.  H.,  June  8,  1804,  d.  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  7,  1853. 
Mrs.  Watson  was  a  Christian  professor,  and  in  her  life  she  honored 
the  name  of  Christian.  She  lived  respected,  and  died  regretted. 
She  had  six  children.  The  first  four  were  sons,  were  b.  at  Amherst, 
and  d.  in  early  childhood.  The  fifth  was  a  daughter,  b.  at  Albany, 
N.  Y.,  and  d.  in  infancy. 

().  Rebecca,  b.  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  30,  1815,  r.  Albany,  unm. 
She  abounds  in  kindness  and  good  deeds,  and  from  her  rela- 
tives and  friends  has  received  much  and  merited  respect. 

IV.  ELIZABETH,  b.  Nov.  8,  1775,  m.  Dr.  Amos  Parker  of  Bolton, 
May  I,  1805,  d.  at  Bolton,  Jan.  12,  1864.     She  had  three  children  : 

1.  Elizabeth  Lydia  Bowes,  b.  at  Bolton,  July  9,  1809,  d.  at 
Boston,  April  i,  1882,  unm. 

2.  Louisa  Jane,  b.  at  Bolton,  Jan.  10,  1812,  r.  Bolton  (1883), 
unm. 

3.  John  Green,  b.  Jan.  18,  18 14,  d.,  aged  six  weeks. 

V.  WILLIAM,  b.  Oct.  3,  1778,  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Betsey  Fisk 
of  Bradford,  March  29,  1802;  she  d.  Feb.  24,  1810;  he  m. 
(second)  Martha  Symons,  March  29,  1819;  she  d.  Jan.  23,  1837. 
Mr.  Whitney  d.  Jan.  29,  1837.     He  had  two  children  : 

I.  William  Fisk,  b.  May  19,  1803,  m.  Frances  A.  Rice  of  Boston, 
Jan.  17,  1827,  d.  at   Boston,  Jan.  21,  1868.      Mrs.   Whitney  d. 
Oct.  30,  1867.     They  had  five  children,  all  b.  at  Boston  : 
(i.)  David  Rice,  b.   Jan.    10,    1828,   graduated    from    Harvard 
University,  1848,  m.  Sophia  Paine  Dunn,  April  3,  1855,  is  en- 
gaged in  merchandise  in  Boston.     He  has  had  two  children  : 

1.  "  Frances  Elinor,"  b.  June  21,  1857  ;  2.  "Mabel  Blanche," 
b.  May  16,  1865. 

(2.)  Frances  Ellen,  b.  Dec.  29,  1829,  m.  William  S.  Lewis  of 
Philadelphia,  Sept.  18,  1849.  She  has  had  four  children,  b. 
at  Manchester,  Eng.  :   i.  "William  Whitney,"  b.  Sept.,  1850; 

2.  "  Henry  Ashmead,"  b.  June  6,  1854;    3.  "  Lilly  Maude," 
b.  June  29,  1857  ;  4.  "Abraham  Jarrett,"  b.  Jan.  7,  r86i. 

(3.)  Frederick  William,  b.  Jan.  21,  1833,  d.  .April  6,  1834. 
(4.)  Frederick  William,  b.  Aug.  i,  1834,  d.  .Aug.  26,  1839. 

85 


674  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(5.)  William  Fisk,  b.  March  26,  1850,  graduated  at  Harvard 
University ;  is  now  connected  with  Harvard  Medical  School 
as  an  instructor  (1882). 

•2.  George  Howe,  b.  at  Bedford,  March    24,    1809,  m.    Elizabeth 
B.  White  of  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  March  19,  1838,  d.  Nov.  28,  185^. 
He  had  seven  children,  all  b.  at  St.  Charles  : 
(i.)  Mary  Henrietta,  b.  Aug.  15,  1840,  d.  Aug.  21,  1840. 
(2.)  Mary  Frances,  b.  Sept.  5,  1841,  d.  Feb.  19,  1846. 
(3.)    William  Fisk,  b.  Jan.  20,  1843,  d.  Jan.  26,  1843. 
(4.)    Williatn  Fisk,  b.  Nov.  34,   1844,  m.  a  daughter  of  Judge 

Bukner  of  Missouri. 
(5.)  Julia  Harriet,  b.  Oct.  2,  1847,  <^-  March  4,  1848. 
(6.)  Martha  Ellen,  b.  April  19,  1849,  <^-  ^^g.  28,  1881. 
(7.)  Francis  White,  b.  April  8,  1852,  d.  March  9,  1881. 

VI.  REBECCA  COOK,  b.  Sept.  2,  1781,  m.  William  B.  Merriam 
of  Bedford,  May  16,  1801,  d.     She  had  four  children  : 

1.  William  Strong,  b.  Feb.  15,  1802,  m.  Jane  Inman  of  Essex, 
Jan.  3,  1821,  d.  May,  1854. 

2.  Rebecca  Louisa,  b.  March  6,  1805,  m.  William  Inman,  1820. 

3.  Susanna  Wright,  b.  May  i,  1807,  m.  William  Mclntire,  Jan. 
3,  1826,  d.  Nov.  28,  1855. 

4.  Albert  L.,  b.  Feb.  20,  18 10,  m.,  and  had  ten  children. 

VII.  PHINEHAS  SULLIVAN,  b.  July  6,  1785,  was  thrice  m., 
(first)  to  Lucy  Cobb  of  Boston  ;  she  d.  March  30,  182 1  ;  he  m. 
(second)  Julia  Robinson  ;  m.  (third)  Eliza  Collard  of  Alexandria, 
Va.  ;  d.  May  3,  1855. 

VIII.  SARAH,  b.  Dec.  19,  1787,  d.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  23,  1867,  unm. 

IX.  CLARISSA,  b.  Dec.  2,  i  790,  m.  Henry  Isaacs  of  Mason,  May 
4,  1 81 5.     She  had  three  children,  all  b.  at  Mason,  N.  H.  : 

\.  Henry  A.,  b.  May  11,  18 16,  d.  Aug.  26,  1856. 

2.  Edward  Moses,  b.  Oct.  19,  1818,  d.  at  New  Ipswich,  N.  H., 
unm. 

3.  Charles  Barreit,  b.  May  6,  1826,  d.  Sept.  21,  1828. 

X.  CHARLES,  b.  Jan.  2,  1794,  m.  Dolly  Davenport  of  West 
Boylston,  Sept.  12,  1815,  d.  Oct.  6,  1832.  He  had  five  children, 
all  but  one  b.  at  Shirley  : 

\.  Charles  W.,  b.  Aug.  25,  181 7,  d.  Dec.  13,  1820. 

2.  Elizabeth  D.,  b.  Oct.  23,  1819,  d.  Dec.  18,  1820. 

3.  Charles  Addington,  b.  Oct.  10,  182 1  ;  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Mary  F.  Parker  of  Winchendon,  May  11,  1862;  m.  (second) 
Mrs.  E.  V.  Holman  of  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  May  11,  1S71. 
He  d.  May  23,  1878. 


GENEALOGY. WHITNEY-WILDS.  675 

4.  Henry  A.,  b.  Oct.  6,  1823,  m.  Lucretia  Hall  of  Charlestown, 
Oct.  24,  i860,  r.  Boston  (1883). 

5.  Sarah  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Peterboro,  N.  H.,  Nov.  i,  1825,  m. 
David  Cotting  of  Boston,  April  13,  1852,  r.  Boston,  a  widow. 
She  has  one  child,  b.  at  Southborough  : 

(i.)  Hattie  F.,  b.  May  9,  1853. 


WILDS, 


This  is  not  a  common  name.  Among  the  numerous  genealogies  to 
which  access  has  been  gained,  but  very  few  families  or  even  indi- 
viduals of  the  name  have  been  found.  Mr.  Savage  sets  them  down 
of  kinship,  though  they  appear  under  the  different  names  of  Wild, 
Wylde,  Wildes,  or  Wilde.  He  supposes  that  John  came  over  in  the 
Elizabeth  and  Ann,  in  1635,  and  another,  William,  came  at  the  same 
time,  with  Alice,  his  wife,  and  their  son  John,  and  were  setded  at 
Ipswich,  eventually.  The  same  John  was  probably  settled  at  Tops- 
field,  1660.  It  was  probably  from  this  family  that  the  settlers  of  the 
name  came  who  are  found  in  the  records  of  Groton  and  Shirley. 

212ECltfS,  IEltJ9i)»  was  the  ancestor  of  the  families  of  the  name 
whose  genealogy  claims  a  place  in  this  registry.  The  town  of  his 
birth  we  have  not  ascertained.  He  was  b.  Jan.  4,  1718,  m.  Anna 
Hovey,  and  came  to  live  in  Shirley,  then  a  part  of  Groton,  about  the 
year  1744.  His  estate  lay  on  the  southern  boundary  of  the  town, 
the  place  upon  which  the  Shaker  village  has  been  built.  It  seems,  by 
a  traditional  account  that  has  come  down  to  us,  that  previous  to  the 
advent  of  the  strange  prophetess,  Elijah  Wilds  had  settled  his  estate 
upon  his  two  sons  ;  with  the  eldest,  who  inhabited  the  family  mansion, 
himself  and  wife  resided,  while  the  other  was  provided  with  a  dwell- 
ing near  by.  The  ministry  of  Ann  Lee  was  the  means  of  converting 
the  father  and  mother,  and  both  the  sons,  with  their  families,  to  the 
new  faith,  and  the  society  which  she  then  formed  has  (1883)  entered 
upon  the  second  century  of  its  existence.  The  house  where  "  Mother 
Ann  "  preached  is  still  standing,  and  the  closet  where  she  was  con- 
cealed when  she  and  her  followers  were  mobbed,  is  still  open  for  the 
inspection  of  visitors.* 

Elijah  Wilds  d.  at  his  home  with  the  Shakers,  April  6,  1791  ;  his 
widow  d.  March  16,  1804.  They  were  buried  in  the  private  ceme- 
tery of  the  order.     They  had  eight  children  : 

I.  ELIJAH,  b.  Nov.  10,  1745,  d.  Dec.  27,  1745. 

II.  ELIJAH,  b.  Nov.  9,  i  746,  m.  Eunice  Safford  of  Harvard,  July 
4,  1 7  7 1 .  They  had  five  children  before  they  entered  upon  their 
Shaker  life,  when,  according  to  the  rules  of  the  order,  their  special 


*See  Appendix  EE. 


676  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

family  ties  were  severed,  and  they  with  their  children  were  merged 
in  the  community  whose  distinguishing  attribute  is  celibacy.  Mr. 
Wilds  was  appointed  elder  at  the  organization  of  the  society  at 
Shirley,  and  was  continued  in  the  office  while  he  lived.  He  d. 
March  14,  1829,  aged  eighty-three  years.  His  wife  (if  taking  the 
celibate  vow  had  not  abolished  the  title)  d.  Nov.  11,  1819.  His 
death  was  received  with  the  deepest  grief  by  the  members  of  the 
order.  They  had  all  been  under  his  religious  instruction  and 
supervision,  and  they  felt  that  their  spiritual  father  was  removed, 
and  knew  not  upon  whom  his  mantle  should  descend.  A  large 
concourse  of  people  assembled  at  his  burial,  and  were  addressed 
by  one  of  their  number,  substantially  as  follows  : 

"  Brethren  and  sisters,  friends  and  neighbors  :  The  peaceful  and 
tranquil  influence  which  so  manifestly  pervades  this  sympathizing 
assembly  may  well  bring  to  our  hearts  the  impression  that  'this  is 
none  other  than  the  house  of  God  and  the  gate  of  heaven.'  This 
same  spirit  of  living  peace  and  undying  joy  was  ever  with  our 
brother,  the  consolation  of  his  mind  and  the  strengthener  of  his 
hope  to  the  latest  day  of  his  life. 

"  Our  brother,  we  are  told,  had  no  special  premonition  of  his 
departure  ;  and,  hence,  had  no  opportunity  to  administer  to  his 
friends  his  parting  advice  and  blessing.  May  we  not  then  consider 
this  meeting  his  parting  adieu  ?  Could  he  speak  from  his  coffin, 
would  he  not  express  the  joy  he  realized  at  his  peaceful  deliver- 
ance from  the  weight  of  age  and  infirmity,  and  the  renewal  of  that 
manhood  which  is  destined  'to  flourish  in  immortal  youth?'  That 
he  could  exchange  his  habitation  of  clay  for  'a  house  not  made 
with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens?'  Might  he  not  join  his  voice 
to  that  of  the  old  prophet  in  the  temple,  '  Now  lettest  thou  thy 
servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation?' 
All  who  have  heard  him  speak  of  this  salvation  have  noted  with 
what  delight  and  confidence  he  spoke.  It  would  seem  that  if  he 
had  heard  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying,  '  I  have  set  for  thee  an 
open  door,  and  no  man  can  shut  it ; '  or  had  he  seen  printed  in 
letters  of  gold  the  words,  'Great  peace  have  they  who  love  thy 
law,  and  nothing  shall  offend  them,' — he  would  not  have  exhibited 
greater  faith  and  confidence.  In  view  of  which,  who  of  us  in  this 
solemn  assembly  could  fail  to  say,  '  Let  me  die  the  death  of  the 
righteous,  and  let  my  last  end  be  like  his.' 

"  But,  could  we  command  the  open  vision,  and  see  him  as  he  is, 
could  we  witness  his  reception  and  reunion  with  those  blessed 
ones, — Mother  Ann,  and  her  little  band,  by  whose  inspired  ministry 
our  brother  was  brought  into  the  light  and  power  of  this  great  sal- 
vation,— could  we  hear  them  say  to  him,  as  we  have  no  doubt  they 
will  say  at  his  first  reception,  '  Come  ye  blessed  ;  we  were  strangers 
and  ye  took  us  in,  hungry  and  ye  fed  us,  thirsty  and  ye  gave  us 
drink  ;  and  when  imprisoned  by  the  wrath  of  men,  who  sought  to 
blot  us  out  forever,  then  did  ye  stand  by  us  ! '  'Come  ye  blessed,' 
respond  an  innumerable  company  of  angels  and  'spirits  of  just 
men  made  perfect.'  Must  not  his  glad  heart  leap  with  joy  at  such 
a  recognition  ? 


GENEALOGY. WILDS.  677 

"But,  I  forbear;  for  this  may  seem  trenching  on  holy  ground, 
and  yet  let  the  thought  flow  in  our  every  heart,  that  the  true  prepa- 
ration for  such  a  reception  must  be  '  Christ  within,  the  hope  of 
glory  ; '  the  at-one-ment  made  in  us  by  practical  obedience  to  his 
inspiration  and  imitation  of  his  example. 

"We  have  spoken  of  our  good  brother  as  a  disciple  of  Mother 
Ann  ;  in  which  connection,  like  many  more  of  the  same  order,  he 
could  truly  say  with  Job,  *  When  the  ear  heard  me  then  it  blessed 
me,  and  when  the  eye  saw  me,  then  it  gave  witness  unto  me,  be- 
cause I  was  a  father  to  the  poor ;  and  the  cause  which  I  knew  not 
I-  searched  out,  and  I  caused  the  widow's  heart  to  sing  for  joy.' 
Few  men  ever  lived  of  whom  this  could  be  more  justly  said. 

"But  our  friends  and  neighbors  will  ask,  might  not  all  this  have 
been  truly  said  of  him,  even  if  he  never  had  heard  of  this  peculiar 
faith?  Where  then  is  the  blessedness  you  speak  of?  And  where 
the  necessity  of  the  self-denial  and  the  daily  cross  ?  Well  now,  the 
simple  experience  of  our  departed  friend  will  answer  this  ques- 
tion. The  report  which  he  has  given  of  himself  and  those 
primitive  believers  in  the  word  of  this  new  revelation,  which  ex- 
posed, as  they  believed,  the  depravity  of  the  worldly  and  carnal 
mind,  is  this  :  They  felt  that  they  could  find  no  deliverance  from 
the  power  of  sin  and  its  condemnation,  until  it  came  to  them  by 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  gave  them  deliverance  from 
the  bondage  of  sin  and  death  ;  from  the  carnal  mind  which  is 
death,  to  the  spiritual  mind  which  is  life  and  peace.  Such  was  the 
testimony  of  our  departed  friend,  and  such  is  the  testimony  of  a 
'  cloud  of  witnesses.'  The  voice  of  Mother  and  the  elders,  those 
messengers  of  God,  was,  'All  things  new.'  The  promise  was 
salvation,  a  present,  practical,  overcoming  power.  With  their 
leaders  it  was  a  living  experience,  which  gave  power  to  their  sermon 
and  their  song.  Their  followers,  with  the  New  Testament  in  their 
hands,  which  taught  that  if  a  man  will  do  the  work  he  shall  know 
of  the  doctrine,  and  knowing  that  if  one  come  to  God,  he  must 
beheve  not  only  that  God  is,  but  that  he  is  the  rewarder  of  them 
who  diligently  seek  him,  what  could  they  do  less  than  make  this 
wise  and  heavenly  experiment?  In  justice  to  their  eternal  in- 
terests, they  did  so.  Of  the  blessed  result  you  have  heard  to-day  ; 
a  present,  practical  salvation.  I  hope  this  sympathizing  audience 
will  candidly  consider  the  testimony  of  those  friends  of  our  brother, 
who  have  so  clearly  explained  the  choice  which  he  made  and  the 
life  which  he  has  lived. 

"You  will  perceive  that  we  claim  this,  that  had  he  found  in  his 
former  experience,  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation,  'Christ  within 
the  hope  of  glory,'  he  would  never  have  given  up  all  to  follow  the 
self-denying,  persecuted  leader  of  the  sect  'everywhere  spoken 
against.'  Do  not  wonder  that  we  thus  speak,  and  sing  of  the  glory, 
that  we  are  assured  is  now  revealed  in  him.  The  ground  which 
his  hands  have  tilled  is  a  field  which  the  Lord  hath  blessed.  He 
has  passed  a  virtuous  life,  and  has  long  enjoyed  the  work  of  his 
hands,  and  during  his  hours  of  peaceful  labor  has  given  his  thought 


()78  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

and  sympathy  to  that  blessed  work  of  God,  which  even  in  this 
world  of  care  and  toil,  brings  us  into  communion  with  the  heavenly 
world. 

"  Father  James*  once  declared,  '  I  am  weaned  from  all  terrestrial 
connections,  and  long  to  join  the  hosts  of  heaven.  With  open 
vision  do  I  behold  the  angelic  company  of  the  spiritual  world,  and 
desire  to  unite  in  the  melodious  songs  of  the  New  Jerusalem.' 
Father  P^lijah  might  respond  to  the  declaration.  He  sympathized, 
when  in  the  flesh,  with  the  worship  and  obedience  of  the  spiritual 
order  of  believers  with  which  he  was  connected,  and  this  would 
seem  to  prepare  him  for  the  higher  joys  of  the  angelic  world.  His 
fellow-believers  can  realize  that  the  devotional  element  is  that  which 
endows  the  spiritual  man  for  heavenly  employments.  Our  departed 
elder  witnessed  a  good  confession,  not  only  for  the  daughter  of 
Zion,  but  for  the  Son  of  Man  ;  he  recommended  their  Gospel  by 
his  daily  obedience  to  it.  What  a  blessing,  in  a  Christian  Associa- 
tion like  this,  is  the  influence  and  example  of  such  a  believer  ! 
More  precious  than  the  gold  of  Ophir.  '  Mark  the  perfect  man, 
and  behold  the  upright,  for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace.'  " 

This  discourse  was  spoken  and  written  by  Lorenzo  D.  Grosvenor, 
then  a  young  man,  yet  still  Hving  (1883). 

The  children  of  Elijah  Wilds  were  all  b.  at  Shirley,  and  were  : 

1.  Eunice,  b.  Oct.  11,  1772,  d.  in  the  Shaker  faith.  May  29,  1855. 

2.  Abigail,  b.  Oct.  i,  1774,  m.  Benjamin  Willard  of  Harvard,  d. 
Oct.  12,  1848.     She  had  one  child  : 

(i.)  Jerome,  b.  Oct.  26,  18 18,  r.  Sterling  (1 881). 

o.  Olive,  b.  Aug.  15,  1776.  She  remained  a  Shakeress  for  several 
years,  when  she  broke  the  bond  of  celibacy,  and  m.  Phinehas 
Ames  (who  had  also  been  a  Shaker),  and  rejoined  the  world. 
She  d.  at  Cambridge,  Aug.  10,  1872,  aged  ninety- six  years.  She 
had  one  child  : 

(i.)  Mary  Ann,  m.  Ebenezer  Parker  of  Boston,  Oct.   7,    1829, 
and  had  two  children  :   i.  "George  F.,"  b.  at  Shirley,  July  2, 

1830,  m.  Sarah  L.  Haynes,  Jan.  23,  1856.  He  had  one  child  : 
I.  Mary  Ann,  b.  Feb.  24,  1857.  2.  "Mary,"  b.  May  24, 
^^33,  d-  young. 

4.  .Anna,  b.  Feb.  15,  1779,  m.  Flavel  Coolidge,   1806.     She  lived 
at  Cambridge,  had  three  children,  and  d.  June  28,  1854.     Her 
children  were  : 
(i.)  Herrick,    b.   Oct.    6,    1S06,    m.    Sarah  Ann   Tucker,    Nov., 

1831,  d.  1850.  He  had  txyo  children:  i.  "Herbert;"  2. 
"Anna." 

(2.)  Helen,  m.  Charles  Russ,  r.  Cambridge  (1881). 
(3.)  Martha  Ann,  b.  Jan.  19,  1814,  m.  Ira  Stratton,  Nov.,  1835. 
She  has  had  four  children  :    i.  "Flavel  C,"  b.  Oct.  4,    1836, 


*One  of  the  first  followers  of  Ann  Lee. 


GENEALOGY. WILDS.  079 

d. ;  2.  "Flavel  C,"  b.  1840;    3.  "Annie  C,"  b.   1848;    4. 
"Martha  Louisa,"  b.  Nov.  4,  1851. 

.').  Martha,  b.  Dec.  20,  1781,  d.  Jan.  23,  1837. 

III.  ANNA,  b.  Feb.  15,  i  749,  m.  Elijali  Wheelock  of  Lancaster,  July 
14,  1774,  and  had  one  child,  but  afterwards,  with  her  daughter, 
joined  the  Shakers,  and  both  hved  and  died  in  that  faith.  She  d. 
Sept.  28,  1838.     Her  daughter  was  : 

1.  Olive  Wilds,  b.  June  25,  1775,  d.  Sept.  21,  1841.* 

IV.  IVORY,  b.  Nov.  25,  I  751,  m.  Hannah  Estabrook  of  Lancaster, 
April  3,  1777,  and  had  two  children,  when  he  and  his  wife  became 
converts  to  the  faith  of  Ann  Lee.  He  was  made  a  deacon  of  the 
order,  and  died  in  the  Shaker  faith,  Sept.  13,  181 7.  His  children 
were  : 

1.  Nathan,  b.  April  14,  1778.  He  left  the  Shakers  on  attaining 
his  majority,  and  m..  Anna  Porter,  established  himself  in  Marl- 
boro', and  had  several  children. 

2.  Levi,  b.  June  9,  1782.  He  followed  the  example  of  his  older 
brother  and  left  the  Shakers  for  the  outer  world ;  m.  Sally 
Edgarton  of  Shirley,  July  6,  1806.  He  had  six  children,  three 
of  whom  were  b.  at  Shirley. 

V.  MOLLY,  b.  Dec.  25,  1754,  m.  Samuel  Randall  of  Stow,  1774. 
and  had  three  children  : 

1.  IvoRV.     2.  Eunice.     8.  Samuel. 

VI.  OLIVE,  b.  April  7,  1757,  d.  June  2,  1775. 

VII.  PHEBE,  b.  Feb.  15,  1761,  m.  Levi  Warner  of  Lancaster. 
She  had  one  child  when  she  with  her  husband  joined  the  Shakers, 
in  which  faith  Mr.  Warner  d.,  June  27,  1825,  when  Mrs.  Warner 
left  the  Shakers,  returned  to  the  world,  and  d.  in  widowhood,  Dec. 
7,  1837.     Her  son  : 

I.  Elijah,  b.  March  20,  1783,  d.  a  Shaker,  July  17,  1814. 

VIII.  SUSANNA,  b.  June  24,  1763,  d.  in  the  Shaker  faith,  Oct.  11, 
1817. 


*The  year  that  Olive  W.  Wheelock  was  thirty-five  years  of  age  (iSio),  she 
performed  the  foUowin.s;  acts  of  labor  :  "  Worked  in  the  kitchen  9  weeks,  spun 
370  skeins  of  yarn, — carded  136  skeins  of  it  with  hand  cards,  doubled  and  twisted 
152  skeins  of  it,— knit  13  pairs  of  socks  and  19  pairs  of  gloves,  sewed  8  days, 
ripped  old  clothes  i  day,  picked  wool  4  days,  twisted  yarn  4  days,  pulled  flax  i 
day,  washed  yarn  i  day,  washed  every  Monday  in  the  year  except  5,  ironed  every 
week,  and  a  number  of  weeks  I  have  washed  and  ironed  3  or  4  days  in  a  week, 
scoured  floors  3  days,  the  jobs  between  times  not  mentioned,  and  visited  4  days." 
This  valuable  woman  lived  to  old  age,  and  for  a  season  was  an  eldress  of  high 
rank. 


680  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

WILLARD. 

The  first  settler  of  this  name  in  Shirley  was 

5!2ElUai*T»,  ISTati^an.  He  was  b.  at  [Harvard  or  Lancaster] 
A.  D.  1752,  and  is  a  supposed  descendant  of  Henry  Willard,  who 
was  the  fourth  son  of  Major  Simon  Willard,  who  was  an  early  settler 
of  Concord.  When  a  young  man,  Nathan  Willard  builded  a  house 
in  Lancaster,  near  what  is  now  the  Shaker  village  of  Shirley,  where  he 
possessed  a  farm,  and  where  he  expected  to  pass  his  life.  He  had 
entered  into  a  marriage  engagement  with  a  young  lady,  but  before 
they  were  ready  to  consummate  the  rite,  they  experienced  new  light, 
through  the  preaching  of  Ann  Lee,  which  came  upon  them  with  such 
overpowering  brilliancy  as  to  cause  them  to  cancel  their  intention 
and  doom  themselves  to  lives  of  celibacy,  preferring  an  order  of 
believers  as  their  associates  who  neither  marry  nor  are  given  in 
marriage.  They  both  lived  and  died  in  the  Shaker  faith.  He  died 
July  12,  1832,  aged  eighty  years. 

On  their  coming  into  what  the  Shakers  call  their  church  organiza- 
tion, they  created  Nathan  Willard  their  chief  trustee  or  deacon,  as  he 
was  styled  by  the  order,  and  he  was  continued  in  the  discharge  of 
his  trust  to  the  end  of  his  life.  And  it  is  highly  probable  that  the 
thrift  and  temporal  success  that  marked  the  movements  of  the  Shirley 
Shakers  one-half  century  since,  was  owing  to  the  skill  and  judgment 
with  which  their  temporal  affairs  were  managed  by  Deacon  Willard. 

The  benefits  of  his  life  were  not  confined  to  his  order,  though  that 
claimed  his  best  efforts,  but  were  spread  over  the  entire  vicinity  of 
his  operation.  The  poor  found  in  him  a  helper,  the  unfortunate  a 
sympathizer,  the  sick  and  afflicted  an  assistant,  where  hand  joined 
with  heart  in  works  of  benevolence  and  mercy.  His  fidelity  to  truth 
and  righteousness  prepared  him  for  his  promised  crown  of  life.  He 
lived  to  see  many  years,  and,  like  Abraham,  was  buried  in  a  good  old 
age. 

212EiUat^,  KSCaCl,  was  b.  at  Lancaster,  March  23,  1754,  m. 
Susanna,  daughter  of  Deacon  John  and  Elizabeth  (Patterson)  Long- 
ley  of  Shirley,  pub.  Oct.  i,  1779.  He  was  by  trade  a  shoemaker,  yet 
his  main  pursuit  was  that  of  agriculture.  He  owned  and  occupied 
the  farm,  in  a  southern  section  of  the  town,  known  by  the  present 
generation  as  the  Firmin  place.  The  early  part  of  his  married  life 
was  passed  in  Lancaster,  but  he  came  to  Shirley  as  early  as  1 784,  and 
d.  there,  May  14,  1821.     He  had  seven  children  : 

L  LUCY,  b.  at  Lancaster,  March  13,  1780,  m.  Charles  Barker  of 
Lancaster,  d.  Sept.  9,  1813. 

II.  SUSANNA,  b.  at  Lancaster,  April  6,  1782,  m.  John  Heard,  and 
had  five  children.     She  lived  and  d.  at  Boston. 

HL  ELIZABETH,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  30,  i  784,  m.  Josiah  Willard, 
Jan.  28,  1804.  She  d.  at  Boston,  Jan.  15,  1854.  She  had  seven 
children  : 

1.  Alfred,  b.  July  31,  1804. 


GENEALOGY. WILLARD.  681 

2.  Edmund,  b.  July  30,  1S06,  d.  May  9,  1837. 

3.  JosiAH,  b.  Aug.  20,  1808,  a  watchmaker,  r.  Milford  (1856). 

4.  Mary,  b.  Aug.  9,  1816,  m.  Evans  Buss,  May  28,  1839,  i^  now  a 
widow,  r.  Leominster  (1883).     She  has  nine  children  : 

(i.)  Edmund  Willard,  b.  at  Boston,  April  7,  1840,  m. 
(2.)  Orlando  Evans,  b.  at  Boston,  Sept.  2,  1841,  unm. 
(3.)  Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Boston,  May  4,   1843,   r.   Leominster 

(1883),  unm. 
(4.)  Ellen  Maria,  b.  at  Boston,  Sept.   21,   1844,  r.   Leominster, 

unm.  (1883.) 
(5.)   George  Washington,  b.  at  Boston,  Dec.  2,  1845. 
(6.)  Susan  L.,  b.  at  Boston,  June  11,  1848. 
(7.)  Millard  Taylor,  b.  at  Boston,  Aug.  20,  1850. 
(8.)  Adelaide  L.,  b.  at  Boston,  June  10,  1852. 
(9.)  Francis  W.,  b.  at  Boston,  Oct.  15,  1854. 

0.  Elizabeth,  b.  May  20,  1819,  m.  Charles  Hayden,  r.  Boston 
(1880). 

G.  Susan,  b.  Feb.  13,  1822.  '  • 

7.  Esther,  b.  May  4,  1830. 

IV.     LUCINDA,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  18,  1786,  m.  David  Firmin,  d. 
at  Shirley,  Dec.  29,  1873.     She  had  seven  children  : 

1.  Lucy  Willard,  b.  June  9,  1813,  m.  Isaac  R.  Mitchell,  Sept.  4, 
1836.  She  had  six  children,  when  her  husband  left  her  with  her 
family,  in  the  care  of  her  friends,  and  went  first  to  California  and 
thence  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  from  whence  he  never  returned. 
Her  children  vvere  : 

(i.)  Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Boston,  June  3,  1837. 

(2.)  Ho7vard,  b.  Dec.  21,  1839,  d.  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  15, 

1865. 
(3.)  Maria. Louisa,  b.  June  19,  1842,  m.  Cyrus  Alden  Kilburn, 

Oct.  12,  1867,  and  d.  Feb.  13,  1874. 
(4.)    Walter  Channing,  b.  April  19,  1844,  d. 
(5.)    Charles  Francis,  b.  Feb.  18,  1846,  d.  July  30,  1846. 
(6.)    Charles  Francis,  b.  June  23,  1847. 

2.  Caroline  Green,  born  Dec.  18,  181 5,  m.  Samuel  Jeffers  of 
Boston,  March  9,  1845,  ^-  Boston  (1883).  She  has  had  four 
children  : 

(i.)  Samuel  Tucker,  b.  May  7,  1846. 
(2.)   Caroline  Amelia,  b.  Nov.  23,  1847. 
(3.)  Susan  Augusta,  b.  Dec.  19,  1849. 
(4.)  Lovina  Firmin,  b.  March  13,  1853. 

3.  Eliza  C,  b.  Feb.  8,  181 7,  m.  Washburn  Davis  of  Harvard, 
May  19,  1846,  r.  Harvard  (1883),  a  widow.  She  has  three  chil- 
dren : 

(i.)  Stotuell  Washburn,  b.  at    Harvard,  June    11,  185 1,  r.  Har- 
vard (1883),  unm. 

86 


682  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

(2.)    yohn  Heard,  b.  at  Harvard,  June    18,    1853,   r.    Harvard 

(1883),  unm. 
(3.)  Susan  Augusta,  b.  at  Harvard,  Jan.   10,   1855,   r.   Harvard 

(1883),  unm. 

4.  Horace  Augustus,  b.  Jan.  22,  1819,  m.  Eliza  Susan  Mclntire, 
Dec.  12,  1854,  r.  Rindge,  N.  H.  (1883.)  He  has  had  one 
child  : 

(i.)  David  Holley,  b.  Oct.  21,  1855. 

5.  LuciNDA,  b.  Aug.  28,  1821,  m.  David  W.  Hartwell  of  Harvard, 
Aug.  15,  1 85 1,  r.  Harvard  (1883).  She  has  had  three  children  : 
(i.)  Lucifida  Firmin,  b.  at  Harvard,  July  i,  1852,  d. 

(2.)  Lucy  Elizabeth,  b.  at  Harvard,  June  5,  1855,  d. 
(3.)  Daniel  Wright,  b.  at  Harvard,  Nov.  10,  1856. 

<;.  Susan  Heard,  b.  Nov.  5,  1823,  m.  Ebenezer  Jeffers  of  Boston, 
Sept.  I,  1852,     She  has  had  two  children. 

7.  David  Holley,  b.  May  3,  1827.     He  has  been  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Lucinda  Lawton  of  Shirley,  Sept.  28,  1857  ;  she  d.  at  Shirley, 
Aug.  3,  1875  5  he   m.  (second)  Sarah   F.   R.   Mason,   Dec.   31, 
1875.     H^  ^'^^^  '^^d  three  children  : 
(i.)  Arthur  Everett,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  27,  1S58. 
(2.)  Henry  Franklin,  b.  at  Shirley,  July  23,  i860. 
(3.)  Ella  Grant,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  27,  1865. 

V.  CYRUS,  b.  at  Shirley,  Aug.  19,  1788,  d.  March  8,  1790. 

VI.  EDWARD,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  11,  1791,  d.  March  14,  1791. 
Vn.     MARY,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  8,  1794,  d.  June  19,  1794. 


WILLIAMS. 

There  are  few  names  that  have  represented  so  many  New  England 
families  as  that  of  Williams.  The  earliest  that  came  to  this  country 
was  Thomas  WiUiams,  one  of  the  crew  of  the  Mayflower,  who  d. 
soon  after  the  landing  at  Plymouth,  and  was  without  family.  The 
next,  in  point  of  time,  was  Roger  Williams,  the  great  reformer,  who 
immigrated  in  1631.  Many  other  families  found  settlements  on 
American  soil  during  the  first  century  of  its  colonization  ;  among 
which  was  one  Thomas  Williams,  who  came  to  Groton  as  early  as 
1662  or  1663,  and  was  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  extensive  terri- 
tory known  by  that  name.     He  was  m.  in   Groton  to   Mary , 

1666,  and  is  the  supposed  ancestor  of  the  early  families  of  the  name, 
in  Ciroton,  Pepjierell  and  Shirley.  Savage  says  that  the  father  of 
Thomas  Williams,  and  the  place  of  his  previous  residence,  are  un- 
known ;  and  Butler  says  that  the  names  and  birth-dates  of  four 
children  stand  upon  the  records  of  Groton.     Probably  that  was  not 


GENEALOGY. WILLIAMS.  683 

the  whole  of  his  family.  The  line  of  his  descent  is  not  quite  clear, 
owing,  without  doubt,  to  imperfect  records  ;  yet  it  is  apparent  that  he 
had  grand-children  among  the  early  settlers  of  both  Pepperell  and 
Shirley,  that  they  were  established  on  farms  which  they  inherited  from 
their  fathers,  and  which  they  conferred  upon  their  children. 

The  first  that  was  located  in  that  part  of  Groton  which  was  after- 
ward Shirley  was 

212EiniamS,  JJOl)n.  The  name  of  his  wife  was  Margaret,  and 
they  are  supposed  to  have  been  among  the  very  first  settlers  of  the 
town,  and  probably  owned  a  farm  lying  upon  the  line  which  separates 
Groton  from  Shirley.  They  had  six  children,  recorded  in  Groton, 
because  all  were  born  before  Shirley  had  a  corporate  existence.  His 
name  appears  among  the  petitioners  for  a  separate  town,  in  1747,  but 
the  time  of  his  death  and  the  place  of  his  burial  are  unknown  to  us. 
His  children  were  : 

I.     WILLIAM,  b.  Dec,  1723,  m.  Mary  Perkins  of  Groton,  Nov.  22, 
I  744.     He  had  ten  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

1.  M.^RY,  b.  Jan.  4,  1745. 

2.  William,  b.  April  8,  1747,  according  to  town  record,  but  April 
18,  1747,  according  to  Butler;  d.  April  15,  1752. 

3.  SusA,  b.  Aug.  16,  1749. 

4.  Isaac,  b.  April  30,  1753.  He  lived  on  the  farm  now  owned  by 
Sumner  Hartwell,  and  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Mercy  Whittier, 
1779  ;  she  d.,  and  he  m.  (second)  Susanna  Blood,  Aug.  6,  1795- 
He  had  ten  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

{i.)  John,  b.  March  15,  1780.  He  lived  at  the  north-west 
section  of  the  town,  on  the  farm  now  known  as  the  Neat 
place.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Amy  Hartwell,  May  29, 
1800  ;  she  d.  March  21,  1818  ;  he  m.  (second)  Mrs.  Hannah 
Parker,  Sept.  20,  1818.  He  had  eight  children:  i.  "John," 
b.  Sept.  7,  1806,  m.  Mary  Foster  of  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  Jan. 
31,  1830;  he  had  one  daughter,  b.  at  Gardner:  i.  Martha 
Ann;  he  d.  at  Worcester,  Oct.,  1882  ;  his  wife  d.  May,  1882. 
2.  "Abel  Hartwell,"  b.  March  17,  1809,  m.  Rebecca  Monroe, 
April  20,  1834;  he  d.  at  Gardner,  Nov.  10,  1880;  his  wife  d. 
June  14,  1873;  '"^^  ^^^  three  children,  all  b.  at  (rardner  :  i. 
Mary  .Ann,  b.  Sept.  11,  1837,  m.  Thomas  Averill  of  Gardner, 
Oct.  19,  1856;  she  has  had  two  children:  i.  Melissa,  b. 
at  Gardner,  July  15,  1858,  d.  in  infancy;  2.  Katie  M.,  b. 
at  Fitchburg,  Dec.  26,  1863,  m.  Dec.  14,  1882,  Willie  F.  C. 
Pratt  of  Fitchburg.  2.  Edmund  L.,  b.  at  Gardner,  Sept.  22, 
1840,  m.  Dora  Willis  of  Lunenburg,  June  12,  1872,  d.  at 
Fitchburg,  Oct.  26,  1882  ;  he  had  three  children  :  i.  Josie  G., 
b.  May  25,  1873,  d.  in  infancy;  2.  Archie  Stewart,  b. 
Nov.  9,  1875  ;   3.  Gertrude  R.,  b.   Aug.    25,  1876.     3.   Maria, 


684  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

b.  at  Gardner,  May  8,  1846,  m.  Daniel  P.  Gladding  of 
Fitchburg,  Oct.  12,  1864  ;  she  had  three  children,  b.  in  Fitch- 
burg :  I.  Alice  K.,  b.  Oct.  9,  1866;  2.  Emma,  born 
Aug.  ir,  1868,  died  in  infancy;  3.  Otis,  b.  Nov.  14,  1874. 
3.  "  HirAm,"  b.  Dec.  25,  181 2  ;  he  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Jane 
Norwood  of  Lynn,  April,  1836  ;  she  d. ;  he  m.  (second)  Olive 
Hodgman  of  Lewiston,  Me.;  he  had  four  children:  i. 
Henry;  2.  Charles;  3.  Ida;  4.  Carrie.  4.  "Lovell,"  b. 
March  10,  1815,  m.  Betsey  Young  of  Gardner,  April  19,  1838  ; 
he  has  had  one  child:  i.  Eliza  A.,  b.  at  Gardner,  Aug.  i, 
1841  ;  Mr.  Williams  is  extensively  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  chairs  in  Fitchburg,  and  is  an  honest  and  careful 
business  man.  5.  "Hannah  Elizabeth,"  b.  June  20,  1819,  m. 
George  Patterson,  removed  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  she  d., 
March  11,  1846;  she  had  one  child:  i.  Georgie,  b.  March 
21,  1845,  ^-  Fitchburg  (1883).  6.  "Lucy  Catharine,"  b.  Oct. 
19,  1820,  m.  Alden  Lawrence,  Feb.  20,  1840;  she  has  had 
three  children:  i.  Henry  Freeman,  b.  Dec,  1840;  2.  Albert 
A.,  b.  at  Pepperell,  1852;  3.  George,  d.  in  infancy.  7. 
"Sarah  M.,"  b.  April  2,  1823,  m.  William  G.  Adams  of  Pep- 
perell, June  20,  1857,  d.  July  25,  1859.  8.  "Sybil  Sophia," 
b.  April  2,  1823,  m.  Samuel  K.  Blood,  April  9,  1843  5  she  had 
five  children  :  i.  Alonzo  K.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan  6,  1844;  2. 
Alphonso  M.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Feb.  28,  1847  ;  3.  Lorenzo  L.,  b. 
at  Shirley,  Oct.  4,  1852,  d.  May  12,  1877  ;  4.  Samuel  Alfred, 
b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  28,  1857  ;  5.  Arthur  LaForest,  b.  at  Shirley, 
March  20,  1861,  d.  July  31,  1861. 

(2.)  Lui:y,    b.  at  Shirley,   March   26,    1786,    m.  Webb, 

and  had  children. 

(3.)  Isaac,  b.  at  Shirley,  March  22,  1791. 

(4.)  Rufus,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.  22,  1797.  He  m.,  and  lived  on 
the  farm  now  known  as  the  Joel  Adams  place  for  a  time,  when 
he  removed  from  town,  and  is  now  dead  (1883). 

(5.)  Noah,  b.  at  Chelmsford,  June  16,  1799,  m. Wyman, 

and  lived  for  a  season  near  the  Porter  Kittridge  place,  but 
soon  removed  from  town. 

(6.)  Hannah,  b.  at  Westford,  April  6,  1801. 

(7.)  Rebecca,  b.  at  Westford,  Feb.  10,  1803. 

(8.)  Lucinda,  b.  at  Chelmsford,  Nov.  4,  1804. 

(9.)  Mary,  b.  at  Chelmsford,  April  11,  1807. 

(10.)  Zilpha,  b.  at  Chelmsford,  Feb.  10,  18 10,  m.  Joel  Eaton  of 
Shirley,  Jan.  21,  1834. 

5.  William,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  30,  1754,  m.  Abigail,  daughter  of 
Captain  Francis  Harris,  1777,  and  lived  on  the  place  that  was 
recently  the  home  of  Granville  C.  Davis,  and  d.  there,  Jan.  9, 
1828.  His  widow  d.  March  13,  1836.  He  was  one  of  the 
eighty  volunteers  that  were  called  out  by  the  alarm  of  April  19, 
1775,  and  on  the  29th  day  of  the  same  month  he  enlisted  under 


GENEALOGY. WILLIAMS.  685 

Captain  Robert  Longley  for  a  service  of  eight  months.     He  had 
eight  children,  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

(i.)  Asa,  b.  May  25,  1778,  m.  Katy  Lum,  Oct.  17,  1804,  d. 
Sept.  17,  1853. 

(2.)  Abigail,  b.  April  9,  1786,  m. Pushee,  d.  at  Little- 
ton, Nov.  26,  1 87 1. 

(3.)  Francis,  b.  March  5,  1788,  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  181 2, 
and  d.  in  that  service. 

(4.)  Alice,  b.  July  1 7,  1 790.  She  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  James 
McLay  of  Watertown,  April  15,  1810  ;  by  him  she  had  one 
child:  I.  "Mary,"  b.  Feb.  10,  181 1  ;  she  m.  Horatio  Whitte- 
more  of  Wilmot,  N.  H.  ;  she  had  one  child  :  i.  Mary  Ann, 
b.  Feb.  21,  1838  ;  she  m.  William  Gould,  Aug.  23,  1855.  Mc- 
Lay d.,  and  his  widow  m.  (second)  Asa  Davis  of  Townsend. 
They  went  to  live  at  East  Cambridge,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
glass-grinding.  Afterward  they  came  to  Shirley,  where  Mr. 
Davis  d.,  May  7,  1847.  Alice,  his  widow,  d.  April  28,  1862. 
They  had  five  children  :  i.  "Asa,"  b.  at  Townsend,  d.  young. 
2.  "Matilda,"  b.  at  East  Cambridge,  d.  young.  3.  "Watson 
H.,"  b.  at  East  Cambridge,  Oct.,  1825  ;  he  has  been  twice 
m.,  (first)  to  Julia  Gove  ;  she  d.  Dec.  6,  1851  ;  he  m.  (second) 
Mrs.  Charlotte  Daniels;  he  is  now  a  widower  (1883),  and 
has  had  two  children  :  i.  Julia,  b.  1847;  2.  Alice,  b.  1849. 
4.  "Granville  C,"  b.  at  East  Cambridge,  Aug.  23,  1828,  m. 
Ann  H.  Kendall  of  Pepperell,  July  i,  185 1,  r.  Shirley  (1883)  ; 
he  has  had  five  children  :  i.  Frank  G.,  b.  at  Shirley,  Dec.  8, 
1852,  m.  Lillian  F.  Craw  of  Shirley,  Oct.  28,  1880;  he  is  a 
preacher  of  the  Baptist  denomination  ;  2.  Herbert  G.,  b.  at 
Pepperell,  Dec.  10,  1855,  d.  April  20,  1856  ;  3.  Julia  E.,  b. 
at  Shirley,  Dec.  5,  1856  ;  she  m.  Lawrence  Birmingham,  April 
7,  1872,  r.  Galveston,  Texas  (1883)  ;  4.  NeUie  J.,  b.  at  Shir- 
ley, Dec.  15,  1866  ;  5.  Selena  E.,  b.  Sept.  3,  1870.  5. 
"Emily,"  b.  May,  1834,  m.  Josiah  Bartlett,  and  has  had  five 
children. 

(5.)  lVi/iiain,h.  March  21,  1792.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to 
Phebe  Hartwell,  Nov.  13,  1817;  she  d.  Sept.,  1847;  he  m. 
(second)  Margaret  Balcom,  Aug.  17,  1848;  he  d.  Dec.  10, 
1862  ;  his  widow,  Margaret,  d.  Nov.  29,  1864.  He  had  thir- 
teen children,  all  of  whom  were  b.  at  Shirley:  i.  "William, 
Jr.,"  b.  June  19,  1818,  m.  Susan  Lawson  of  Shirley,  March  31, 

1845,  r.  Groton  (1883)  ;  he  has  had  two  children  :  i.  George, 
b.  at  Shirley,  d.  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion ;  2.  Isabelle. 
2.  "Emery,"  b.  Sept.  10,  181 9,  m.  Elizabeth  Savvtell,  June  6. 

1846,  r.  Shirley  (1883)  ;  he  has  had  one  child:  i.  Augusta 
Jenny,  b.  Jan.  6,  1848,  m.  Homer  Wilson,  Dec.  16,  1866,  d. 
Dec.  15,  1872.  3.  "George,"  b.  May,  1823,  m.  Susan  Le- 
land,  r.  Boston  (1883);  has  had  four  children:  i.  Charles; 
2.  Francis ;    3.  George ;    4.  Jesse.      4.    "  Francis,"   b.    May, 


68fi  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

1825,  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Elizabeth  Park  ;  m.  (second) 

Jane ;  he  has  had  two  children.     5.  "Andrew  Poor," 

b.  Feb.  26,  1828;  he  has  been  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Frances 
Redding  of  Dunstable,  May  30,  1855  ;  she  d.  at  Groton, 
Sept.  I,  1856;  he  m.  (second)  Mary  A.  Batson,  Nov.  28, 
1858  ;  he  d.  Jan.  30,  1879  ;  he  had  two  .children  :  i.  Fannie 
Augusta,  b.  Aug.  5,  1862  ;  2.  Ella  Florence,  b.  Jan.  19,  1868. 
Mrs.  Williams  is  a  widow,  r.  Shirley.  6.  "  Harriet,"  b.  Oct. 
23,  1830,  m.  Henry  Estabrook,  April  26,  1854;  she  d.  at 
Groton,  Nov.  9,  1871  ;  she  had  four  children  :  i.  Harriet;  2. 
George;  3.  Willie;  4.  Isabelle.  7.  "Amanda,"  b.  March  10, 
1832  ;  she  was  accidentally  killed  by  the  discharge  of  a  mus- 
ket which  she  was  attempting  to  reach  to  her  brother,  May  9, 
1848.  8.  "Granville,"  b.  Oct.  29,  1836,  m.  Katharine  Tar- 
bell  of  Pepperell,  has  been  divorced  from  her,  and  has  entered 
a  second  marriage.  9.  "Priscilla  Jane,"  b.  Oct.  26,  1839,  m. 
John  Parker,  July  21,  1867;  she  has  had  three  children:  i. 
Warren  Haze,  b.  Dec.  4,  1868,  d.  March  14,  1869  ;  2.  Lucy 
R.,  b.  Feb.  24,  1870,  d.  July  22,  1870;  3.  Mary  E.,  b.  Oct. 
26,  1872.  10.  "Lewis  Edward,"  b.  May  4,  1849.  11. 
"James  Albert,"  b.  Nov.  4,  1850,  d.  Oct.  5,  1859.  12.  "  Phila 
Victoria,"  b.  March  25,  1852.  13.  "Francena,"  b.  July  28, 
1854. 

(6.)   Granville  L.,  b.  Feb.  8,  1795,  m.,  and   removed   to   Lovell, 

N.  Y. 
(7.)  Priscilla,  b.  Aug.  13,  1797,  m.  Andrew  Poor  of  Leominster, 

Sept.  5,  1819;  she  d.  at  Fitchburg ;  had  seven  children:    i. 

"  Andrew  Francis  Williams,"  b.   Feb.   19,   1821,  d.  Jan.   16, 

1826;    2.  "Thomas  Elwood  Sawyer,"  b.  Oct.    11,    1823,  d. 

Aug.  29,  1825;    3.  "Andrew   Francis  William,"  b.   Feb.   20, 

1826,  d.  Sept.  6,  1829  ;  4.  "Thomas  Elwood  Sawyer,"  b.  Dec. 
25,  1827,  d.  Oct.  II,  1828;  5.  "Charles  Connor,"  b.  Oct.  15, 
1829,  m.  Martha  Ann  Truell  of  Grafton,  N.  H.,  July  12,  1852  ; 
6.  "  Harriet  Newell,"  b.  Sept.  17,  1831,  d.  Jan.  2,  1846;  7. 
"Mary  Frances,"  b.  June  17,  1834,  m.  David  C.  Daniel  of 
Blue  Pond,  Alabama,  Oct.  7,  1857.  She  has  had  two  chil- 
dren. 

(8.)  Alfred,  b.  Feb.  13,  1802  ;  he  was  killed  by   a   falling  tree, 
April  5,  1836,  unm. 

<■).  John,  b.  June  14,  1757  ;  he  enlisted  into  the  continental  service, 
June  14,  1775,  for  eight  months,  but  d.  before  the  time  expired. 

7.  Thomas,  b.  Feb.  22,  1760,  d.  July  23,  1763. 

^S.  Thomas,  b.  July  10,  1763,  d.  unm. 

'.).  Rebecca,  b.  July  26,   i  766,   m. Blodgett  of  Hancock, 

N.  H.,  had  two  children. 

1<».  Sarah,  b.  May  17,  1770,  m. Davis  of  Hancock,  N.  H. 


GENEALOGY. WILLIAMS.  687 

II.  MARGARET,  b.  May  17,  1726. 

III.  .^NNE,  b.  Oct.  20,  1728. 

IV.  S.'VRAH,  b.  Sept.  xo,  1731. 

V.  MARY,  b.  Dec.  7,  1 733. 

VI.  ELIZABETH,  b.  Sept.  23,  1736. 

SSElUiaimS,  :ifOt)n,  Jfr.  The  records  of  Groton  are  so  im- 
perfect that  it  has  been  found  impossible  to  give  anything  hke  a  fair 
genealogy  of  the  descendants  of  Thomas  Williams.  I  have  supposed 
that  John  Williams,  whose  family  register  has  been  given  in  these 
pages,  was  a  grandson  of  Thomas  ;  dates  and  circumstances  seem  to 
favor  the  supposition  ;  but  the  nature  of  his  kinship  with  John,  Jr., 
we  cannot  tell.  They  probably  are  from  one  and  the  same  family, 
originally ;  that  they  were  both  settlers  in  that  part  of  Groton  which 
is  now  known  as  Shirley,  is  certain  from  the  fact  that  both  of  their 
names  appear  on  the  petition  for  a  separation  of  the  towns  in  1747. 
It  is  highly  probable  that  they  were  both  located  on  farms  in  the 
northern  section  of  the  territory  which  is  now  Shirley  when  they  en- 
tered upon  their  marriage  relations,  that  there  their  children  were 
born  ;  but  whether  either  or  both  remained  in  Shirley  during  their 
lives  cannot  here  be  stated  ;  probably  John  did,  as  his  descendants 
are  yet  here  (1883). 

John  Williams,  Jr.,  m.  Elizabeth  Cutter  of  Charlestown,  May  5, 
I  741,  and  had  three  children  : 

I.  DEBORAH,  b.  Oct.  26,  1741. 

II.  ELIZABETH,  b.  May  15,  1744. 

III.  JOHN,  b.  July  4,  1746.  Dates  go  to  render  it  probable  that 
he  was  settled  in  Groton,  m.  Molly  Everett,  and  had  twelve 
children. 

2!2ElUltlinS,  JJaroi),  was  an  inhabitant  of  Groton,  afterwards 
Shirley,  in  1747,  as  his  name  appears  on  the  petition  for  a  separation 
of  the  towns ;  nothing  further  is  known  of  him. 

SSUiUiamS,  JJOSiai),  probably  a  son  of  Jason  and  Mary  Wil- 

hams  of  Groton,  b.  April  4,  1735,  m.  Prudence ,  and  had  two 

children,  b.  at  Shirley  : 

I.  PRUDENCE,  b.  at  Groton,  afterwards  Shirley,  June  26,  1751. 

II.  JOSIAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  26,  1753. 

SMllliamS,  KatijantCl,  vvas  b.  at  Shirley,  but  left  the  town  at 
an  early  age  ;  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  Independence,  was  afterward 
married,  and  resided  at  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  for  many  years.  In  his 
latter  years  he  was  both  indigent  and  infirm,  which  compelled  him  to 


()88  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

return  to  Shirley,  his  place   of  legitimate  residence,  where   he   d.,   a 
pauper,  Nov.  6,  1817.     He  had  five  children  : 

I.     SAMUEL.     II.     JOEL.     III.     BENJAMIN. 

IV.     EPHRAIM.     V.     BETSEY. 


WILSON. 

There  was  a  family  of  this  name  that  resided  in  Groton  (afterward 
Shirley)  as  early  as  1733,  and  we  know  not  how  much  earUer,  and  it 
is  probable  that  the  land  which  now  constitutes  the  "  Parker  Grove," 
in  the  centre  of  the  town,  with  some  of  the  surrounding  territory,  was 
the  property  of  this  family,  as  on  the  earliest  tax-record  it  is  denom- 
inated the  "Wilson  Lot."     The  name  of  the  head  of  this  family  was 

212SilS0n,  JJOSCpi).  His  family  has  no  descendants  in  the 
town  at  this  writing,  nor  yet  can  it  here  be  told  from  whence  he 
came,  nor  where  or  when  he  died.  His  wife,  Sarah,  d.  at  Shirley, 
Dec.  30,  1762.  He  was  one  of  the  signers  of  the  petition  that  the 
territory  be  divided  and  that  an  independent  municipality  be  estab- 
lished.    He  had  seven  children  : 

I.  JOSEPH,  b.  Feb.  23,  1733. 

II.  SARAH,  b.  July  26,  1736. 

III.  ELIZABETH,  b.  July  4,  1739. 

IV.  JOHN,  b.  Sept.  7,  1742. 

V.  DAVID,  b.  June  3,  1745.  He  was  twice  m.,  (first)  to  Sarah 
Bolton  of  Westminster,  pub.  Feb.  4,  1780,  m.  (second)  Martha 
Page  of  Lunenburg,  pub.  March  21,  1784.  He  was  one  of  the 
eighty  volunteers  who  responded  to  the  alarm  of  the  19th  of  April, 
1775.  He  enlisted  May  25,  1776,  for  a  service  of  sixty-eight 
days.  He  afterward  enlisted  for  a  service  of  three  years,  Dec.  2, 
1777. 

VI.  ESTHER,  b.  June  14,  1748. 

VII.  SUSANNA,  b.  Aug.  14,  1751. 


WOODBURY. 

219l00tltJUl*^  iJcnjamin,  lived  in  Shirley,  soon  after  its  incor- 
poration, in  the  north  part  of  the  town,  on,  or  near,  the  estate  of  the 


GENEALOGY. WILLIAMS-WOODS.  689 

late  Joel  Adams,  and  had  (according  to  tradition,)  four  children,  con- 
cerning whom  but  few  facts  have  been  elicited. 

I.  AARON,  b.  1755,  ^^'^-  Esther  Scott  of  Lancaster,  pub.  Oct.  4, 
1776.  He  lived  in  Shirley,  and  d.  there,  Aug.  13,  1821.  In  her 
years  of  helpless  age  his  widow  became  an  inmate  of  the  Shirley 
almshouse.  In  that  institution  an  aged  widower  also  sojourned, 
a  pauper — Moses  Collins — who  entered  into  a  marriage  engage- 
ment with  the  widow  Woodbury,  and  by  permission  of  the  town 
overseers  they  were  m.  Oct.  26,  1837;  she  died  Sept.  4,  1846. 
Aaron  Woodbury  was  one  of  the  eighty  volunteers  called  out  by 
the  alarm  of  April  19,  1775.  The  children  of  Aaron  Woodbury 
were  five  in  number,  and  all  b.  at  Shirley  : 

1.  Esther,  b.  Oct.  11,  1778.  She  suffered  from  aberration  of  in- 
tellect, became  a  pauper,  and  d.  unm. 

2.  Aaron,  b.  June  7,  1780,  left  town  unm.,  and  settled  in  parts 
unknown. 

S.  Samuel,  b.  May  10,  1782,  m.  Polly  Withie  of  Mason,  N.  H. 
He  lived  in  Townsend  and  vicinity,  after  he  left  Shirley,  and  was 
engaged  in  different  pursuits  by  which  to  secure  a  livelihood, 
without  very  good  success  ;  he  at  length  prepared  a  medicine  in 
the  form  of  pills,  which  he  patented  and  carried  about  the  coun- 
try for  sale,  and  through  which  he  obtained  a  comfortable 
support. 

4.  Asa,  b.  Sept.  12,  1785,  left  town  before  marriage. 

.').  Thomas,  b.  May  6,  1787,  left  town  before  marriage. 

II.  JOHN,  b.  [1757.]  He  gave  proof  of  his  patriotism  by  enhst- 
ing  in  Captain  Robert  Longley's  company.  May  9,  1775,  for  a 
service  of  eight  months.  He  m.  Sarah  Adams  of  Lunenburg,  Jan. 
19,  1782. 

III.  BENJAMIN,  m.  Jehodan  Conant  of  Ipswich,  pub.  Oct.  4, 
1795- 

IV.  DANIEL. 


WOODS. 


This  is  a  very  common  New- England  name,  and  is  borne  by  one 
or  more  families  in  almost  every  town.  Wood,  Woods,  (sometimes 
spelled  Woodes,)  are  supposed  to  have  one  origin  in  "mother- 
land," and  perhaps,  at  an  early  date  of  their  immigrant  settlement,  in 
this  country ;  but  they  have  been  so  long  estranged  as  to  now  ignore 
all    kinship.      Mr.    Butler,  the  historian   of   Groton,   supposes    that 

87 


690  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

Samuel  Woods,  who  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  territory  out 
of  which  Groton,  Shirley  and  Pepperell  were  constituted,  was  the 
common  ancestor  of  all  the  families  of  the  name  that  have  been  set- 
tled in  these  three  towns.  He  and  his  wife,  Alice,  were  in  Groton  as 
early  as  1662  or  1663,  he  being  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  soil. 
He  held  an  eleven  acre  lot.  He  had  six  children  recorded  at  Groton, 
and  may  have  had  more. 

Nathaniel  Woods  was  one  of    his  children,  and  was  b.  March  27, 

1667,  was    m.  to  Alice ,  and    had  twelve   children.     One  of 

these, 

Aaron  Woods,  was  b.  May  26,  1707,  m.  Sarah  Boynton,  April  3, 
1739,  and  had  two  children,  the  youngest  of  whom, 

SSEOOtJS,  HemUCl/  (Aaron,'^  Nathaniel,-  Samuel,')  was  b.  at 
Groton,  Sept.  23,  1742,  married  Sarah,  daughter  of  Stephen  and 
Sarah  (Wheelock)  Holden  of  Shirley.  He  lived  for  a  short  time  at 
Pepperell,  but  the  largest  part  of  his  active  life  was  passed  in  Shirley, 
where  he  probably  died,  though  we  have  found  no  record  of  the  time 
of  his  death.     He  had  eight  children  : 

I.  SARAH,  b.  at  Shirley,  Jan.  16,  1769,  m.  William  Sabine  of 
Putney,  Vt.  She  had  five  children,  and  d.  at  Malone,  N.  Y., 
March,  1855. 

n.  HANNAH,  b.  at  Pepperell,  Oct.  6,  1770,  m.  Elijah  Whitney  of 
Putney,  Vt.,  and  d.  at  Worcester,  Vt.     He  had  seven  children. 

ni.  MOLLY,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  10,  1772.  She  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Benjamin  Warren  of  Shirley,  March  12,  1794  ;  he  d. ;  she 
m.  (second)  Eleazer  Robbins  of  Lancaster,  Oct.  15,  1799.  She  d. 
at  Cambridge,  June  17,  1845,  and  was  buried  in  the  old  cemetery 
at  Shirley. 

IV.  STEPHEN,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  3,  1774,  m.  Asenath  Shedd  of 
Pepperell,  March  14,  1798.  He  had  seven  children,  and  d.  at 
Pepperell,  June  i,  1824. 

V.  LYDL\,  b.  at  Shirley,  April  15,  1776.  She  was  twice  m.,  (first) 
to  Jonas  Pushaw  of  Pepperell,  March  14,  1798  ;  m.  (second)  James 
Marsters  of  Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  July  10,  1828.     She  had  six  children  : 

1.  Edward,  b.  July  8,  179S. 

2.  Sarah,  b.  June  23,  1800. 

3.  Eliza,  b.  June  10,  1802. 

4.  Daniel,  b.  Dec.  9,  1804. 

5.  Benjamin,  b.  Sept.  28,  1806. 

6.  John,  b.  July  11,  1808. 

VL     EMMA,  b.  1778,  d.  1780. 


GENEALOGY. WOODS-WORCESTER.  691 

VII.  AARON,  d.  in  infancy. 

VIII.  LEVI,  b.  at  Shirley,  May  19,  178-,  m.  Betsey  Pratt  of  Brat- 
tleboro,  Vt.,  lived  in  Chittendon,  Vt.,  had  five  children. 

212E00tfS,  ^aton.  There  are  three  intentions  of  marriage 
publications  of  Aaron  Woods,  on  th«  town  records  of  Shirley,  between 
1775  and  1786.  This  proves  that  one  was  published  three  times,  at 
the  periods  named,  or  that  more  than  one  resided  here  at  the  time. 
We  have  found  neither  record  nor  tradition  by  which  the  mystery 
can  be  solved. 

Aaron  Woods  of  Shirley,  pub.  to  Hannah  Farnsworth  of  Harvard, 
"Oct.  ye  27,  1775." 

Aaron  Woods  of  Shirley,  pub.  to  Mary  Brown  of  Boxborough, 
"Aug.  ye  I,  1785." 

Aaron  Woods  of  Shirley,  pub.  to  Elizabeth  Gates  of  Lancaster, 
"Dec.  ye  2,  1786." 


WORCESTER. 

WiOVttSttV,  ffiSitlliam.  On  the  151st  page  of  this  history 
we  have  spoken  of  William  Worcester  as  the  first  physician  estab- 
lished in  town  ;  that  he  remained  here  nearly  three  years,  and  then 
returned  to  Tewksbury,  where  he  had  previously  lived,  and  where 
he  probably  died.  He  had  twelve  children,  but  one  of  whom  was 
born  at  Shirley  : 

SAMPSON,  b.  at  Shirley,  June  11,  1771.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of 
Dr.  Worcester  who  lived  to  manhood,  m.  Phebe  Willard  of  Sterling, 
1795,  d.  at  West  Boylston,  May  5,  1824.     He  had  nine  children  : 

1.  William,  b.  at  Sterling,  April  22,    1797,   m.  Sybil  Leonard  of 

West  Boylston,  March  30,  1819,  d.  at  Barre,  Dec.  19,  1845.    He 

had  seven  children  : 

(i.)    William,  b.  Aug.  18,  1821,  d.  March  30,  1822. 

(2.)  Mary  Ann,  b.  March  18,  1823,  m.  Samuel  Field  of  Barre, 
Aug.  30,  1843.  She  had  three  children:  i.  "Martha  Ann," 
b.  March  9,  1848,  d.  1848;  2.  "William,"  b.  Feb.  2,  1850,  d. 
1853  ;  3.  "Ida  Frances,"  b.  Aug.'  15,  1853. 

(3.)  Martha  Jane,  b.  April  30,  1825,  m.  Edwin  Morse  of 
Worcester,  May  i,  1850.  She  has  one  child:  i.  "William 
Worcester,"  b.  April,  1851. 

(4.)  Phehe  A.,  b.  Jan.  22,  1827. 

(5.)  Adaline  F.,  b.  July  3,  1829,  m.  Azel  W.  Barber  of  Worces- 
ter, Nov.  23,  1850. 

(6.)  Clara  M.,  b.  Jan.  26,  1831,  m.  Joel  Barber  of  Worcester, 
Oct.  5,  1850. 

(7.)  Sybil  L.,  b.  June  23,  1835. 


692  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

2.  WiLLARD,  b.  at  Sterling,  Nov.  24,  1798,  m.  Elvira  Glazier  of 
West  Boylston,  May  22,  1823,  d.  at  Shirley,  Sept.  9,  i860.  He 
had  two  children  : 

(i.)  Julia  Ann,  b.  April  23,  1824,    m.  William    Park   of  Shirley, 

April  3,  1845. 
(2.)  Albert  Willard,  b.  at  Shirley,  Nov.   27,    1832,  m.  Amanda 

M.  Little  of  Shirley,  May  \2,  1853. 

3.  Clarissa,  b.  Jan.  24,  1801,  m.  John  Smith,  Feb.  15,  1825  ;  she 
had  three  children  : 

(1.)    Charles  IV.,  b.  Nov.  21,  1826,  d.  1828. 

(2.)  Charles  W.,  b.  Nov.  24,  1828,  d.  at  Worcester,  1883.  He 
had  great  energy  of  character,  was  of  distinguished  business 
ability,  and  abounded  in  charity  and  good  works. 

(3.)  John  Edwin,  b.  Aug.  21,  1832. 

4.  Sampson,  b.  at  Sterling,  Aug.  26,  1803.  He  was  twice  m., 
(first)  to  Betsey  T.  Goodale  of  West  Boylston,  Nov.  7,  1827; 
she  d.  March  12,  1839  ;  he  m.  (second)  Mary  B.  Davis  of  West 
Boylston.     He  had  four  children  : 

(i.)   Almira  F.,  b.  May  26,  1829,  m.  E.  B.  Rice  of  Worcester, 

April  10,  1850. 
(2.)   Israel  Sampson,  b.  Sept.  2,  1835. 
(3.)    ThoT/ias  Adams,  b.  March  10,  1842,  d.  July  16,  1S42. 
(4.)   Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  July  13,  1844. 

5.  Phebe,  b.  July  31,  1805,  r.  West  Boylston,  unm. 

G.  Charles  W.,  b.  at  Princeton,  Aug.  23,  1808.  He  was  twice 
m.,  (first)  to  Matilda  Wright  of  Brookline,  N.  H. ;  she  d.  Aug. 
28,  1849  ;  he  m.  (second)  Ellen  H.  Scillinger.  He  had  two  chil- 
dren, b.  in  Shirley  : 

(i.)  Harriet  A.,  b.  Sept.  7,  1833,  d.  Sept.  9,  1834. 
(2.)  Harriet  M.,  b.  Nov.  27,  1835. 

7.  i\DALiNE,  b.  May  12,  181 1,  m.  Eli  W.  Holbrook  of  West  Boyls- 
ton.    She  has  had  two  children  : 
(i.)  Susan  C,  b.  Dec.  29,  1837. 
(2.)  Emily  M.,  b.  May  12,  1842. 

.S.  Emily,  b.  Aug.   15,   1813,  m.    Horatio   N.    Bigelow,   Sept.    24, 
1834,  r.  Clinton  (1880).     She  has  had  four  children  : 
(i.)  Emily  M.,  b.  Sept.  11,  1837,  d.  1838. 
(2.)  Henry  N.,  b.  Oct.  6,  1839. 
(3.)  Emily,  b.  Aug.  4,  1845. 
(4.)   Charles,  b.  May  5,  1849. 

!).    Benjamin  F.,  b.  Aug.  17,  1818,  d.  March  17,  1819. 


GENEALOGY.  61)3 

The  names  of  those  who  served  in  the  war  of  Independence,  from 
Shirley,  will  be  found  in  the  foregoing  genealogical  record,  with  the 
exception  of  seven,  whose  family  connections  are  not  known.  They 
are  here  entered  from  the  army  rolls  : 

John  Wason,  Francis  Williams,  Titus  Colburn,  John  Darling, 
John  Kelley,  Joseph  Burkmer,  John  Dutch. 


The  following  names  of  Shakers  are  not  found  in  the  foregoing 
pages  of  genealogy,  and  yet  were  adult  citizens  of  the  town  previous 
to  the  year  1800.     They  are  therefore  inserted  in  this  place  : 

Oliver  Burt.  He  was  their  chief  horticulturist,  and  to  him  the 
community  were  largely  indebted  for  their  success,  in  after  years,  as 
seed  growers.     He  d.  Nov.  24,  1834. 

Daniel  Clark,  d.  May  27,  1809. 

Samuel  Kilburn,  d.  Aug.  7,  1807. 

Jonathan  Kinney,  d.  Nov.  28,  1825. 

Samuel  Randall. 

David  Melvin,  d.  March  16,  1834. 


Here  closes  the  Genealogical  Register,  containing  a  record  of  all 
the  families  and  most  of  the  adult  male  residents  of  Shirley,  from  its 
earliest  settlement  down  to  1 801,  of  whom  a  record  could  by  any 
means  be  discovered.  The  reader  will  find  that  the  pedigrees  of 
several  of  the  families  are  given,  in  some  cases  going  back  to  the 
immigrant  settlers.  We  have  tried  to  be  accurate  in  names  and 
dates  ;  but  in  a  record  like  this  strict  accuracy  will  hardly  be  ex- 
pected. Hoping  to  be  excused  for  all  errors  which  the  careful  reader 
may  detect,  the  work  is  respectfully  submitted. 


Since  the  work  passed  through  the  press,  a  few  errors  have  been 
detected  which  will  here  be  corrected  : 

Page  446,  first  line  for  Hannah  read  Jane. 

Page  535,  sixth  line  from  the  bottom,  for  Lilly  read  Lilla. 

Page  536,  second  line  from  the  top,  for  Stephen  Laroy  read 
Stephen  Leroy.  Ninth  line  from  top,  on  same  page,  for  Marette 
read   Marrette. 


APPENDIX. 


A.        (See  page  -iO.) 

William  Shirley  was  the  governor  of  Massachusetts  from  i  740  to 
1753-4,  and,  as  the  district  which  bears  his  name  received  its  act  of 
incorporation  during  his  administration,  it  has  been  supposed  that  he 
was  one  of  the  grantees  of  the  soil.  This,  however,  is  not  true. 
Tradition  also  declares  that  he  personally  visited  the  town,  and 
planted  some  trees  as  a  memorial  of  his  visit ;  and,  that  he  gave  to 
its  inhabitants  a  bell  for  their  church,  which  they  lost  through  the 
faithlessness  of  the  agent  to  whose  care  the  gift  was  entrusted.  But 
these  traditions  rest  upon  no  other  than  imaginary  foundations.  The 
most  consistent  view  that  we  can  take  of  the  subject  is  that  the  town 
received  its  name  from  the  man  who  happened  at  the  time  to  be 
chief  magistrate  of  the  colony. 

Like  most  of  the  English  ofificial  residents  of  New  England,  Gov. 
Shirley  entertained  but  little  respect  for  our  congregational  forms  of 
church  government.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  a  devoted  adherent  of 
the  Anglican  church,  and  if  sectarian  munificence  will  prove  one's 
character  benevolent,  the  governor  was  a  man  of  benevolence.  He 
was  one  of  the  largest  proprietors  of  ''  King's  Chapel"  in  Boston.  In 
1 749,  when  that  edifice,  now  called  "  Stone  Chapel,"  was  erected, 
Gov.  Shirley  laid  the  corner-stone,  with  imposing  ceremonies  ;  and  at 
his  death,  in  1771,  his  remains  were  deposited  in  a  vault  beneath  its 
aisles,  with  those  of  his  wife,  and  tablets  to  their  memory  have  been 
placed  in  niches  of  the  inner  wall.  Much  effort  and  some  sacrifice  were 
required  at  this  period  to  sustain  this  first  attempt,  in  New  England, 
to  establish  the  claims  of  Episcopacy  in  the  midst  of  opposing 
Puritans  ;  and  had  this  attempt  been  a  failure,  its  cause  would  have 
been  seriously  impaired  in  Boston,  and  throughout  the  entire  Eastern 
States. 

B.        (•'^ee  page  -21.) 

"By  accident  or  otherwise  the  westerly  line  of  'Stow  Leg'  was,  for 
a  long  time,  not  an  exact  continuance  of  the  west  hne  of  Groton,  but 
inclined  a  little  to  the  east  from  Groton  old  corner  to  Lunenburg 


(i9(i  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

corner.  This  variation  was  not  noticed  by  the  selectmen  of  Lunen- 
burg and  Shirley  in  their  perambulations  of  the  line  ;  and  they  passed 
from  the  bound  at  the  south-west  corner  of  Stow  Leg,  a  straight  line 
to  the  bound  in  Groton  line  at  Squannacook  river,  leaving  the  bound 
of  old  Groton  south-west  corner  about  five  and  a  half  rods  to  the 
west  of  the  straight  line."* 

This  error  robbed  Shirley  of  several  acres  of  valuable  territory, 
which  included  the  dwelling-house  of  one  of  its  farmers.  It  therefore 
became  an  object  to  have  it  rectified.  Accordingly  the  Legislature 
was  petitioned  to  establish  the  boundary  line  between  Shirley  and 
Lunenburg,  as  originally  designed,  viz.,  to  commence  at  "  Groton  old 
corner,"  and  from  thence  run  to  an  established  monument  at  the 
south-east  corner  of  Townsend.  After  repeated  trials  and  defeats,  the 
prayer  of  the  petitioners  was  granted  at  the  session  of  1848. 

The  success  which  attended  this  movement  and  secured  to  Shirley 
its  just  rights  was  greatly  owing  to  the  unwearied  efforts  of  Hon.  L.  M. 
Parker,  who  made  an  elaborate  report  of  the  whole  case,  which  report 
has  been  entered  upon  the  records  of  the  town. 

C.  (See  page  21.) 

Before  dismissing  the  subject  of  settling  the  limits  of  the  town, 
allusion  should  be  made  to  an  attempt  for  an  enlargement  of  territory 
by  removing  the  western  boundary  still  further  west  toward  Lunen- 
burg Centre.  This  would  give  a  more  regular  form  to  the  town,  and 
serve  to  assist  the  interests  of  its  inhabitants.  Accordingly,  about  the 
year  1754,  a  petition  was  sent  to  the  Legislature,  praying  that  one 
mile  of  the  territory  of  Lunenburg  be  annexed  to  Shirley ;  but  owing 
to  the  fact  that  county  lines  would  be  disturbed,  as  well  as  town 
boundaries,  the  project  failed.  And  the  failure  prevented  the  ordina- 
tion of  the  first  minister,  who  had  offered  himself  as  a  candidate  for 
settlement ;  to  which  allusion  is  made  in  another  part  of  this  history. 

D.  (See  page  51.) 

After  the  Phoenix  mill  was  completed  and  rented,  the  proprietors 
obtained  permission  of  the  agent  to  dedicate  the  building  by  a 
religious  meeting,  in  the  Shaker  form,  in  one  of  its  spacious  rooms. 
The  dedication  took  place  May  17,  1851.  The  following  account 
of  the  services  is  abridged  from  the  Daily  Evening  Standard,  pub- 
lished in  New  Bedford  : 

"The  United  Believers  who  assembled  on  the  occasion  consisted 
of  the  principal  of  the  Shirley  Shakers,  with  a  large  number  who  were 
invited  from  the  society  in  Harvard,  numbering  from  one  hundred 
and  fifty  to  two  hundred  persons,  of  high  respectability,  distinguished 
for  their  neatness,  benevolence  and  industry,  as  well  as  for  their  pecu- 
liar manner  of  worship.     The  services  were  opened  by  one  of  the 


*See  L.  M.  Parker's  report  in  town  records  of  Shirley. 


APPENDIX.  697 

leading  elders — William  H.  Wetherbee.     He    addressed    his  fellow- 
worshippers  substantially  as  follows  : 

"  '  Brethren  and  Sisters  : — The  occasion  of  our  meeting  this  morn- 
ing, is  somewhat  out  of  our  usual  course  ;  but  I  hope  and  trust  that 
all  who  are  present  have  come  in  the  fear  of  God,  in  the  true  spirit 
of  humihation  and  dependence,  and  with  a  desire  to  be  benefited. 

"  '  We  have  come  here  to  invoke  the  blessing  of  God  upon  this 
place.  I  feel  as  though  we  had  met  here  in  the  presence  of  God  and 
his  holy  angels,  and  although  this  is  hot  designed  as  a  place  of 
worship,  yet  on  this  occasion  I  believe  God  is  here,  and  that  he  may 
be  worshipped  here  to-day,  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  I  hope  that  none 
have  come  looking  for  any  great  thing,  and  if  any  have  come  with 
any  such  motive  they  will  be  disappointed.  We  have  come  here  as 
the  servants  of  God,  to  seek  his  favor  and  blessing,  and  that  our 
meeting  may  be  productive  of  good  results  is  my  earnest  desire.' 

"  This  address  was  followed  by  an  original  hymn  sung  by  the  con- 
gregation. Lorenzo  Dow  Grosvenor,  an  elder  from  Harvard,  then 
addressed  the  assembly.  He  earnestly  recommended  his  hearers  to 
cultivate  the  disposition  of  brotherly  love  in  all  parties,  to  worship 
with  fervency  of  spirit  and  obey  the  dictations  of  those  heavenly  mes- 
sengers by  whom  he  felt  confident  they  were  surrounded.  A  part  of 
his  remarks  were  something  like  the  following  : 

"  '  Our  friends  who  are  accustomed  to  see  meetings  for  various 
purposes  organized  by  choice  of  president,  secretary,  etc.,  may  per- 
haps be  looking  for  something  of  this  sort  to-day ;  therefore,  for  your 
satisfaction  we  will  just  remark,  that  we  consider  our  meeting 
organized  as  usual,  by  submitting  the  control  of  the  same  to  none 
other  than  the  "Bishop  of  Souls,"  and  for  the  secretary  we  trust  to 
the  "Recording  Angel."  Most  sincerely  do  I  hope  that  the  report 
will  be  such  that  we  shall  all  be  happy  to  pass  the  same  under  our 
review  at  any  future  period  of  our  existence.  The  Lord  help  us  to 
move  under  the  influence  of  a  right  spirit.  In  conclusion  he  recom- 
mended prayer,  in  which  they  all  united,  kneeling  in  silence,  vocal 
prayer  not  being  very  common  among  them.  A  more  beautiful  and 
solemn  scene  is  seldom  witnessed  than  that  presented  by  so  many 
persons  kneeling  in  silence,  in  an  open  space.  After  the  lapse  of  a 
few  moments  they  all  arose  and  sung  a  hymn.         *         *         *         * 

"  They  then  proceeded  in  their  usual  manner  by  marching  to  quick 
songs.  Some  thirty  or  more  who  seemed  to  be  singers,  formed  an 
oval  facing  each  other,  and  the  rest  marched  around  them  two  deep, 
making  one  circle  within  another  ;  after  a  while  the  inside  circle  faced 
around  and  marched  in  the  opposite  direction  from  the  outside 
column.  At  the  close  of  this  exercise  they  took  their  seats  in  nearly 
the  same  form  they  at  first  stood  in  ranks,  when  Elder  Grosvenor 
briefly  explained  the  views  and  principles  of  the  society,  introducing 
the  subject  of  social  communities,  etc.  He  was  followed  by  Elder 
William  Leonard,  who  discussed  the  community  principle  at  length, 
showing  their  organization  into  communities  to  be  the  true  Christian 


698  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

foundation,  showing  from  the  predictions  of  the  prophets  and  the 
teachings  of  the  apostles,  that  they  were  living  up  to  the  example  of 
primitive  days,  giving  also  reasons  why  so  many  attempts  had  failed, 
and  that  this  society  had  stood  for  more  than  sixty  years. 

"After  singing  an  original  poem,  from  the  proHfic  muse  of  L.  D. 
Grosvenor,  the  meeting  was  adjourned  until  one  o'clock  P.  M.,  giving 
an  intermission  of  one  hour.  At  the  time  appointed  the  people 
re-assembled,  and  seated  themselves  in  the  order  of  their  religious 
usage,  and  opened  their  meeting  with  singing  a  hymn. 

"The  short  address,  preceding  the  active  worship,  then  followed, 
and  the  brethren  and  sisters  arranged  themselves  in  order  for  a  march 
or  dance,  which  they  entered  upon  with  renewed  spirit.  Several  brief 
addresses  were  then  made  by  persons  of  both  sexes,  who  confidently 
affirmed  that  they  had  received,  through  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
that  which  flesh  and  blood  had  not  revealed  unto  man.  Among  the 
females  was  Mrs.  A.  D.  Cook,  who  is  distinguished  for  her  gift  in 
public  speaking.  Her  subject  was  directed  to  the  leveKng  system,  in 
a  short  and  comprehensive  manner,  and  was  listened  to  with  the  most 
profound  attention  by  the  audience. 

"The  meeting  was  closed  at  four  o'clock  P.  M.  The  services  were 
conducted  by  William  H.  Wetherbee  as  Elder,  and  Jonas  Nutting  as 
Deacon,  who  discharged  the  duties  assigned  in  a  manner  highly  cred- 
itable to  themselves,  and  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  spectators. 
During  the  exercises  several  songs  were  sung,  accompanied  by  solemn 
marches,  in  their  peculiar  manner,  which  added  much  interest  to  the 
occasion." 

To  this  account  from  the  New  Bedford  Standard,  it  may  be  added 
that  aside  from  the  devotional  exercises,  the  most  important  feature 
of  the  service  was  the  long  address  by  Elder  Grosvenor.  He  was,  _ 
at  the  time,  their  most  ready  speaker,  and  was  prized  by  his  brethren 
as  one  "whom  they  delighted  to  honor."  He  devoted  his  speaking 
energies  to  the  dogmatic  support  of  his  faith,  while  he  aimed  that  his 
life  should  be  a  practical  commentary  on  the  value  of  that  faith. 
His  discourse  was  printed.  Elder  Grosvenor  has  since  absolved  his 
connection  with  the  Shakers,  and  is  now  "a  man  of  the  world." 


D.       (See  page  52.) 


In  1868  the  firm  of  C.  \V.  &  J.  E.  Smith  was  formed,  and  that  of 
Levi  Holbrook  &  Co.  dissolved,  by  the  transfer  of  the  interest  of  the 
Messrs.  Holbrook  in  the  Fredonia  mill  to  J.  E.  Smith  ; — the  firm 
having  previously  consisted  of  Levi  and  E.  W.  Holbrook  and  Charles 
W.  Smith,  (not  C.  W.  Holbrook  as  stated  on  page  49.)  Mr.  C.  W. 
Smith  died  March  3,  1883,  and  J.  E.  Smith  continues  the  responsible 
head  and  manager  of  the  business  of  both  the  Fredonia  and  Phoenix 
mills. 


APPENDIX.  699 

E.  (See  page  (W.) 

Within  about  three  months  from  the  time  of  this  conflagration  Mr, 
Reed,  who  held  the  office  of  first  selectman  of  the  town  at  the  time 
and  who  was  noted  for  his  personal  enterprise,  died,  after  a  short 
sickness,  leaving  a  young  widow  and  four  children  to  mourn  his 
early  departure. 

F.  (See  page  68.) 

The  Shakers  furnish  their  school-room — which  is  a  neat  and  hand- 
somely-supplied structure — without  any  expense  to  the  town. 

G.  (See  page  69.) 

'  In  the  autumn  of  1853  this  school  was  furnished  with  an  apparatus 
for  illustrating  physical  science.  It  was  raised  by  the  subscriptions  of 
the  following  named  persons,  who  organized  themselves  into  an  asso- 
ciation, called  "The  Shirley  Philosophical  Apparatus  Company." 

The  stock  of  the  company  was  divided  into  shares  and  half-shares, 
at  ten  dollars  per  share.  The  half-share  owners  were  entitled  to  one 
vote,  and  the  shareholders  to  two  votes.  The  apparatus  is  kept  in  a 
case  prepared  for  the  purpose,  and  is  located  in  the  school-room 
under  the  town-hall. 

SHARE    HOLDERS. 

Oliver  Howe,  Thomas  Whitney,  Charles  Chandler,  George  A. 
Whitney,  George  Page,  William  A.  Wild,  T.  M.  WeUington,  Stephen 
Roberts. 

HALF-SHARE    HOLDERS. 

L.  M.  Parker,  James  Longley,  J.  C.  Hartwell,  Seth  Chandler, 
Zenas  Brown,  D.  L.  Chandler,  Jonas  Holden,  T.  E.Whitney,  Thomas 
J,  Hazen,  J.  K.  Going,  George  Chandler. 

H.       (See  page  70.) 

Since  the  year  1841  the  Secretary  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of 
Education  has  prepared  and  appended  to  bis  annual  report,  grad- 
uated tables,  showing  the  amount  each  town  raises,  in  money,  for 
each  of  its  pupils  between  the  ages  of  five  and  fifteen  years  ;  the 
average  amount  raised  for  each  child  in  the  commonwealth  between 
those  ages,  and  the  rank  which  each  town  holds,  as  compared  with  the 
other  towns  in  the  state,  there  being  in  all  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
nine  towns. 

From  these  tables  the  following  has  been  compiled,  showing  how 
the  amount  appropriated  to  each  pupil  by  Shirley  compares  with  the 


700 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


average  amount  appropriated  by  the  state.     The  comparativ'e  rank 
which  the  town  holds,  with  the  other  towns,  is  also  appended. 


841 
842 

843 
844 

845 
846 

847 
848 
849 
850 
851 
852 

853 
854 

855 
856 

857 
858 

859 
860 
861 
862 
863 
864 
865 
866 
867 
868 
869 
870 
871 
872 

873 
874 

875 
876 

877 
878 
879 
880 


State  raised  $2.71    Town  raised  $2.26    Grade  of  the  town,  177 


2.84 

a 

a 

2.84 

((             ( 

I             a 

58 

2-59 

a 

li 

2.70 

11             I 

I             ii 

68 

2.91 

a 

" 

2-39 

11            i 

I             li 

106 

2.99 

a 

ii 

2.52 

a                i 

i              11 

89 

3-04 

li 

ii 

2.36 

a                I 

I             11 

127 

3-14 

a 

u 

2.80 

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192 

There  is  a  genuine  anecdote  connected  with  the  life  of  Mr.  Heze- 
kiah  Spaulding  that  is  worthy  of  preservation,  as  it  shows  most  forci- 
bly the  power  of  an  aroused  conscience. 


APPENDIX.  701 

Soon  after  he  was  settled  on  his  farm,  when  money  was  scarce  and 
very  hardly  attained,  and  when  every  dollar  was  appraised  at  its  full 
value,  Mr.  Spaulding  lost  a  package  containing  twelve  silver  dollars. 
This  was  to  him  a  severe  loss  at  a  period  when  all  he  possessed  was 
the  result  of  personal  toil,  and  when  his  real  estate  was  burdened  by 
debt.  His  neighbors  joined  him  in  a  most  thorough  search  for  the 
missing  treasure,  spending  many  a  weary  hour  in  what  proved  a  hope- 
less effort.  The  disappointed  man  was  finally  forced  to  beheve  that 
his  lost  money  could  never  be  recovered.  Months  and  years  rolled 
away,  and  although  he  did  not  forget  his  loss,  he  ceased  to  mourn  the 
departure  of  what  the  blessing  of  God  on  his  own  labors  enabled  him 
soon  to  supply. 

A  few  years  since,  when  the  Second  Advent  excitement  was  at  its 
height  in  this  vicinity,  a  convert  to  the  Miller  faith,  who  had  always 
lived  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mr.  Spaulding's  home,  came  to  him 
and  confessed  that  he  had  found  the  money,  soon  after  its  loss — that 
he  was  fully  apprised,  from  the  first,  of  the  anxiety  of  the  loser,  and 
of  his  long  efforts  to  recover  it,  yet  his  selfishness  blinded  him  to  a 
sense  of  duty  and  enabled  him  to  overcome  the  upbraidings  of  con- 
science for  all  those  years.  He  penitently  asked  the  forgiveness  of 
his  injured  neighbor,  restored  to  him  the  principal,  that  he  had  holden 
so  long,  and  promised  that  he  would  soon  remit  the  interest. 

Mr.  Spaulding  kindly  forgave  his  injurer  and  although  he  revealed 
the  fact,  kept  the  name  of  the  offender  from  the  public  ear  during 
his  life. 

K.       (See  page  121.) 

In  the  summer  of  1 7  75  a  demand  was  made  by  the  Provincial 
Congress,  on  the  towns  of  Massachusetts,  for  thirteen  thousand  coats 
for  the  use  of  the  patriot  army  then  engaged  in  the  siege  of  Boston. 
The  coats  were  to  be  of  "good  plain  cloth,  preference  to  be  given  to 
that  of  home  manufacture," — were  to  be  "  made  in  the  common  plain 
way,  without  lappels,  short,  and  with  small  folds,  and  faced  with  the 
same  kind  of  cloth  of  which  they  were  made  ;"  and  the  selectmen  of 
the  several  towns  were  required  to  cause  a  certificate  to  be  sewed  to 
the  inside  of  each  coat,  purporting  from  what  town  it  came,  by  whom 
the  coat  was  made,  and,  if  the  cloth  was  manufactured  in  this 
country,  by  whom  it  was  manufactured.  The  committee  of  supplies 
were  directed  to  apportion  the  coats  on  the  towns  by  a  schedule 
made  in  accordance  with  the  last  provincial  tax, — the  coats  to  be  de- 
livered on  or  before  the  first  day  of  October  following ;  and  the 
committee  to  cause  them  to  be  "buttoned  with  pewter  buttons,  those 
of  each  regiment  respectively  to  have  buttons  with  the  same  number 
stamped  upon  the  face  of  them." 

The  schedule  of  apportionment,  prepared  by  the  committee, 
required  of  the  district  of  Shirley  25  coats  ;  of  Groton  69  ;  of  Pep- 
perell  37;  of  Townsend  30;  of  Stow  41;  of  Harvard  56;  of 
Lunenburg  57;  of  Fitchburg  18,  and  other  towns  in  proportion, 
Boston  and  Charlestown  being  exempted. 


702  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

The  patriotic  response  made  by  the  people  of  Shirley  to  this  de- 
mand is  shown  by  the  following  letter,  (in  answer  to  the  call  of  the 
committee,)  which  is  found  on  file  at  the  state-house  : 

"To  the  Gen'men  Commitee  of  Suplies  appoynted  by  Congress 
&c.  To  See  to  the  Providing  Clothing  for  the  army.  Gen'men — 
these  Are  to  Inform  you  that  the  Dis'  of  Shirley  have  agreed  to  pro- 
vide the  Parte  of  Coats,  Shirts,  Stockins  and  Britches  to  them 
Assigned  and  thirty  Pare  of  Shoes  for  the  Benefitt  of  the  Continentle 
army  &c 

"By  order  of  the  Selectmen, 

"Obadiah  Sav^^tell,  Dis' Clerk. 
"Shirley,  August  y'  lo"^  A.  D.  i  775." 

The  coats  furnished  were  distributed  to  the  army  about  the  first  of 
November,  1775, — one  having  been  promised  to  each  man  serving 
for  the  term  of  eight  months.  Rolls  of  the  army  made  at  the  time, 
accompanied  by  autograph  orders  for  coats  (or  for  money  in  lieu  of 
them),  are  on  file  at  the  state-house,  and  are  known  as  the  "  Coat 
Rolls."  The  presence  of  a  name  on  these  rolls,  has  always  been 
accepted  by  the  pension  bureau  at  Washington  as  good  evidence  of 
eight  months  service. 

L.       ( See  page  1-2S.) 

The  following  extract  of  a  letter  written  by  an  officer  of  the  govern- 
ment, in  the  recruiting  service,  shows  to  some  extent,  the  purposes  of 
the  insurgents  had  they  not  been  suppressed  at  an  early  period  of 
their  career.     It  is  from  the  Massachusetts  Centinel,  Jan.  20,  1787  : 

"I  found  on  my  journey  from  Boston,  in  passing  through  Holden, 
Hardwick,  Greenwich,  and  Pelham,  a  great  part  of  the  inhabitants 
much  exasperated  against  the  government,  and  so  jealous  are  they  of 
every  person  passing  through  them,  that  I  was  twice  taken  up  as  a 
spy,  and  had  to  produce  my  enlisting  orders,  etc.,  before  I  could  un- 
deceive them. 

"Yesterday  morning  I  fell  in  company  with  two  men  who  were  on 
their  way  to  visit  their  Great  leader  Shays  ; — after  prying  into  my 
principles,  they  thoiight  to  their  great  joy,  that  I  was  friendly  to  their 
•  cause — and  as  I  came  from  Boston,  and  could  give  some  intelligence 
about  the  court  party,  they  gave  me  an  invitation  to  ride  through 
Pelham  and  visit  their  General.  As  it  was  but  little  out  of  my  way, 
I  accepted  it,  and  about  ten  o'clock  arrived  at  his  cottage,  situated 
between  two  very  high  mountains,  and  half  a  mile  either  way  from 
any  house.  He  received  us  kindly,  but  was  suspicious  of  me,  and 
had  not  the  two  men  strongly  plead  in  my  behalf,  I  am  conscious  I 
should  have  undergone  a  rude  examination.  In  conversation  Shays 
informed  me,  he  expected  the  court  party  from  below,  to  support 
the  court  at  Worcester,  the  week  after  next ;  and  that  he  had 
despatched  expresses  into  the  different  parts  of  the  county  to  rally 
the  people.     But  he  thought  the  court  party  would  not  dare  to  appear, 


APPENDIX.  703 

if  they  knew  of  the  strength  of  his  party,  which  he  assured  me  con- 
sisted of  the  three  western  counties,  except  about  fifty  men  in 
Northampton  and  Hadley, — but  I  find,  on  enquiry,  that  all  the 
inhabitants  of  these  two  towns,  twelve  excepted,  are  in  favor  of  gov- 
ernment. He  also  said  that  he  expected  Gen.  Lincoln,  whom  he 
dreaded,  but  was  ready  for  him,  that  he  wished  to  have  him  take  the 
ground  first,  in  order  that  he  [Shays]  might  cut  off  his  retreat  below, 
surround  him  and  make  his  whole  party  prisoners.  That  he  was  not 
afraid,  as  he  was  conscious  that  he  had  done  nothing  to  merit  the 
frowns  of  government  or  the  resentment  of  individuals — but  that  he 
thought  proper  to  keep  guarded  by  a  number  of  men  every  night. 
He  also  expressed  his  highest  disapprobation  of  the  measures  govern- 
ment had  taken,  to  secure  Shattuck,  etc.,  and  that  if  they  were 
condemned,  there  were  plans  laid  to  lay  the  town  of  Boston  in  ashes, 
which  he  thought  could  be  easily  executed  ;  and  that  it  was  entirely 
owing  to  his  unremitting  exertions  that  his  men  were  prevented  from 
doing  it.  And  concluded  by  saying  that  times  would  soon  be  better, 
as  he  was  endeavoring  to  put  matters  on  a  footing,  whereby  every  man 
should  enjoy  his  liberty,  free  from  mercenary  rulers,  who  study  their 
own  interest,  in  amassing  large  fortunes  by  extortion,  rather  than  the 
good  of  their  subjects,  etc.  Such  was  the  drift  of  his  conversation, 
as  near  as  I  can  recollect.     What  the  end  will  be  I  know  not." 

In  the  same  journal,  of  a  subsequent  date,  appeared  the  following 
epigram  : 

"  Cries  sober  Will,  '  Well,  Shaise  has  fled, 

And  peace  returns  to  bless  our  days  ; ' — 
'  Poh  !  poh  ! '  cries  James,  '  I  always  said 
He'd  prove  at  best  a  fall-back  Shaise.''  " 

M.       (See  page  130.) 

Nathan  Smith,  whose  conduct  was  so  offensive  at  Concord,  was 
accounted  an  excellent  soldier  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution.  Here 
his  zeal  was  regarded  a  merit,  because  he  fought  in  defence  of  popu- 
lar liberty  ;  but  we  have  no  doubt  that  he  was  equally  sincere  to  his 
own  convictions  in  the  stand  he  took  in  this  second  revolution.  He 
felt  that  he  must  defend  the  freedom  that  had  been  secured,  against 
the  acts  of  unwise  legislation  and  an  oppressive  judicature. 

When  the  chief  mental  culture  of  men  is  derived  from  life  in  a 
military  camp,  revolutions  are  liable  to  be  the  order  of  the  day. 

Mr.  Smith  died  in  Shirley,  Nov.,  1834,  having  attained  the  great 
age  of  ninety-six  years.  His  older  brother,  Sylvanus,  who  died  a  few 
years  earlier,  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Cincinnati. 

N.       ( See  page  133.) 

As  the  Rebellion,  which  so  much  interested  the  people  of  Shirley, 
has  given  a  certain  notoriety  to  its  hero,  some  account  of  his  origin 
and  subsequent  career  may  not  be  out  of  place  in  this  history. 
Daniel   Shays  was  born  in   Hopkinton,  Mass.,    in   1747,  and  as  his 


704  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

father  was  not  affluent,  he  worked,  in  early  Hfe,  on  the  farm  of  a  Mr. 
Brinley  of  Framingham,  as  a  hired  laborer.  When  the  war  com- 
menced he  entered  the  army,  being  twenty-eight  years  old,  with  the 
rank  of  ensign.  Subsequently  he  was  advanced  to  a  lieutenancy ; 
and  eventually  by  intrigue  he  obtained  a  captain's  commission.  "  He 
was  in  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill — at  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  and 
at  the  storming  of  Stony  Point,  was  under  the  command  of  Gen. 
Lafayette  and  did  some  good  service  in  many  bloody  encounters." 
He  was  discharged  from  the  service  Oct.  14,  1780.  His  courage 
was  never  doubted,  but  his  integrity  was  very  fairly  open  to  question. 
On  the  year  of  his  discharge  he,  with  his  fellow  officers,  was  presented 
with  an  elegant  sword  by  Lafayette.  "Such  pledge  of  regard  from 
the  patriot  chief,  a  soldier  with  a  spark  of  generous  feeling  would 
have  cherished  as  his  dearest  possession,  and  transmitted  to  his  pos- 
terity as  an  heirloom  of  inestimable  value.  Shays  sold  the  precious 
gift  for  a  few  dollars." 

It  is  said  that  he  was  chosen  leader  of  the  insurgents  by  accident, 
and  that  he  was  in  no  wise  competent  to  fulfil  the  duties  of  a  leader, 
else  with  two  thousand  men  at  his  command,  there  would  have  been 
bloodshed  as  well  as  insurrection,  to  stain  with  shame  the  annals  of 
our  commonwealth.  The  easy  conquest  of  the  insurgent  army  was 
probably  owing  to  the  inertness  and  imbecility  of  its  commander. 

"With  the  first  shade  of  adversity,  he  made  indirect  overtures  to  the 
agents  of  the  government,  to  abandon  his  comrades  to  their  fate,  on 
assurance  of  personal  safety ;  and  when  his  base  propositions  were 
rejected,  and  promises  of  indemnity  and  pardon  were  offered  to  his 
followers,  his  persuasions  induced  them  to  reject  the  proffered  mercy, 
and  retain  the  arms  of  hopeless  controversy,  to  purchase  by  their 
sacrifice  security  for  himself." 

After  he  fled  from  his  men,  he  lived  in  concealment  for  two  years 
or  more,  when  he  received  a  pardon  from  government,  and  removed 
to  Sparta,  N.  Y.  Here  he  was  bankrupt  in  purse  as  well  as  in  repu- 
tation, and  was  supported  during  the  last  of  his  life  by  a  pension  of 
twenty  dollars  a  month,  from  government,  for  his  revolutionary 
services.     He  died  Sept.  29,  1825,  aged  seventy-eight  years. 

O.        (  See  page  141.) 

Within  an  hundred  and  fifty  years,  runaway  slaves  have  been 
advertised  in  Boston  newspapers,  and  rewards  offered  for  their  arrest 
and  rendition  to  their  masters. 

Later  than  that,  the  whipping-post  has  existed  in  that  same  goodly 
town  of  Boston,  and  criminals  have  been  led  thither  for  punishment, 
the  time  and  place  having  been  previously  advertised  in  the  public 
journals. 

Still  later,  posters,  of  which  the  following  are  a  specimen,  were  set 
up  in  different  parts  of  the  town  (Shirley)  to  advertise  the  yearly  sale 
of  the  livings  of  the  unfortunate  poor ;  and  what  was  done  here  was 
done  in  most  of  the  rural  towns  in  New  England.' 


APPENDIX.  705 


"Notice. 


"The  Poor  of  the  Town  of  Shirley  will  be  let  out  in  lots,  for  one 
year  from  the  3d  day  of  April  next,  to  the  lowest  bidder,  on  Saturday, 
the  29th  day  of  March,  instant,  at  one  o'clock  P.  M.,  at  the  store  of 
Thomas  Whitney  &  Son. 

"James  Parker,  ]k.,  for  the  Overseers.'' 

"Take  Notice. 

"  At  Whitney's  store  in  Shirley,  on  Monday  next,  at  seven  o'clock 
P.  M.,  the  wife  of  William  Longley  will  be  set  up  at  auction  to  the 
lowest  bidder,  at  so  much  per  week,  from  then  until  the  first  of  April. 

"Shirley,  Feb.  13,  1821." 

"  Notice. 

"  David  Atherton  and  Mary  Davis  will  be  let  out  by  the  week  for 
one  year,  or  a  shorter  time,  at  Esq.  Whitney's  store,  Monday,  5 
o'cloctc  P.  M. 

"May  5,  1828." 

Now,  the  wants  of  dependent  poverty  are  more  tenderly  reo;arded 
by  our  municipal  authorities.  Where  no  almshouses  exist,  contracts 
for  the  sustenance  of  the  poor  are  made  with  respectable  and  respon- 
sible parties,  whose  doings  are  understood  to  be  ever  subject  to 
investigation  at  the  call  of  propriety.  Surely  the  world  is  moving  in 
the  right  direction. 

P.        (  See  page  1(».) 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  persons  who  volunteered 
to  fill  the  trenches,  which  was  done  July  3,  1847  : 

Thomas  Whitney,  with  two  men,  Asa  Jenkins  and  Charles  Adams, 
and  a  team. 

Joseph  Day,  with  a  man  and  team. 

James  Parker's  man — David  Hastings — and  a  team. 

Moses  Chaplin,  his  son  Thomas,  and  a  team. 

William  Little  and  a  team. 

Andrew  J.  Reed,  with  a  man  and  a  team. 

George  Chandler  and  a  team. 

Oliver  Lawton's  son  and  a  team. 

Levi  Dodge,  his  son  Charles,  and  a  team. 

Daniel  L.  Chandler  and  a  team. 

William  Williams,  Jr.,  and  a  team. 

Abraham  Fairbanks,  master  of  almshouse,  and  a  team. 

Asa  A.  Jenkins,  Jonas  Holden,  Stillman  D.  Benjamin,  Jephthah 
Lawton,  James  O.  Parker,  Charles  Butler,  Sylvanus  Holden,  Levi 
Wheeler,  Moses  Lawrence,  George  Page,  Zenas  Brown,  Stephen 
Barrett,  Jabez  Harlow  and  Leonard  M.  Parker. 


706  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

List  of  citizens  who  volunteered  to  fill  up  and  finish  off  the 
grounds  on  the  north,  east  and  west  sides  of  the  town-house,  in 
November,  1848,  viz.  : 

Moses  Lawrence,  with  a  man  and  team. 
Andrew  J.  Reed's  man  and  a  team. 
William  Little  and  a  team. 
Daniel  L.  Chandler  with  a  man. 

Stillman  D.  Benjamin,  Zenas  Brown,  Abraham  Fairbanks,  Nathaniel 
Boynton,  Thomas  Whitney  and  L.  M.  Parker. 

Q.       (  See  page  163.) 

The  following  is  a  list  of  papers,  etc.,  that  were  deposited  under 
the  corner-stone  of  the  town-house  : 

Report  of  Committee  and  votes  of  the  town  thereon,  May  8,  1847, 
including  the  gifts  of  the  Messrs.  Whitney  and  subsequent  additions. 
List  of  Town  Officers  for  the  year  1847. 
Population  of  the  town. 
Religious  Societies,  and  names  of  Pastors. 
The  School  Districts. 
Names  of  Professional  Men. 

Copy  of  regulations  for  the  government  of  the  almshouse. 
Bill  of  town  expenses  for  the  year  1846. 
Names  of  the  citizens  who  volunteered  to  fill  the  trenches. 
The  President  and  Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 
Population  of  the  United  States. 
Newspapers  and  other  publications. 
Coins  of  the  United  States. 
Copy  of  some  of  the  votes  of  the  Building  Committee. 

R.        (  See  page  175.) 

When  the  hall  was  finished,  it  needed  the  appendage  of  a  chande- 
lier. To  obtain  one  a  tea-party  was  holden  on  the  evening  of 
January  2d,  1849.  The  number  of  subscribers  on  this  occasion  was 
seventy-one,  and  the  proceeds  were  sufficient  to  effect  the  object. 
A  beautiful  chandelier  was  suspended  from  the  ceiling,  in  the  centre 
of  the  hall,  furnished  at  first  with  solar  lamps — which  have  since  been 
supplanted  by  gas  burners,  that  throw  an  even  and  brilliant  fight 
over  the  entire  room. 

S.       (See  page  217.) 

Dr.  Appleton  was  minister  of  the  First  Church  in  Cambridge, 
when  it  was  the  custom  for  the  president,  fellows  and  undergraduates 
of  the  college  to  worship  in  that  church,  and  his  pastorate  was  con- 
tinued for  sixty-six  years.     He  was  "impartial  yet  pacific,  firm  yet 


APPENDIX.  707 

conciliatory ;  he  was  peculiarly  qualified  for  a  counsellor,  and  in  that 
character  he  materially  contributed  to  the  unity,  the  peace,  and  order 
of  the  churches."  He  was  the  author  of  twenty-eight  distinct  publi- 
cations— some  of  which  were  volumes,  and  three  of  which  were 
memorial  sermons  of  the  three  presidents  of  Harvard  University  that 
passed  away  during  his  ministry.  Dr.  Appleton  died  Feb.  9th,  1784, 
in  the  ninety-first  year  of  his  age. 

T.       (See  page  220.) 

This  was  upon  a  lot  of  land  purchased  for  the  purpose.  It  was 
near  the  four  acres  granted  by  "  the  proprietors  of  Groton,"  for  a 
burying-place  and  training-field,  as  noticed  in  Chapter  V.,  Part  I. 
There  is  no  record  of  whom  this  land  was  bought,  but  it  is  recorded 
that  Obadiah  Sawtell  was  appointed  at  a  district  meeting,  "  to  take  a 
title  of  the  ground  purchased  for  a  meeting-house  lot."  This  is  the 
land  on  which  the  meeting-house  of  the  First  'Parish  stood  until  its 
removal  in  1852. 

U.       (  See  page  24(5.) 

It  is  the  general  opinion  of  the  Shakers  that  the  apostles  repudiated 
marriage,  and  that  if  any  of  them  had  wives  previous  to  their  call  to 
the  apostleship,  they  separated  from  them,  and  from  every  other 
worldly  tie,  for  the  pure  faith  of  the  gospel.  This  subject  is  discussed 
in  a  tract  by  Lorenzo  D.  Grosvenor,  entitled,  "  Circular  Letter  in 
defence  of  the  United  Society  of  Believers,  commonly  called 
Shakers." 

V.       ( See  page  249.) 

It  was  James  Whittaker  who  thus  supplied  the  imprisoned  mother 
with  sustenance  ;  he  succeeded  her  as  chief  leader  of  the  Community 
in  the  United  States. 

AV.        (See  page  2.52.) 

Joseph  Meacham  and  Lucy  Wright  succeeded  James  Whittaker  in 
the  spiritual  "lead"  of  the  United  Society  of  Believers,  and  were 
the  first  who  held  the  position  after  the  sect  had  obtained  its  complete 
organization. 

"W.       (  See  page  367.) 

This  "square  house"  is  still  standing,  in  Harvard,  and  it  forms  a 
nucleus  around  which  the  Shaker  Village  has  grown  up.  It  is  kept  in 
an  excellent  condition,  and  as  it  was  the  temporary  home  of  their 


708  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

venerable  "  Mother,"  is  held  in  great  reverence  by  the  entire  com- 
munity of  "Believers."  The  Shaker  Village  in  Harvard  is  six  miles 
from  that  in  Shirley ;  the  two  form  one  bishoprick,  and  are  under  the 
"lead"  of  the  same  ministry. 

The  following  interesting  history  of  the  "square  house"  was  fur- 
nished for  these  pages,  by  the  bishop.  Grove  Blanchard,  who  has 
from  childhood  been  a  devoted  believer  in  the  faith  of  the  Shakers, 
and  has  been  to  his  brethren  a  wise  counsellor  and  efficient  leader. 

"  Agreeable  to  your  request,  we  proceed  to  give  you  some  account 
of  the  square  house — so  called, — its  origin,  and  its  inhabitants  ;  as 
this  was  the  place  where  Mother  Ann  first  opened  the  everlasting 
gospel  in  this  vicinity. 

"This  house  was  builded  about  the  year  1769,  by  the  followers  of 
Shadrach  Ireland,  a  new-light  preacher,  who  was  converted  to  the 
faith  and  doctrine  of  the  famous  VVhitefield,  who  was  a  powerful 
preacher,  and  a  sort  of  John  the  Baptist  in  awakening  souls  to  see 
their  lost  and  deplorable  condition.  He  travelled  in  the  Northern 
and  Southern  States  of  America,  as  a  laborer  and  preacher  for  thirty 
years  or  more,  up  to  about  1770,  when  he  closed  his  labors  in  New- 
buryport,  and  was  there  buried."  [That  is,  it  was  thirty  years  from 
the  time  Whitefield  first  came  to  America  before  he  died ;  yet,  during 
that  time  he  made  several  voyages  to  England,  and  passed  many 
years  in  that  country.] 

"  Ireland  was  an  inhabitant  of  Charlestown,  Mass.,  and  he  placed 
himself  before  the  public  as  a  defender  of  the  light  and  truth  which 
he  had  received  from  his  predecessor  [Whitefield],  and  which  he  set 
forth  with  increasing  light  and  zeal,  until  he  was  given  to  see  that  to 
be  a  true  follower  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Savior  he  must  lead  a  pure 
celibate  life.  In  this  life  he  went  forth  to  preach,  and  to  act,  and  for 
his  plain  denunciations  against  the  doctrines  and  lives  of  those  who 
professed  to  follow  the  Lamb  of  God,  many,  and  especially  the  clergy, 
of  different  orders,  conspired  against  him,  and  sought  to  have  him 
arrested  as  a  disturber  of  the  peace.  Some  of  them  said  that  he  had 
publicly  blasphemed  and  cursed  God,  and,  therefore,  deserved  to 
have  his  tongue  bored  through  with  a  hot  iron.  Under  this  excite- 
ment Ireland  fled  from  Charlestown  and  came  to  Harvard,  where 
several  of  his  disciples  resided,  leaving  his  wife  and  children,  and 
taking  another  woman  as  a  spiritual  helper.  Here  he  remained  in 
entire  seclusion  from  all  except  his  own  people,  who  resided  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  state,  at  a  distance  from  Harvard  of  from  ten  to 
seventy  miles.  At  this  place  he  remained  about  fifteen  years,  when 
he  died. 

"Soon  after  establishing  his  home  in  Harvard,  his  friends,  desirous 
of  accommodating  their  Leader  with  a  habitation,  and  themselves 
with  a  convenient  place  for  society  purposes,  united  in  erecting  the 
house — known  as  the  square  house — in  the  then  wilderness  of  Har- 
vard. Samuel  Cooper — one  of  Ireland's  followers — moved  into  the 
house  with  his  family,  and  lived  there  in  company  with  Ireland  and 
his  female  helper. 


APPENDIX.  709 ' 

"This  house  was  erected  on  land  owned  by  some  of  the  members 
of  the  community,  and  a  deed  was  given  to  Ireland,  conveying  the 
house  and  a  snug  little  farm.  Here  his  people  continued  to  resort 
for  instruction  and  were  permitted  to  hold  their  meetings  without 
molestation  ;  living  out,  for  several  years,  their  principle  of  celibacy. 
But  Ireland  finally  lost  his  justification  on  this  wise,  and,  with  some 
of  his  people,  fell  from  the  high  state,  in  which,  for  a  series  of  years, 
they  had  disciplined  themselves.  Yet  a  portion  of  his  followers 
'kept  themselves  unspotted  from  the  world,'  until  the  arrival  of 
Mother  Ann  and  her  companions  from  Watervliet,  N.  Y.,  who  came 
there  by  invitation  from  some  of  the  followers  of  Ireland,  and  were 
joyfully  received  and  welcomed  to  their  habitation. 

"  Ireland  deceased  some  months  previous  to  the  arrival  of  Mother 
Ann,  and  had  left  his  people  broken  by  division,  in  charge  of  one 
David  Hoar ;  or  else  said  Hoar  assumed  the  charge  by  the  consent 
of  the  society.  On  the  arrival  of  Mother,  the  lead  was  submitted  to 
her,  and  she  soon  succeeded  in  restoring  order,  brought  them  back 
to  their  former  standing,  and  imparted  new  light,  and  zeal,  and 
strength,  to  the  entire  community. 

"  Ireland  had  testified  that  if  he  should  keep  his  justification  he 
should  never  die,  but  as  he  had  lost  this  he  should  rise  at  the  third, 
ninth,  or  at  some  future  day.  To  give  the  prediction  full  opportunity 
to  be  verified,  his  followers  deposited  his  remains  in  a  brick  tomb  in 
the  cellar  of  their  house.  Here  they  remained  until  they  became 
offensive  by  reason  of  decomposition,  when  they  were  removed,  at 
midnight,  to  an  open  field  of  corn,  where  a  grave  was  prepared,  and 
the  stalks  of  corn  that  were  removed  to  give  place  to  the  grave,  were 
re-set  in  the  earth  that  covered  the  body ;  so  that,  to  this  day,  no  one 
knows  of  the  place  of  its  deposit  but  the  perpetrators  of  the  work 
and  their  friends. 

"After  the  death  of  Ireland,  the  house  and  farm  were  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  society  that  had  admitted  Mother  and  her  companions 
as  residents.  But  as  the  property  had  been  deeded  to  Ireland,  and 
not  secured  to  the  society,  it  was  left  to  fall  out  thus.  David  Hoar 
becoming  opposed  to  Mother  and  her  testimony,  informed  the  heirs- 
at-law — Ireland's  children — of  the  condition  of  the  estate.  Where- 
upon they  soon  laid  claim  to  it,  as  the  heirs-at-law  of  Shadrach 
Ireland,  to  whom  it  had  been  deeded.  This  brought  Mother  and  the 
society  into  much  trouble.  But  there  was  no  other  alternative,  than 
to  pay  these  heirs-at-law  their  demand,  and  thus  secure  the  property 
according  to  its  original  design.  Aaron  Jewett  took  a  deed  of  the 
premises  in  behalf  of  the  society,  which  placed  it  in  the  permanent 
possession  of  the  members  and  their  successors  in  the  faith. 

"But  as  a  judgment  will  follow  the  work  of  the  transgressor,  so 
here  it  fell  upon  the  gain  which  the  heirs  of  Ireland  had  fraudulently 
obtained  of  this  inoffensive  people.  With  it  they  erected  a  large 
house  for  a  tavern  ;  but,  about  the  time  appointed  for  its  dedication 
— by  a  splendid  ball — it  took  fire  and  was  totally  consumed.  Thus 
the  nefarious  proceeding  of  defrauding  an  honest  and  harmless 
society  was  followed  by  an  evident  curse.  All  that  had  been  in  this 
method  gained  was  doomed  to  destruction." 


*   710  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

X.       (See  page  272.) 

The  Shakers  have  a  tradition  that  the  Hmb  to  which  he  was  tied, 
to  be  scourged,  soon  withered  away. 


Y.       (  See  page  275.) 

The  Shaker  meeting-house  in  Shirley  is  a  large  building,  of  great 
architectural  simplicity,  situated  on  a  pleasant  plot  of  greensward, 
suitably  enclosed,  and  furnished  with  walks,  to  the  several  entrances, 
paved  with  argillaceous  slate-stone.  Its  basement  forms  a  large  open 
hall,  in  which  the  believers  assemble  for  worship.  It  affords  ample 
space  for  the  movements  of  the  "devout  laborers,"  and  for  the 
numerous  spectators  who  come  to  witness  their  exercises. 

This  building  was  erected  in  the  early  stages  of  the  Shaker  organi- 
zation, and  was  intended  for  the  double  purpose  of  a  place  of  worship 
and  a  fortress  of  defence.  It  has  side  doors  with  flights  of  stairs 
leading  to  the  attic  apartments.  These  entrances  are  guarded  by 
huge  trap-doors  that  are  furnished  with  massive  bars  and  locks. 
These  doors,  having  been  secured  by  Perham  and  his  fellow  conspira- 
tors, any  attempt  at  entrance,  except  from  without,  was  rendered  un- 
available. The  outside  wall  was  accordingly  scaled,  the  windows  of 
the  upper  loft  were  burst,  and  the  rioters  secured. 

The  doors,  bolts  and  bars  still  remain,  yet  are  no  longer  needed  for 
protection. 

Z.       (See  page  277.) 

At  the  time  Universalism  obtained  a  foothold  in  Shirley,  it  appeared, 
as  a  system,  under  a  different  guise  from  its  present  aspect.  It  was 
mainly  a  system  of  negations.  This  was  in  a  measure  necessary  on 
account  of  the  ecclesiastical  position  of  New-England  society.  The 
standing  order,  as  the  Congregational  church  was  then  denominated, 
had  a  creed  theory  but  little  removed  from  the  standards  of  faith 
that  had  been  set  up  by  John  Calvin.  The  churches  were  estab- 
lished on  this  theory,  and  the  catechetical  instruction  of  children 
was  in  accordance  with  it.  True,  many  of  the  divines  of  this  church, 
in  their  preaching,  departed  from  their  standards  towards  the  milder 
forms  of  Arminian  belief,  still  the  letter  of  the  faith  remained,  and 
with  all  its  doubts  and  apparent  contradictions,  was  instilled  into  the 
minds  of  the  community  as  the  accredited  faith. 

To  establish  his  doctrine  the  Universalist  believed  that  he  must  first 
expose  the  fallacies  of  the  prevailing  theory,  and  this  induced  that 
negative  style  of  preaching  which  was  largely  prevalent  throughout 
the  order  during  the  first  half  century  of  its  denominational  existence. 
This  method  of  teaching  would  have  the  tendency  to  lead  the  mind 
through  the  misty  paths  of  skepticism  into  the  open  area  of  blank  un- 
belief, if  continued. 


APPENDIX.  711 

At  length  a  transition  came  gradually  over  the  body  ;  practical 
preaching  became  more  common,  and  the  truth  was  made  to  prevail 
that  though  the  fatherhood  of  God  was  universal,  and  though  none  who 
bear  his  moral  image  can  be  finally  lost,  all  must  "  work  out  their  own 
salvation"  by  religious  obedience,  and  that,  without  holiness,  none 
can  see  the  Lord.  It  is  therefore  true,  that  Universalism,  under  its 
present  aspect,  has  an  important  mission  to  fulfil,  in  reaching  the 
wants,  with  its  spiritual  instructions,  of  those  who  have  not  been  able 
to  receive  other  forms  of  faith.  It  has  thus  become  an  important 
element  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  church,  and  in  the  progressive  work 
of  the  Christian  kingdom. 


A  A.       ( See  page  5-20.) 

This  account  of  the  origin  and  settlement  of  the  Longleys  in  New 
England  is  from  the  History  and  Genealogy  of  the  New- England 
families,  by  the  Hon.  James  Savage  of  Boston  ;  but,  for  substantial 
reasons  which  will  now  be  enumerated,  some  of  the  Longley  de- 
scendants of  the  present  day  have  regarded  it  incorrect.  These 
reasons  will  here  be  presented,  that  all  interested  may  have  an  op- 
portunity to  compare  them  with  the  statement  of  Mr.  Savage,  and 
draw  their  own  conclusions  as  to  the  respective  validity  of  the  two 
records. 

First. — Mr.  Savage  accompanies  his  statement  with  a  doubt.  He 
says  that  William  Longley,  (whom  he  supposes  to  have  been  the  son  of 
Richard,  and  who  removed  to  Groton,  and  died  in  1680,)  in  1661, 
"  was  able  to  prove  that  there  was  no  Richard,  but  that  he  was  the 
person  to  whom,  in  the  partition  of  lands  in  1638,  a  grant  was  made 
in  the  name  of  Richard."  Savage  calls  this  a  "blind  story,"  yet  in 
furnishes  ground  of  doubt,  or,  at  least,  of  controversy. 

Second. — The  sustaining  of  his  claims,  by  a  legal  process,  seems  to 
give  force  to  the  supposition  that  William,  and  not  Richard,  was  the 
ancestor  of  the  Longleys  of  Groton  and  Shirley,  and  that  if  there 
was  a  Richard  he  was  of  another  family. 

In  1638  the  settlers  of  Lynn  made  a  division  of  their  lands 
among  the  grantees,  and  when  the  name  of  Richard  Longley  came 
up,  there  was  no  one  of  the  name  to  respond,  but  a  William  Longley 
came  forward  and  declared  himself  the  true  claimant,  though  by  mis- 
take, or  from  some  cause,  the  name  of  Richard  had  been  substituted 
for  that  of  William.  The  case  that  grew  out  of  this  mistake  was 
tried  at  a  court  held  at  Ipswich,  March  26,  1661,  and  the  claim  of 
WiUiam  Longley  was  then  and  there  sustained.  The  testimony  in  the 
case  is  here  copied  from  the  New-England  Genealogical  Register, 
vol.  7,  pp.  188-9. 

'•'  Andrew  Mansfield,  aged  about  thirty-eight  years,  testifieth  that  he 
hath  been  an  inhabitant  of  the  town  of  Lynn  about  two  or  three  and 
twenty  years,  and  the  same  year  the  said  Mansfield  ca.me  to  live  at  Lynn, 


712  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

William  Longley  came  to  be  an  inhabitant  of  Lynn,  also,  and  hath 
ever  since  by  himself  and  family  been  an  inhabitant  of  the  said  town 
and  bought  house  and  land  there,  and  a  little  while  after  his  coming 
to  Lynn  town,  the  town  of  Lynn  distributed  several  of  their  lands  to 
the  inhabitants  of  the  town,  and  that  William  Longley  made  a  demand 
of  said  town  about  eleven  or  twelve  years  since,  at  a  general  town 
meeting  to  lay  him  out  his  proportion  of  land  according  to  the  town 
record,  the  records  were  viewed,  and  therein  was  found  forty  acres, 
granted  to  one  Richard  Longley,  but  his  name  being  William  and 
not  Richanl,  and  some  asking  the  said  Longley  whether  he  had  paid 
for  the  laying  it  out ;  he  answered  that  he  had  not,  the  vote  passed  in 
the  negative  by  the  major  part ;  also  that  the  said  Longley  hath  been 
called  by  name  Langley,  but  have  never  known  any  inhabitant  of 
Lynn  called  Longley  or  Langley  but  this  William  Longley  and  his 
family. 

"Sworn  in  court  held  at  Ipswich,  the  26  of  March,  1661. 

"Robert  Lord,  Clerk.'' 

"  Clement  Colilham,  of  Gloster,  in  a  case  of  difference  depending 
between  William  Longley  of  Lynn  and  the  said  town  of  Lynn,  saith 
that  he  this  deponent  hath  known  the  above  named  Longley  to  have 
been  an  inhabitant  of  the  town  of  Lynn,  for  about  twenty  and  three 
years,  and  that  about  the  time  of  the  said  Longley's  coming  to  the 
said  town,  or  shortly  after,  there  was  a  grant  and  distribution  of  land 
proportionably  to  all  the  present  householders,  inhabitants  of  said 
town  of  Lynn  ;  also  that  about  twelve  years  since  the  said  IF.  Longley 
did  in  my  hearing  demand  his  proportion  of  land  according  to  a 
former  grant,  and  this  demand  being  at  a  general  town  meeting, 
some  present  answered  that  [if]  he,  the  said  Longley  could  prove 
lands  to  be  granted  to  him  by  the  town  he  might  have  it  or  else  not ; 
some  present  granting  that  there  was  land  granted  to  Richard 
Langley,  but  none  to  William  Longley :  further  this  deponent  being 
an  inhabitant  of  the  town  of  Lynn,  before  William  Longley  came  to 
the  said  town,  and  many  years  after,  affirm  that  the  said  Longley  was 
for  many  years  called  Langh,  and  not  Longley,  and  is  frequently  so 
called  unto  this  day  ;  neither  hath  this  deponent  known  any  inhabi- 
tant of  Lynn  called  by  the  name  of  Langley  or  Longley  but  only  this 
William  Longley  and  his  family. 

"Sworn  in  court  held  at  Ipswich  the  26  of  March,  1661. 

"Robert  Lord,  Clerks 

"  Hugh  Bert,  aged  seventy  years  or  thereabouts,  saith  that  he  this 
deponent  having  been  an  inhabitant  of  the  town  of  Lynn  for  about 
five  and  twenty  years,  doth  testify,  etc.  [similar  to  Coldham]  ;  further 
this  deponent  testifieth  that  the  said  William  Longley  about  twelve 
years  since,  did  come  into  a  public  town  meeting  at  Lynn  and  did 
there  demand  his  proportion  of  land  according  to  the  record  in  the 
town  book,  the  which  being  searched  and  found  to  be  written 
Richard  Longley,  they  cast  it  in  the  negative  by  the  major  part. 

"Sworn  in  court  held  at  Ipswich,  the  26  of  March,  1661. 

"Robert  Lord,  Clerk.'" 


APPENDIX.  713 

It  would  seem,  from  this  testimony,  that  the  name  of  Richard  was 
written  by  mistake  for  William.  It  appears,  also,  that  William 
Longley  was  there  as  early  as  1637  or  1638,  and  that  Coldham  was 
there  before  Longley  came,  and  that  he  never  knew  any  resident  of 
Lynn  of  the  name  of  Longley  or  Langley  but  William  and  his  family. 
Hence  the  error  of  making  Richard  Longley  the  first  immigrant  and 
the  ancestor  of  the  New  England  race  of  Longleys  is  attributable  to 
this  mistake  in  the  town  records  of  Lynn. 

"And  yet,"  as  Lewis  says  in  his  Annals  of  Lynn,  "it  is  a  little 
remarkable  that  at  the  'generall  towne  meeting'  at  which  his  [W. 
Longley's]  petition  was  considered,  there  should  not  have  been 
numbers  who  really  knew  whether  he  was  the  person  intended  in  the 
distribution  which  was  made  but  twelve  years  before.  It  is  difficult 
to  conclude  that  the  town  was  determined  to  withold  the  land,  right 
or  wrong,  or  that  the  petitioner  was  fraudulently  endeavoring  to  gain 
it  by  boldly  claiming  what  he  knew  was  intended  for  another.  It 
seems,  however,  on  the  whole,  pretty  well  established,  though  there 
remained  room  for  doubt,  that  William  was  intended.  Yet  it  must 
be  added,  that  there  was  a  Richard  Longley  in  some  part  of  Lynn, 
in  1636,  who  had  two  sons,  William  and  Jonathan.  He  may  have 
left  town  before  the  distribution,  and  without  the  deponents  having 
any  knowledge  of  him." 

Thus  much  from  the  Annals  of  Lynn.  It  is,  however,  strange  that 
if  there  had  been  a  Richard  Longley  in  Lynn  within  twelve  years, 
that  no  one  then  knew  of  his  whereabouts,  and  that  one  of  another 
given  name  could  recover  judgment,  in  the  court,  for  land  that 
belonged  to  another. 

Third. — Although,  for  the  above  mentioned  reasons,  we  cannot 
endorse  the  generally  received  opinion  of  the  Longley  origin,  without 
a  doubt,  it  has  been  somewhat  difficult  to  ascertain  the  true  relation 
of  such  origin.  According  to  the  town  records  of  Groton,  William 
Longley  died  there  Nov.  29,  1680.  From  the  same  source  we  learn 
that  he  became  a  resident  there  as  early  as  1661,  and  probably 
removed  there  from  Lynn  about  that  time.  He  was  admitted  a  free- 
man March  14,  1638,  and  as  subsequent  events  prove,  became  a 
grantee  of  Lynn  at  or  about  that  time.  His  residence  in  Lynn  was 
continued  for  twenty-two  years,  and  there,  it  is  presumed,  the  most 
of  his  children  were  born.  Wyman,  in  his  "  Charlestown  Genealogy 
and  Estates,"  gives  the  following  names:  i.  John;  2.  Mary,  who 
married  Samuel  Leman  in  1666 ;  3.  Sarah,  who  married  (first) 
Thomas  Rand,  in  1679  ;  '^^^  married  (second)  Benjamin  Watts,  in 
1 701.  He  also  had  a  son,  William,  Jr.,  who,  with  the  most  of  his 
family,  was  slain  in  Groton,  by  the  Indians,  in  1694,  when  the  Groton 
settlement  was  for  a  time  broken  up.  Wyman  supposes  that  he  had 
children  born  at  Groton.  He  was  married  in  England,  and  according 
to  Wyman's  account,  the  name  of  his  wife  was  Joanna,  and  other 
evidence  is  at  hand  to  prove  that  her  name  was  Joanna  Goffe,  and 
that  she  was  a  sister  of  Thomas  Goffe,  who  was  Deputy-Governor 
of  the  Massachusetts  Company,  that  received  a  grant  from  the  crown, 
March  19,  1628. 

90 


714  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

All  readers  of  New  England  colonial  history  know  the  position 
assumed  by  Goffe  in  securing  and  sustaining  the  colonies.  He  was 
a  member  of  both  the  Plymouth  and  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Com- 
panies, according  to  Palfrey's  History  of  New  England,  Nelson's 
History  of  Waltham,  and  Drake's  History  of  Middlesex  County. 
He  is  mentioned  in  Gov.  Winthrop's  Diary  and  History  of  the 
Colony,  Vol.  i,  pp.  9  and  14.  And  in  the  appendix  of  Vol.  2  it  is 
stated  that  Goffe  was  a  merchant  of  London,  and  chartered  some  of 
the  ships  that  brought  over  Gov.  Winthrop  and'  his  party  of  emigrants 
in  1630,  by  which  he  lost  heavily,  as  appears  from  an  entry  in  Gov. 
Winthrop's  diary,  Oct.  29,  1630. 

His  family  position  was  such  as  to  show  his  patrician  birth,  else  he 
could  not  have  been  elected  deputy-governor  of  the  company. 
Matthew  Cradock,  who  was  a  wealthy  merchant,  was  chosen  gov- 
ernor, and  both  were  sworn  into  office,  March  23,  1629. 

From  whatever  family,  therefore,  William  Longley  descended,  it  is 
certain  that  his  was  an  elevated  position,  when  measured  by  English 
custom,  from  the  fact  that  his  wife  was  a  sister  of  Deputy-Governor 
Goffe. 

The  fact  of  this  kinship  is  placed  beyond  doubt  by  the  testimony 
following,  from  minutes  of  the  General  Court,  preserved  at  the  state- 
house  in  Boston  : 

"March  i,  1734.  A  petition  of  Robert  Rand  of  Boston,  sailmaker, 
showing  that  his  great  uncle,  Thomas  Goffe,  Esq.,  Deputy-Governor  of 
the  Company,  for  settling  the  late  colony  of  the  Massachusetts  Bay,  was 
at  great  expense  in  bringing  forward  and  planting  the  said  colony,  and 
after  large  adventures  here,  he  took  a  voyage  for  this  country,  but  died 
on  the  passage,  and  never  received  any  gratuity  from  the  Planters  or 
Settlers,  nor  any  person  for  him  ;  that  the  petitioner's  grandmother 
was  a  sister  to  the  said  Mr.  Goffe,  and  that  he  is  eldest  son  to  her 
daughter  ;  praying  that  forasmuch  as  the  colony  was  greatly  benefited 
by  the  experience  and  estate  of  the  said  Mr.  Goffe,  and  never 
received  anything  therefor,  and  the  petitioner  being  reduced  to  low 
and  necessitous  circumstances,  that  the  court,  of  their  compassionate 
consideration,  would  make  him  a  grant  of  some  of  the  unappropri- 
ated land  of  the  Province,  for  reasons  aforesaid." 

"April  16,  I  734.  A  petition  of  Robert  Rand  of  Boston,  as  entered 
the  first  of  March  last,  and  referred,  read  again,  and  ordered  that  the 
petitioner  have  liberty,  by  a  surveyor  and  chainmen,  under  oath  to  lay 
out  one  thousand  acres  of  some  of  the  unappropriated  lands  of  the 
Province  and  present  a  Plot  thereof  to  this  court  within  twelve 
months,  for  confirmation." 

"July  3,  1734.  A  Plot  of  one  thousand  acres  of  land  laid  out  to 
satisfy  a  grant  of  this  court  made  to  Robert  Rand,  in  April  last,  lying 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Merrimac  River,  to  the  northward  of  little 
Cohass  Brook,  great  Cohass  River  running  through  the  same,  was 
presented  for  allowance,  etc." 


APPENDIX. 


715 


"Dec.  5,  1734.  R.  Rand  sold  the  above  to  his  brother,  Dr.  Wm. 
Rand,  an  apothecary,  for  ^500.     Middlesex  Deeds,  Vol.  70,  p.  165." 

This  goes  to  show  that  Joanna  Goffe  was  the  ancestress  of  the  New 
England  Longleys. 

An  esteemed  friend,  a  descendant  of  William  Longley  who  settled 
at  Groton  in  1661,  sent  me  a  pen  and  ink  sketch  of  the  Longley  arms, 
here  inserted,  which  she  copied  from  Vol.  98  of  the  Chetham  Society's 
publications  at  the  Boston  Athenaeum.  In  relation  to  it  she  wrote  : 
"  From  that  book  I  learn  that  it  was  first  used  by  Roger  de  Penul- 
bury  of  the  manor  of  Penulbury,  Lancashire,  about  the  early  part  of 
the  thirteenth  century,  and  is  now  extant  on  a  grant  of  a  manor  to 
his  son.  The  manor  of  Penulbury  passed  by  marriage  to  the  Pest- 
wich  family,  and  in  the  same  manner  to  the  early  Longleys,  seated  at 
Langley,  parish  of  Middleton,  and  at  Agecroft,  in  Lancashire,  which 
manors  of  Penulbury  and  Agecroft  were  a  part  of  the  inheritance  of 
the  four  daughters,  co-heirs  of  Sir  Robert  Longley,  who  married 
Cicely,  daughter  of  Sir  Edmund  Trafford,  and  was  the  last  of  the 
oldest  and  main  line  of  the  Longleys,  dying  about  1567. 

"This  device  of  the  cockatrice,  sable,  with  golden 
beak  on  a  white  shield,  (argent,  a  cockatrice  sable, 
beaked  or,)  was  undoubtedly  used  by  the  main  family, 
and  also  by  some  of  its  branches,  certainly  by  those 
settled  about  Manchester,  of  whom  three,  named 
William  Longley,  were  rectors  of  the  church  of  Pest- 
wich,  and  a  letter  of  John,  son  of  the  last,  dated 
1616,  is  printed  in  Vol.  96,  p.  27,  Chetham  Society's 
publications,  and  was  sealed  with  a  cockatrice,  quar- 
tered with  two  other  coats.  The  last  rector  of  Pestwich  was  a  zealous 
Puritan,  and  connected  with  several  Puritan  preachers  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Manchester,  of  whom  was  Edmund  Longley,  minister  of 
Oldham  in  1587,  and  James  Longley,  vicar  of  Leyland  in  161 1." 

The  fact  that  this  same  device  has 
been  seen  with  some  of  the  old 
families  of  New  England, — descend- 
ants of  WiUiam  Longley  and  Joanna 
(Goffe)  Longley, — is  presumptive  evi- 
dence that  he  descended  from  the 
English  Longleys  above  named. 

To  one  branch  of  this  family  Thomas 
Longley  belonged,  who  was  born  in 
1370,  died  in  1437,  and  was  Bishop  of 
Durham,  Cardinal,  Lord  Chancellor 
of  England,  etc.  His  device  is  thus 
described  : 

"  Longley  Crest. — An  arm  couped 
at  the  shoulder,  resting  on  the  elbow, 
holding  a  sword  in  pale,  enfiled  with 
a  savage's  head  couped.  Pale  of 
six,  silver  and  green,  by  division 
attenuated." 


716  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


BB.       (See  page  532.) 

Eleazer  Melvin,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Joshua  Longley,  and  his 
brother,  David  Melvin,  were  among  the  patriots  of  Concord  during 
the  dark  days  of  Indian  and  French  wars.  At  that  fierce  and  obsti- 
nate battle,  fought  May  8,  1725,  at  Pigwacket,  both  of  the  Melvins 
were  engaged.  Thirty-three  white  men  were  attacked  by  over  forty 
Indians,  and  after  a  most  bloody  engagement,  the  white  men  remained 
masters  of  the  ground,  and  the  Indians  were  killed  and  dispersed. 
Out  of  the  thirty-three  white  men  that  went  into  the  battle,  twelve 
were  killed,  three  were  mortally  wounded,  nine  were  wounded  but 
were  able  to  march,  and  nine  were  unhurt,  among  whom  were  the  two 
Melvins. 

"The  war  of  the  Austrian  Succession  opened  in  1744.  Its  crown- 
ing glory  was  the  capture  of  the  stronghold  of  Louisburg,  by  an  army 
of  farmers  and  fishermen.  To  that  army  Concord  sent  Captain  David 
and  Lieutenant  Eleazer  Melvin,  both  survivors  of  Lovewell's  fight, 
and  a  dozen  more.  The  Captain  was  wounded,  and,  after  twenty 
years  of  hardship  and  peril  came  home  to  die."  He  died  Nov.  18, 
1 745.  His  brother  Eleazer  kept  bright  the  family  record.  Returning 
from  the  successful  siege,  he  went  back  to  his  old  business  of  Indian 
scouting,  and  led  a  company,  in  1746,  to  join  the  expedition  against 
Canada,  and  made  what  was  called  "  the  long  march,"  into  the  very 
borders  of  the  enemy's  country.  The  next  year  he  was  stationed 
with  fifty  men,  at  Northfield,  to  protect  the  frontier.  In  1 748  he 
recruited  a  new  company  of  rangers,  mainly  from  his  native  town, 
and  through  the  spring  of  that  year  he  was  at  Fort  Dummer,  near 
Brattleborough.  \Vith  eighteen  men  he  started  from  that  post  on  a 
scout  through  the  woods,  to  Crown  Point.  When  he  reached  Lake 
Champlain  two  canoes  came  in  sight,  and  though  he  was  but  a  mile 
distant  from  the  enemy's  fort,  he  imprudently  permitted  his  men  to 
fire  upon  them.  He  retreated  ;  but  on  the  banks  of  the  West  River, 
where  Londonderry  now  stands,  was  overtaken  by  one  hundred  and 
fifty  Indians.  He  was  himself  surrounded  and  had  his  belt  cut  by  a 
flying  hatchet,  but  finally  succeeded,  with  twelve  men,  in  reaching 
Fort  Dummer.  He  lived  to  command  a  company  in  Governor 
Shirley's  expedition  against  the  French  forts  and  setdements  in 
Maine,  and  died  soon  after  his  return.  He  died  Oct.  18,  1754. 
See  Drake's  History  of  Middlesex,  p.  384.  See  also  Shattuck's 
History  of  Concord. 

CC.       (  See  page  G68.) 

Miss  Willard  was  a  descendant  of  Major  Simon  Willard,  who  came 
from  E^ngland  to  America  in  1635,  and  who  was  the  ancestor  of  all  or 
the  most  of  that  name  who  have  been  scattered  over  New  England 
and  all  the  states  of  the  Union.  She  was  a  great-grand-daughter  of 
Henry  Willard,  who  was  the  fourth  son  of  Major  Simon.  She  was 
born  in  Lancaster  in  i  740.     She  lived  with  a  married  sister, — Mrs. 


APPENDIX.  717 

James  Johnson,  at  Charlestown  No.  4,  when  the  Indians  made  a  raid 
upon  that  town  and  carried  the  Johnson  family  into  captivity.  Mr. 
and  Mrs*.  Johnson  and  their  three  children — the  eldest  was  but  six 
years  of  age — Miriam  Willard,  and  two  of  their  neighbors  who  hap- 
pened to  be  with  them,  were  forced  to  journey  through  a  pathless 
wilderness,  to  St.  Francis,  in  Canada.  From  there  they  were  carried 
to  Montreal,  where  they  were  sold  to  the  French.  Miriam  was  soon 
redeemed,  and  as  she  had  no  means  of  returning  home  at  once,  she 
became  a  resident  in  the  family  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  where  she 
remained  two  or  more  years  and  supported  herself  with  her  needle. 
During  her  residence  with  the  French  she  was  treated  with  uniform 
kindness,  and  she  left  the  Governor's  house  with  regret,  in  which  the 
family  participated,  she  receiving  from  that  family  the  gift  of  four 
crowns. 

She,  with  her  sister,  Mrs.  Johnson,  and  her  two  youngest  children, 
after  having  been  in  captivity  nearly  four  years,  sailed  for  England,  as 
the  only  means  by  which  they  could  gain  their  New- England  home. 
They  landed  at  Plymouth.  From  thence  they  sailed  to  Portsmouth, 
and  thence  to  New  York,  by  the  way  of  Cork,  Ireland.  Miss 
Willard,  through  the  aid  of  friends,  found  her  way  to  Hartford, 
Conn.,  and  from  thence  she  went  to  her  former  home  at  Charlestown 
No.  4  ;   but  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  she  was  living  in  Harvard. 

In  her  march  to  Canada,  after  the  fatal  night  of  her  captivity,  she 
was  so  young  that  her  captors  did  not  bind  her  during  the  night,  as 
they  did  their  male  captives,  but  simply  required  her  to  lie  upon 
the  ground,  while  an  Indian  lay  upon  either  side  of  her,  with 
cords  passed  over  her  body  and  under  theirs,  so  that  the  least  stir 
on  her  part  would  arouse  them.  She  testified,  however,  to  their 
modest  and  correct  deportment  during  her  continuance  with  them, 
though  entirely  subjected  to  their  control. 

The  periods  of  her  short  yet  eventful  life  may  be  thus  summed  up  : 
Born  at  Lancaster,  1740;  carried  into  Indian  captivity,  Aug.  31, 
1754;  returned  to  her  home,  1758;  married  Rev.  Mr.  Whitney  of 
Shirley,  1762;  died  at  Shirley,  1769,  aged  twenty-nine  years.  She 
had  no  children. 

Her  sister,  Mrs.  Johnson,  who  was  her  fellow-captive,  was  twice 
married,  and  had  fourteen  children,  thirty-nine  grand-children,  and 
four  great-grand-children.  In  closing  the  interesting  narrative  of  her 
captivity  and  subsequent  life,  Mrs.  Johnson  said  :  "  Instances  of 
longevity  are  remarkable  in  my  family.  My  aged  mother,  before  her 
death,  could  say  to  me  :  'Arise,  daughter,  and  go  to  thy  daughter, 
for  thy  daughter's  daughter  has  got  a  daughter ;'  a  command  which 
few  mothers  can  make  and  be  obeyed." 


EE.       ( See  page  675.) 

This  closet-hiding  was  an  excellent  device  for  the  time,  as  the  door 
was  entirely  concealed  from  outside  view  by  the  chest  of  drawers  that 
was  placed  before   it.     Had  the   woman  been  discovered,   her  life 


718  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

would  have  been  endangered,  if  not  sacrificed,  by  the  mob,  exasper- 
ated by  passion  and  rum  to  deeds  of  direst  ruin. 

A  Shaker,  of  a  later  date,  has  endeavored  to  commembrate  the 
event  of  "  Mother's"  incarceration  by  a  poetical  description,  which  he 
has  entitled 

••MOTHER'S   CLOSET. 

"  And  this  is  the  place  which  was  Mother's  dark  prison 
All  one  dreary  night,  when  this  cottage  was  new ; 
The  wicked  surrounding  till  morn  had  arisen, 
To  smile  on  the  wilderness  glittering  with  dew. 

"  The  history  told  me  has  oft  been  repeated  ; 
But  now  its  impression  is  vividly  mine  ; 
A  dreadful  imprisonment,  though  it  defeated 
The  purpose  of  men  in  their  cruel  design. 

"  We  shrink  from  the  thought  of  the  dread  suffocation, 
To  these  narrow  limits  confined  for  the  night. 
While  rioters  threaten  with  fierce  indignation. 
Whose  programme  the  angels  of  darkness  indite. 

"  But  Mother  was  cheered  by  the  visions  of  glory. 

Which  need  not  the  light  of  the  sun's  piercing  ray  ; 
To  no  human  creature  can  words  tell  the  story — 
The  vision  of  God  is  perpetual  day. 

"As  once  in  Gethsemane  'angels'  attended 

The  Savior  of  men,  in  the  hour  of  his  grief. 
So  here  Mother  Ann  was  by  heaven  befriended, — 
The  breath  of  God's  Paradise  brings  her  relief. 

"  Yet  have  we  not  looked  with  undue  satisfaction 
On  that  witty  thought,  or  that  presence  of  mind, 
By  which  she  was  kept  in  this  painful  inaction. 
Thus  cast  into  prison  with  friendly  design? 

"  She  knew  that  her  life  to  her  children  was  dearest, 
And  might  in  God's  providence  thus  be  secured  ; 
But  were  not  her  sufferings  among  the  severest 
Of  all  persecutions  that  Mother  endured  ? 

"  The  scene  is  so  dreadful,  a  sad  contemplation 
The  visitor  fills  with  sensations  of  grief ; 
A  long  dreary  night  in  that  dread  situation — 
What  angel  of  mercy  did  bring  her  relief  ? 

"  How  different  the  mansion  she  then  was  preparing 
For  those  who  were  seeking  her  life  to  destroy ; 
How  unlike  the  message  that  she  was  declaring, — 
The  news  of  redemption,  glad  tidings  of  joy. 


APPENDIX.  719 

"  What  manner  of  men  with  pretensions  to  honor, 

Could  this  little  cottage  the  whole  night  surround  ? 
'  That  woman  !  '  they  cry,  '  and  our  hands  are  upon  her. 
Or  your  habitation  shall  come  to  the  ground !  ' 

"  But  now  a  petition  is  sent  by  a  sister  :* 

'  My  babe  at  my  home  for  this  meeting  I  left ; 
Permit  me  to  go  ; '  and  they  could  not  resist  her. 
Unless  of  humanity  wholly  bereft. 

"  By  this  honest  plea  was  her  exit  effected, 
And  word  to  the  proper  authorities  sent, 
Who,  knowing  that  all  should  by  law  be  protected, 
In  duty  were  bound  such  abuse  to  prevent. 

"  One  thing  I  am  happy  to  learn  from  tradition. 
That  no  delegation  was  sent  from  this  town  ; 
Some  three  or  four  others,  in  that  expedition. 

Must  share  all  the  fame  of  these  '  men  of  renown.' 

"  The  rioters,  trusting  to  non-intervention. 

Knew  not  the  despatches  the  sister  conveyed, 
Which  straightway  exposed  this  protracted  convention, 
And  brought  the  strong  arm  of  the  law  to  their  aid. 

"  '  The  earth  helped  the  woman ; '  so  John  had  predicted  ; 
By  '  powers  that  be,'  it  was  ordained  of  God ; 
The  officers  came  and  the  plot  interdicted. 

And  Mother  was  rescued  from  their  cruel  rod. 

"  Her  life,  it  is  said,  they  were  sworn  to  destroy  it. 
Unless  her  new  doctrine  she  then  would  suppress ; 
But  this  could  not  be,  and  now  thousands  enjoy  it; 
And  her  blessed  mission  the  world  shall  confess.     • 

"  What  must  they  have  thought,  when  the  whole  '  delegation ' 
Were  fed  by  her  order,  whose  life  they  design  .' 
When  friendly  hands  furnish  a  gen'rous  collation, — 
'Twas  surely  a  strange  invitation  to  dine  ! 

"  '  What  means ' — they  enquire — '  this  riotous  meeting. 
Surrounding  this  dwelling  the  whole  night,  of  course  ? 
Now  men,  in  the  name  of  the  commonwealth,  greeting : 
We  bid  you  disperse,  or  the  laws  we  enforce  ! ' 

"  The  rioters  leave  with  pretended  submission. 

But  Mother  soon  tells  you  of  '  visions  of  blood  ;' 
They  follow  the  elders  while  yet  on  their  mission, 
The  dragon  resolving  to  pour  out  his  flood. 


*Molly  Randall. 


f2()  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

"  Our  unyielding  lieralds  of  peace  and  salvation 
By  these  cruel  men  were  to  Harvard  pursued ; 
And  now  they  are  treated  as  'foes  to  the  nation;' — 
What  language  can  picture  the  scene  that  ensued  ! 

"  But  let  us  not  shrink  from  rehearsing  the  story, 
For  ages,  their  history  this  will  declare, 
How  meekly  they  suffered  and  gave  God  the  glory, 
For  counting  them  worthy  his  message  to  bear. 

"  A  chosen  committee  report  resolutions. 

Well  cheered  by  the  crowd,  '  That  the  two  English  priests, 
For  doctrines  adverse  to  their  church  institutions, 
Be  faithfully  scourged,  and  then  fully  released.' 

"  Who  could  but  think  of  the  day  when  our  Savior 
Beneath  the  vile  scourge  was  commanded  to  bleed  ? 
Like  Silas  and  Paul  did  their  righteous  behavior 
Prove  these  holy  messengers  martyrs  indeed. 

"  '  James  Whittaker  first  may  prepare  for  the  sentence,' — 
For  he  was  chief  speaker,  and  mighty  in  truth  ; 
His  eloquent  preaching  of  faith  and  repentance 
Was  rapidly  gaining  American  youth. 

"  Art  thou  an  American?     Listen,  my  brother  : 
A  people  who  fled  from  oppression  and  fear. 
They  should  be  the  last  to  oppress  one  another. 
Where  freedom  of  thought  is  accounted  so  dear. 

"  O  Liberty  !  sacred  to  millions  uncounted. 

Thy  standard  has  risen  since  that  fearful  hour  ; 
What  bitter  affliction  thy  cause  hath  surmounted  ; — 
God  grant  that  the  earth  may  acknowledge  thy  power. 

"  On  thy  sacred  principles  men  could  then  trample. 
And  cruelly  scourge  by  the  public  highway. 
The  servants  of  Jesus,  whose  holy  example 
Was  proving  the  dawn  of  millennial  day  ! 

"  By  choice  of  a  man  in  his  full  strength  and  vigor, 
Who  toils  until  weary,  then  rests  to  renew 
The  blows  he  inflicted,  with  unsparing  rigor ; 

In  number  the  stripes  must  have  been  '  not  a  few.' 

"  The  story  I've  heard  as  all  parties  have  told  it, 
On  both  sides,  at  least,  it  is  just  to  remark, 
So  painful  the  scene  should  you  chance  to  unfold  it. 
You  scarcely  can  draw  the  sad  picture  too  dark. 


APPENDIX.  721 

"  But  let  us  forbear,  and  here  leave  to  the  reader 
The  sad  contemplation  of  good  Elder  James  ; — 
The  call  was  then  made,  '  William  Lee,  the  chief  leader,' 
And  thus  to  the  multitude  Father  proclaims  : 

"  '  I  will  not  be  bound  to  that  tree  like  my  brother. 
But  kneel  down  and  suffer  what  God  lets  you  do.' 
Which  done,  they  commence,  just  the  same  as  the  other, 
And  all  were  expecting  the  same  would  go  through. 

"  The  brethren  and  sisters  were  held  by  that  party ; 

For  each  claimed  a  preference  in  sharing  the  blows  ; 
Such  ardent  affection,  so  pure  and  so  hearty, 
From  true  Christian  feeling  undoubtedly  flows. 

"  The  envy  was  raised,  at  beholding  such  union. 
To  those  missionaries  who  cheerfully  bled  ; 
But  little  they  thought  that  the  bonds  of  communion 
Were  sealed  and  cemented  by  blood  which  they  shed. 

"  Though  faint  from  his  wounds,  we  behold  the  young  preacher 

Rush  forward  to  rescue  his  elder  and  friend ; 
'  Not  satisfied  yet .-' '  said  the  court-martial  teacher, — 
'  Another  such  lesson  your  fashions  will  mend.' 

"  Whoever  will  view  this  magnanimous  action. 

With  his  bleeding  flesh  his  companion  to  shield, 
Will  feel  an  affection,  a  moral  attraction, 

Which  no  human  eloquence  ever  could  wield. 

"  This  generous  adventure  throws  all  in  commotion, — 
The  angels  of  mercy  appear  in  the  cloud ; 
And  now  a  young  sister,  with  equal  devotion. 
Escapes,  at  this  moment,  the  grasp  of  the  crowd. 

"  On  him,  as  the  merciless  blows  are  repeating. 
Her  person  she  throws  at  the  risk  of  her  life  ; 
Permit  me  to  fancy  the  demons  retreating. 
And  leaving  those  men  to  continue  the  strife. 

"  She  instantly  meets,  for  this  prompt  interference, 
A  blow  in  the  face  from  that  powerful  arm ; 
The  blood  gushes  freely,  which  marks  her  appearance 
The  object  of  sudden  and  dreadful  alarm. 

"  A  voice  from  the  crowd,  (and  by  wisdom's  direction.) 

At  this  fearful  moment  is  now  heard  to  say, 
'  The  man  who  is  pledged  for  that  woman's  protection 
Will  make  you  repent  of  the  deeds  of  this  day  !  ' 


91 


722  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

"  Thus  viewing  the  medium  of  vengence  so  clearly, 
The  man  with  the  scourge  is  alarmed  for  the  first, 
Or  they  might  have  finished  their  lives  very  nearly, — 
That  noble  young  woman  prevented  the  worst. 

"  Wherever  this  gospel  is  preached  to  the  nations, 
The  act  a  memorial  shall  be  to  her  name,* 
While  warriors,  and  heroes,  and  men  of  high  station 
To  shades  of  oblivion  descend  with  their  fame. 

"  She  told  me  her  story  with  tears  and  deep  feeling, 
When  I  was  a  youth, — I  remember  it  well, — 
A  moral  impression  indelibly  sealing, 
'  Which  should  in  the  cause  of  humanity  tell. 

"  Nor  would  I  suppress  the  unbidden  reflection, 
That  woman,  in  various  relations  to  man, 
Has  given  to  kingdoms  and  nations  protection. 
But  no  missionary,  until  Mother  Ann. 

"  '  But  was  she  the  first  ? '  with  surprise  you  enquire, — 
'  Of  honorable  women  there  were  not  a  few, — 
Will  history  tell  of  no  female  Messiah, 

Until  Mother  Ann,  neither  Gentile  or  Jew  ? 

"  '  Not  one  who  adventures  to  cross  the  dark  ocean, 
The  Gospel  to  carry  to  some  distant  clime  .' ' 
Nay,  none  !  till  our  Mother,  who  showed  a  devotion 
Which  millions  will  honor  in  all  coming  time. 

"  But  now  to  return  to  our  sister's  narration. 

With  which,  at  the  time,  I  was  deeply  impressed  ; 
The  heart  is  unfeeling,  and  void  of  sensation, 

Which  does  not  discern  that  she  truly  was  blessed. 

"  Well  might  she  rejoice  at  dispersing  the  riot. 
From  God's  holy  servants  averting  the  blows  ; 
'Twas  her  happy  mission  the  tumult  to  quiet. 
And  give  to  her  dearest  companions  repose. 

"  They  kneel  in  the  valley  without  wrath  or  doubting. 
And  fervently  pray  for  their  enemies  there  ; 
Then  lift  holy  hands,  with  angelic  shouting, 
Their  sweet  consolation  serenely  declare. 

"  At  the  close  of  this  day  of  severe  persecution, 
(A  day  and  a  night  their  life  in  the  deep,) 
They  gather  together  at  this  institution, 

Recounting  the  deeds  at  which  angels  might  weep. 


*Betluah  I'rcsoott  Willaril. 


APPENDIX.  723 

"  Says  Mother,  '  Well,  James,  you  were  cruelly  treated. 
But  you  must  forgive  them  who  did  you  the  wrong.' 
'  Forgive  them,  my  God,'  was  the  prayer  he  repeated, 
When  Mother  resumed  her  melodious  song. 

"  All  join  in  the  chorus  for  praise  and  protection, 
To  Mother  extended  on  that  fearful  night ; 
What  spirit  could  give  this  pacific  direction 

To  hearts  thus  oppressed  without  justice  or  right  ? 

"  Not  one  single  murmur,  or  thought  of  resentment, 
But  perfect  forgiveness  their  voices  employ. 
And  in  this  retreat  of  celestial  contentment 
They  join  the  sweet  music  with  angelic  joy. 

"  The  story  as  told  us  is  so  evidential 

Of  Christ  and  his  gospel,  we're  not  at  a  loss, 
In  all  we  discover  the  one  thing  essential, — 

The  power  of  salvation,  the  power  of  the  cross." 


ADDENDUM. 

On  pages  70-75  of  this  history  the  reader  may  find  an  account  of 
a  legacy  in  the  ivill  of  Leonard  M.  Parker,  for  a  school  fund,  with 
conditions  annexed.  This  fund,  according  to  the  implied  request  of 
the  donor,  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  James  O.  Parker,  as 
treasurer,  by  the  trustees  of  the  fund. 

Dr.  Parker  assumed  his  trust  July  12,  1856,  and  was  continued  in 
the  office  until  1872,  when,  on  account  of  suspicions  on  the  part  of 
the  town  and  the  trustees,  his  name  was  dropped  and  another 
appointed  in  his  place.  At  the  time  of  this  change  the  funds  had 
amounted  to  $8,151.52.  Of  this  sum  Dr.  Parker  paid  to  his  suc- 
cessor in  the  office  of  treasurer,  at  the  commencement  of  the  fiscal 
year,  June  30,  1873,  the  sum  of  $3,654.67,  retaining  in  his  own  hand 
the  balance,  $4,496.85,  which  he  promised  soon  to  remit.  This 
promise,  though  often  repeated,  was  never  fulfilled.  Frequent  calls 
and  demands  were  made  by  the  treasurer  upon  the  ex-treasurer,  for 


724  HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 

the  money,  but  without  avail.  At  length,  weary  of  waiting,  the  town 
appointed  a  committee  to  collect,  if  possible,  that  portion  of  the 
funds  remaining  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  Parker, — if  need  be,  by  a  suit  at 
law.  This  sum  had  amounted,  June  30,  1882,  to  $7,597.27.  But 
after  a  painful  litigation  of  several  years,  it  has  been  decided,  since 
the  pages  of  this  history  have  been  printing,  that  the  loss  can  never 
be  recovered,  owing  to  the  poverty  of  the  defaulting  treasurer. 

The  costs  of  litigation,  which  must  be  paid  from  the  residue  of  the 
funds,  have  been  found  so  great  that  little  can  be  left  to  carry  out  the 
plans  of  the  donor.  The  town  has,  therefore,  entered  into  a  compro- 
mise with  the  residuary  legatees  of  the  estate  of  Hon.  L.  M.  Parker, 
by  which  the  remnant  of  the  funds  may  be  devoted  to  any  legitimate 
town  purposes. 

Thus,  through  the  default  of  his  kinsman,  in  whom  he  confided 
above  all  others,  the  noble  purpose  of  Mr.  Parker  has  been  defeated, 
and  the  town  deprived  of  a  lasting  good  to  coming  generations. 


INDEX   OF   SUBJECTS. 


PARTS    I    AND    II. 


A. 

Additions  of  Territory,         -         20,  28 
Almshouse,  its    History   and 

Sale, 141-144 

Appointment   of    Deacons, 

215,  226,  314' 


B. 


Baptist  Society, 

328 

Formation  of  Church, 

329 

Erection  of  Chapel, 

329 

Repairs  of  Chapel,  - 

330 

Gifts  of  N.  C.  Munson,  Esq., 

and  of  Madam  Munson, 

330 

Ministers    and     their     ap- 

pointments,   -        -         -331 

-333 

Basket-Making, 

62 

By  Alvin  White, 

62 

By  William  White,       - 

62 

By  Edwin  L.  White, 

62 

Bible   presented    by    Madam 

Hancock,  -        -         -         - 

222 

Bass-Viol  for  First  Church, 

228 

c. 

Candidates     for     Settlement 

over  First  Church, 

Mr.  Goodhue, 

209 

Mr.  Sparhawk, 

210 

Mr.  Whitney, 

210 

Mr.  Tolman,     -         -         -        - 

233 

Mr.  Chandler, 

291 

Carriage-Making  and  Makers,    - 

Thomas  Hunt, 

60 

Joseph  Hoar,    -        -        -         - 

60 

Joseph  Estabrook, 

60 

Harvey  Woods  &  Brothers,     - 

60 

Emery  Williams,  - 

61 

Brown  &  Wing, 

61 

Cemeteries.      The    first    that 

was  chosen,  -        -        -         - 

99 

Old  Cemetery, 

100 

Improved,     -        -        -        - 

103 

Enlarged,  -        -         -         - 

104 

Gifts  of  Mr.  Whitney,  - 

105 

New  Cemetery.     Laid  out,  - 

107 

Enlarged,      .        .         .         . 

loS 

Gift  of  Mr.  Munson, 

108 

Census,         .... 
College  Graduates. 

Nicholas    Bowes    Whitney, 
(H.  U.,)         -        -        -' 

John     Dwight,     Physician, 
(H.  U.,)     -        -        -        - 

Daniel      Parker,     Lawyer, 
(D.  C)       ...        - 

Leonard     Moody     Parker, 
Lawyer,  (D.  C.,) 

John     Spaulding,     Clergy- 
man, (M.  C)     - 

James    O.    Parker,     Physi- 
cian, (A.  C.,) 

John    Dwight,   2d,   Clergy- 
man, (A.  C.,)     - 

Thomas   Edwin  Whitney, 

John  Marshall  Edgarton,     - 

Rufus    Longley,  Physician, 
Notice,       ...        - 
Church  Bells.     Presented  by 
Wallis  Little,     - 

Presented  by  L.  M.  Parker 
and  Thomas  Whitney, 
Congregationalist  Society. 

Formation  of        -        -        - 

Settlement  of  Mr.  Chandler, 

Meeting-House  Remodelled, 
Removed, 
Refitted,     -         -         -        - 

Gift  of  John  K.  Going,     - 
Henry  B.  Going, 
County  Changes,  proposed,      i 
Covenants  of  the  First  Church, 

D. 

Death  of  Mr.  Whitney, 
Deaths  in  Shirley,    - 
Decoration  of  Graves,         -      138- 
Dismission  of  Mr.  Tolman, 
Donations     to     Parishes,     in 
wills.     First  Parish. 

Thomas  Whitney,    - 

James  P.  Whitney, 


-  n 
78,79 
79-8 1 
81-90 
90,91 
92,93 

94,95 

95-97 

97 

97,98 

230 

295 

289 

-  292 
298 

-  303 
305 

-  304 
305 

44, 145 

2n 


243 
III 
-140 
239 


300 
301 


Madam  Henrietta  Whitney,  302,  306 
John  K.  Going,  -  -  -  304 
Rebecca  Day,  -  .  -  -  307 
Martin  Turner,  -  -  -  306 
Clarissa  (Whitney)  Isaacs,  -  306 
Donors  to  the  Orthodox  Con- 
gregational Church,    ^     -  -     327 


726 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


E. 

Early  Ecclesiastical  Move- 
ments,  -         -        -        - 

Erection  of  Second  Meeting- 
House,  -        -        -        . 


Fire  Dryer,       .        .        .        . 
First  Town-Meeting,    - 
Farmers'  Tool    Manufactory, 

Parsons  &  Pope,  - 
Flagon  presented,     - 
Forge  set   up    by     Ebenezer 

Pratt,     -        -        -        - 
Set  up  by  John  &  Benjamin 

Edgarton, 

G. 

Grant  of  Land  to  Dean  Win- 
throp,         .        .        .        . 

H. 


Hearses,       -        -        -        . 

Hoop  -  Skirt       Manufactory, 

George  Sanderson, 


54 

22 

57 
228 

57 
57 


no 
63 


Incorporation  of  District, 

J. 

Junction  of  Railroads, 

K. 

King  George  III.  oppresseth 
his  Colonies, 

L. 

Leather- Making,  by  Nathan 
Adams,  .... 

By  Stephen  Barrett, 

Lee,  Ann,   Founder  of  Shak- 

erism,    -        -        -         -     248, 

Libraries,  -         -        -        -     75 

M. 


149 


61 
62 

249 
.76 


Meeting  -  House,    Efforts    to 

obtain  the  first,  -  205-207 

Mills.     Saw  and   Grist-Mills, 
and  their  Proprietors. 
Old    Mill,    Samuel    Hazen 

and  William  Longley,        -  37 

Henry  Haskell,  Israel  Long- 
ley,  Thomas  Hazen,-        -       39 
George  Davis,  ...  40 


Mill  s — continued. 

Second  Saw  and  Grist-Mill, 
Francis  Harris,  James 
Dickerson,  Jonathan  Kil- 
burn,  proprietors,  -         -       40 

Third  Grist-Mill,  John  Ed- 
garton, -        -        -         -       41 

Fourth  Saw  and  Grist-Mill, 
Joshua  Longley,  Eli  Page,  41 

Saw-Mill,  Samuel  Hazen, 
Peter  Page,  Wm.  White 
&  Co., 42 

First  Clothiers,  Rockwood, 

Flint  and  Sweetzer,      -        -       46 

Second   Clothiers,    Francis 

Harris,  -        -         -        -         .       46 

Third  Clothiers,  John  Ed- 
garton,   46 

Fourth     Clothiers,     James 

Wilson,  Levi  Wheeler,         -       46 

First  Cotton  Mill,  Samuel 
Willard,  Joel  Willard, 
Zaccheus  Gates,  Merrick 
Rice  and  Moses  Carlton,     -       47 

Second  Cotton,  Fort  Pond 
Mill,  Joseph  Edgarton, 
Lemuel  Willard,  Israel 
Longley,  Hiram  Longley,      -       48 

Third,  Shirley  Cotton  Mill, 
Israel  Longley,  John 
Smith,  Thomas  Hazen,         -       48 

Fourth,     Fredonia    Cotton 
Mill,       Israel      Longley, 
Willard  Worcester,      -         -       49 
Levi  Holbrook,  C.  W.  & 
J.  E.  Smith,        -        -        -       52 

Fifth  Cotton,  Lake  Mill, 
Samuel  Hazen,  Oliver 
Barrett,  -        -        -        -       49 

Sixth,  Phoenix  Cotton  Mill, 
New  Bedford  Co.,  C.  W. 
and  J.  E.  Smith,  -        -         -       50 

Seventh  Cotton  Mill,  N.  C. 

Munson,        -         -        -         -       52 

First  Paper  Mill,  Jonas 
and  Thomas  Parker, 
Joseph  Edgarton,  Lemuel 
Willard,         ■        -         -         ■       53 

Second  Paper  Mill,  Henry 
P.     Howe,      Eli      Page, 
Moses  Carlton,    John  L. 
Hollingsworth,  Stephen 
and  John  Roberts,         -  54-55 

Third  Paper  Mill,  William 

Edgarton,      ■         ■        ■         ■       55 

Fourth  Paper  Mill,  Oliver 
Howe,  B.  F.  Bartlett,  E. 
H.  Sampson,         -        -        -       56 

Fifth  Paper  Mill,  Samuel 
Hazen,  Andrew  and  Gran- 
ville Williams,  Stephen 
.Shepley  and  B.  S.  Binney,       56-57 


INDEX    OF    SUBJECTS. 


727 


N. 

Nail-Making,  William  Mcin- 
tosh, William  B.  Edgarton 
&  Brothers,       -        -        -        -       58 

Nutting,  Dame,  a  School-Mis- 
tress, -        -        -        -        -      67 

o. 

Old  Red  Mill,  ...  58 

Ordination  of  Mr.  Whitney,        -     212 

of  Mr.  Tolman,    -        -        -         235 

Organ, 302 

Orthodox     Congregationalist 

Society  and  Church,     -        -     311 
Call  of   Council   to   organ- 
ize it, 312 

Minutes  of  Council,  -  -  313 
Meeting-House,  -  -  -  315 
Generosity  of    Miss  Jenny 

Little, 315 

Removal  of  place  of  Wor- 
ship to  South  Village,  -        -     316 
New  Meeting-House,    -        -         316 
Remodelled,-        -        -         -     317 
Ministers  who  have  settled 
with  and  been  employed 
by  the  Society. 

Hope  Brown,  settled,        -     318 
John  P.  Humphrey,  sup- 
plied,     -         -         -         .     3ig 
Joseph    M.    R.    Eaton, 

settled,  ....     319 
G.  W.  Adams  and  B. 

B.  Beardsley,  supplied,      320 
Daniel      H.     Babcock, 

supplied,        -        -        -     321 
A.  J.  Dutton,  settled,     -         321 
A.  H.  Lounsbury,  set- 
tled,   ....         323 
Shurtleff     and     E.     J. 

Moore,  supplied,  -     324 

Albert     F.     Norcross, 

settled,        -        -        -         324 
Legacies  to  the  Society,        -     327 


Parker  Grove,     -        •        -  -      73 
Petition  for  a    Separation   of 

Towns, 18 

Physicians, 

William  Worcester,          -  -     151 

Benjamin  Hartwell,      -        -  152 

Phinehas  Longley,    -        -  -     152 

Augustus  Granville  Parker,  153 

James  Otis  Parker,  -         -  -     155 

Ebenezer  P.  Hills,         -        -  155 

Charles  C.  Dowse,   -        -  -     156 

Joseph  Herman  Streeter,     -  156 

Darius  Dow,     -        -        -  -     156 

Asahel   Plympton,          -         -  157 

Nathaniel  Kingsbury,      -  -     157 


R. 

Railroad,  - 
Reservoir  Company, 
Rivers, 


s. 

Schools,  When  established. 

First  School-house, 

Three  Districts  set  up,     - 

Six  Districts, 

School-houses,  - 

School  Funds, 

Will  of  L.  M.  Parker,       - 
Codicil  to  same, 
Settlement    of    a     Colleague 
with  Mr.  Whitney,     - 

William  Bascom, 

Samuel  H.  Tolman,     - 
Shaker  Society,  Formation  of 

Faith  of         -        -        -        - 

Worship  of       -        -        - 

Government  of      -        -        - 

Character  of     - 

Writings  of  - 

Persecution  of  - 
Shaker  Manufactures, 
Shays'  Rebellion, 
Situation  of  Town,  - 
Soil  and  Products, 
Stores,       .... 
Subscribers  to  a  Petition  for 

a  Separate  Town, 
Suspender  Manufactory,  Charl 
A.  Edgarton, 


-       51 

30-33 


-  66 
66 

-  67 
68 

-  69 
70 

-  70 
73 

230 

-  232 

^33 
250 
258 

-  264 

255 

-  257 
267 

-  271 

62 

128-131 

17-25 

25-29 

147,  148 

19 
es 

-  6-, 


Terms  of  Mr.  Whitney's  Set- 
tlement,        -        -        -      211, 212 
Tombs,  Receiving,   -        -         -         109 
Town- Hall,  -        -        -        -        -     158 
Bequest  of  James  P.  Whit- 
ney,       ....      159-160 
Gift  of  Thomas  and  George 

A.  Whitney, ....  161 
Laying  Corner-Stone,  -  -  163 
Address  on  the  occasion,  1 64-1 71 
Report  of  Building  Com- 
mittee, -  -  -  172,  175 
Public  Dedication  of  Hall,  -  176 
Extracts  from  Address  on 

the  occasion,  -        -        -     176 

Town  Highways,      -         -         -     28,  29 
Town  Meetings  for  Ecclesias- 
tical purposes,  -        -         202-205 


728 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


Town  Officers,     - 

-     187 

Clerks, - 

188 

Selectmen, 

1S8-192 

Treasurers,   - 

193 

Representatives     to     State 

Legislature, 

194 

Senators  to  same,    - 

-     194 

Training- Field, 

lOI 

Trustees  of  Parker  School 

Fund, 

74.  723 

u. 

Universalist  Society,   Organ- 
ization of     -         -         -  -     276 
Re-organization  of        -         -  283 
Church  Organization,      -  -     2S7 
First  Meeting-House,  -         -  278 
Second  Meeting-House,  -     279 
Third  Meeting-House,         -  281 
Ministers  of, — Jacob  Wood,  -     283 
Russell  Streeter,       -         -  284 
John  Pierce,  Rev.  Mr.  Pope,  2S4 
Walter  Harriman,  Josiah 

A.  Coolidge,     -        -  -     284 

Benton  Smith,           -         -  284 

Orren  Perkins,     -         -  -     2S5 

E.  W.  Coffin,    -         -         -  285 

George  F.  Jenks,          -  -     285 

Cyrus  B.  Lombard,  -         -  286 

Ezekiel  Fitzgerald,      -  -     286 

H.  A.  Philbrook,      -        -  286 

J.  W.  Keys,          -         -  -     287 

James  Vincent,          -         -  287 

Universalist  Sunday-School,  -     288 


V. 

Village  Hall,  founded,     -         -         185 

Generosity  of  Mr.  Munson,     -     186 

Votes  for  Governor,         -  195-198 

w. 

War  of  the  Revolution,       -         -     1 14 

Stamp  Act,  and  its  results,    114-116 

Paper   in    Relation   to    the 

Appointment  of  Judges,        -     ri6 

Paper   in    Relation    to   the 

Tax  on  Tea,         -         -         -     117 

Paper  on  the  Boston  Port 

Bill, 118 

Paper  on  the  Province  Tax, 

1774,    -         -         -         -         -     119 

Response  of  the  Lihabi- 
tants  on  the  Alarm  of 
April  19,  1875,     -         -         -     120 

Names   of    the   Volunteers 

called  out  by  that  Alarm,      -     122 

Names  of  other  Volun- 
teers,        -         -         -  124-125 

Situation  of  the   Town   at 

the  close  of  the  War,  -  -  127 
War  of  1812,  -  -  -  -  133 
War  with  Mexico,  -  -  -133 
War  of  the  Rebellion,     -         -         133 

Proceedings   of    the   Town 

in  relation  thereto,        -       134-136 

Names  of  the  Soldiers  and 
Seamen  that  were  in  that 
War  from  Shirley,        -         -     137 


INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


PARTS    I.   AND   II. 


[  The  names  of  Revolutionai-y  soldiers,  pages  122  to  125,—  those  of  soldiers  In  the 
Rebellion,  pages  137  and  138, —  and  the  names  of  town  officers,  pages  188-198,  are 
omitted  in  this  Index.] 


Adams,  Nathan,  page  61 
Adams,  E.  G.,  163 

Adams,  Zabdiel,  244 

Adams,  J.  G.,  282 

Adams,  Joel,  312,318 

Adams,  Noah,  327 

Allen,  Rev.  Isaac,  293 

Allston,  Washington,  78 
Andrews,  David,  319 

Atwood,  Thomas,  331 

Babbidge,  Charles,  293 
Babcock,  Daniel  H.,  321 
Bacon,  Samuel,  319 

Ballon,  Hosea,  279,  283 
Bancroft,  B.,  228 

Bancroft,  E.  D.,  309 

Barrett,  Oliver,  49 

Barrett,  Stephen,  62,  290 
Barrett,  George,  146 

Barron,  Samuel,  228 

Bartlett,  Caleb,  19 

Bartlett,  Benjamin  F.,  56 
Ba  scorn,  William,  232 

Batt,  W.  J.,  323 

Beardsley,  B.  B.,  320 

Bell,  D.  M.,  322,  323 

Benjamin,  Stillman  D., 

161,  162,  171, 175 
Bennett,  Moses,  Jr.,  19 
Bigelow,  Aaron,  130 

Bigelow,  Abijah,  81 

Biglow,  Jonathan,  23 

Binney,  B.  S.,  57 

Blanchard,  William,  273 
Blood,  Joseph,  318 

Blood,  Lewis,  161 

BoUes,  E.  C,  282 

Bowers,  Elenor,  237 

Boynton,  William,  314 

Brooks,  Charles,  78 

Brooks,  Kendall,  331 

Brown,  Esther,  313 

Brown,  Henry,  61 

Brown,  Hope,  176,  317 

Brown,  Joseph, 

226,  312,  313,  314 
Brown,  Peter,  239 

Brown,  Rhoda,  313 

Brown,  Zeuas,  71,  76,  104 
Bulkley,  E.  A.,  322 

Buckminster,  .Joseph  S.,  78 
BuUard,  John,  23.5,  236,  239 
BuUard,  Ebenezer  W.,  319 
Burt,  Phinehas,  19 

Butler,  Caleb,  13,  36,  81,  289 
Butler,  Charles. 

162,  164,  171,  172,  175 
Butler,  G.  W.,  330 

Buttrick,  J.  G.,  322 

Caldwell,  Jacob,  93 


Carlton,  George,  330 
Carlton,  Moses,           47,  55 

Carl,  William,  281 
Chandler,  Seth, 
66,  71,  112,  134,  163,  176,  292 
Chaplin,  Daniel. 

236,  239,  242 
Chaplin,  William  L.,      312 

Chase,  Moody,  21 

Chase,  Samuel,  21 
Chickering.  T.  W.,  318 
Clark,  Matthew, 

130,  234,  235 

Clarke,  Thomas,  204 

Clough,  A.  J.,  135 

Cobb,  Sylvanus,  285 

Coffin,  E.  W..  285 

Collins,  Zaccheus,  80 

Conant,  William,  229 
Coolidge,  J.  A.,        163,  284 

Corey,  Mary,  79 

Cowdrey,  N.  W.,  48 
Crawford,  William  H.,  83 
Grossman,  William  H.,  107 

Cashing,  T.  R.,  318 

Daby,  Simon,  21 

Daggett,  Thomas,  322 
Damon,  David,  236,  239,  242 

Damon,  Nancy,  327 

Dana,  Francis,  275 

Davis,  Cornelius,  131 

Davis,  George,  40 

Davis,  John,  278 

Davis,  Moses,  318 

Day,  Amos,  292 

Day,  Nathaniel,  34 

Day,  Rebecca,  307 

Dean,  Paul,  283 
Dickerson,  James, 

40,  130,  227 

Dodge,  Daniel,  290 

Dodge,  John,  322 

Dodge,  Joseph,  19 

Dodge,  Wilder,  298 

Douglas,  Asa,  314 

Dow,  Darius  A.,  156 

Dowden,  W.  H.,  323 

Downe,  F.,  312 

Downe,  W.  318 

Dowse,  Charles  C,  1.56 

Dunlavy,  John,  267 

Dutton,  A.  .J..  321 

Dwight,  Francis,  2.34 

Dwight,  John,  78 

Dwight,  John,  2d,  94 

Dwight,  Susanna,  78 

Dver,  Mary  M.,  267 

Eaton,  J.  M.  R.,  319 

Eaton,  Thomas,  319 

Eaton,  H.  A.,  285 


Edgarton,  Benjamin,  57 
Edgarton,  Charles  A., 

63,  64,  134 
Edgarton,  John, 

34,  41,  53,  229,  230 
Edgarton,  Joseph, 

46,  47.  53,  .55,  97 
Edgarton,  Wm..  55,  58,  147 
Edgarton,  John  M.,  97 

Ellis,  S.,  285 

Emerson,  Daniel,  208 

Emerson,  G.  H.,  285 

Emerson,  Joseph,  208 

Emery,  Darius,  107 

Estabrook,  Joseph,  60 

Eustis,  William,  80 

Evans,  F.  W..  267 

Fairbanks,  Granville,  48 
Fairbanks,  John,  293 

Fairbanks,  P.,  318 

Farnsworth,  Melzar  V.,  208 
Farusworth,  Samuel,  134 
Farwell,  Isaiah,  19 

Farwell,  Henry,  19 

Farwell,  Oliver,  19 

Farwell,  William,  19 

Fisk,  Thomas  K.,  210 

Fisher,  George,  318,  319 
Fitzgerald,  Ezekiel,  286 
Flagg,  Amos,  318 

Flagg,  Joshua.  277 

Flint,  Timothy,  78 

Flint,  William,  46 

Fowle,  Joshua,  288,  292,  298 
Frye,  N.  W.,  322 

Gardner,  Jerome,  293 

Gardner,  Jerome,  Jr.,  108 
Gates,  Zaccheus,  47 

Gay,  Levi  D.,  322 

Gerrish,  Charles,  104 

Gerrish,  Sophia,  156 

Gilbert,  Washington, 

292,  293 
Giles,  Daniel,  319 

Going,  Harriet,  305 

Going,  Henry  B.,  305 

Going,  JohnK., 

134,  135,  304 
Going,  William,  274 

Gould,  David,  19 

Gould,  Jonathan,  19, 99, 202 
Hale,  Nathan,  84 

Harlow,  Elizabeth,  313 
Harrington,  Jacob, 

313.  314,  327 
Han-ington,  Rich'd.lOl,  215 
Harrington,  Sarah  B.,  313 
Harris,  Francis, 

19,  40, 118,  207, 215, 225,  269 
Harris,  Nathaniel,  23 


92 


730 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


Hartwell,  Benjamin, 

145,  152,  290 
Hartwell,  B.  F.,  35 

Hartwell,  H.  G.,  56 

Hartwell,  Jeremiah  C, 

104,  101,  162,  163,  171,  175 
Hartwell,  S.,  322 

Harwood,  N.,  293 

Haskell,  Heury,  39,  225,  269 
Hawes,  M.  E.,  280 

Haywanl,  P.,  318 

Hazen,  Mary  Ann,  154 

Hazen,  Samuel,  23,  38 

Hazen,  Samuel,  Jr.,         34 
Hazen,  Samuel,  4th, 

41,  49,  56 
Hazen,  Thomas,  39,  48 

Heakl,  John,  237 

Hemmenway,  Phinehas, 

208 
Henry,  Robert,  19,  23 

Henshaw,  David,  84 

Heriugton,  Richard, 

101,215 
Hill,  Clement,  80 

Hill,  Edward  P.,     155,  164 
Holbrook,  L.,  49 

Holbrook,  E.  L.,  282 

Hoar,  Joseph,  60 

Holden,  Amos,  23 

Holden,  Abraliam,  100 

Holden,  Asa,  132 

Holden,  Augustus,  66 

Holden,  Caleb,  19,  23 

Holden,  Charles,  68 

Holden,  Isaac,  19 

Holden,  Jonas, 

104,161,162,  164,  171,  175 
Holden,  Nathaniel, 

228,  230,  232,  234,  290 
Holden,  Nathaniel,  Jr., 

104,  298 
Holden,  Nanoy,  313 

Holden,  Simon,  100 

Holden,  Stephen,  Jr., 

19,  23,  215 
Holden,  Philemon,  19,  23 
Hollingsworth,  John  L.,  .55 
Hooker,  H.  B.,  322 

Howard,  W.  H„  322 

Howe,  Henry,  54 

Howe,  Oliver,  .56 

Hubbard,  O.  G.,  319 

Hubbard,  T..  204 

Humphrey,  John  P.,      319 
Hunt.  Thomas.  60 

Hutchinson,  I.  C,  322 

Ide,  Jacob,  94 

Isaacs,  Clarissa,  306 

Ivory,  John. 

lis,  220,  226,  269 


Ivory,  John,  Jr., 
Jefts,  Esther  R., 
Jeffries,  John, 
Jenks,  George  F., 
Jennings,  John, 
Jewett,  Abel, 
Jewett,  Asher, 
Jewett.  Benjamin, 
Jewett,  Ivers, 
Johnson,  Samuel, 
Kelsey,  John, 
Kemp,  A.  B., 
Kinnicutt,  F.  H., 
Kendall,  Abel, 
Kendall,  O.  C.  B., 
Keves,  Joel, 
KeVes,  J.  VV., 
Kilburn,  Daniel, 
Kilburn,  Jonathan, 


121 
313 

78 
285 
.32  S 
293 
163 
322 
145 

II 

227,  269 

318 

71 
312 

91 
312 
287 
278 

40 


Kimball,  Gilman,  1.57 

King,  Nathan,  2d,  133 

Kingsburjs  Nancy  A.,  'HI 
Kingsbury,  Nathaniel,  154 
Lane,  Joseph,  78 

Latham,  Sumner,  331 

Lawrence,  A.  E.,  322 

Lawrence,  Abel,  114 

Lawrence,  C,  322 

Lawrence,  O.  F.,  330 

Lawrence,  Samuel,  239 
Lawrence,  William,  101 
Lawton,  Thonias,  19 

Lee,  Ann, 

249,  2.50,  251,262,  267,  270 
Lee,  William,  270,  271,  272 
Lincoln,  Calvin,  293 

Lincoln,  Levi,  81,  90 

Lincoln,  Levi,  Jr.,  84 

Lincoln,  Martha,  90 

Lincoln,  Varniim,  280 

Lincoln,  Ephraim,  318 

Little,  Jenny,  311,  313, 315 
Little,  Wallis, 

229,  230,  232,  234,  235,  295 
Livermore,  A.,  313 

Livermore,  Daniel,  314 
Livermore,  David, 

76,  228,  234,  294 
Livermore,  Jonas, 

228,  229,  230 
Livermoi-e,  Nathaniel, 

230,  234 
Livermore,  Oliver,  220,  225 
Livermore,  William,  293 
Longley,  Artemas,  290 
Longley,  Hiram,  48,  00 
Longley,  Israel,  39,  48 

Longley,  Israel, 

39,  48,  49,  104,  147 

Longley,  James  P.,        134 

Longley,  John,         115,117 

215,  220,  222,  225,  269 

Longley,  Jonas, 

19,  23,  66,  203,  209,  215,  228 
Longley,  Joseph,  23,  113 
Longley,  Phinehas,  1.t2 
Longley,  Rufus,  97 

Longley,  Samuel,  147 

Longley,  Stephen,  235 

Longley,  Stephen  M., 

162,  171,  175 
Longley,  William, 

38,  39,  120,  208 
Loomis,  E.,  322 

Lounsbury,  A.  H.,  323 

Lombard,  Cyrus  B.,  286 
Lowell,  Charles,  78 

Luce,  Leonard,  318 

Lvon,  Aaron,  273 

Mace,  Fayette,  267 

Mann.  Cyrus,  318 

Marcy,  William  L.,  SO 

Mason,  Joseph,  71 

Mathei-,  Cotton,  151 

McMartin,  Adeline,  92 

Mayo,  S.  C.  Edgarton, 

31,  .58,  97,  208 
Meacham,  Joseph,  2.52 

Merriam,  Sarah,  313 

Mills,  E.  H.,  83 

Mills,  John,  83 

Mitchell,  Andrew,  67 

Mcintosh,  William,  .58 

Moore,  E.  J.,  324 

Moore,  Jonathan, 

24,  99,  202 
Morse,  Almond,  298 

Morse,  Jonathan,  215 

Morse,  William,  293 


Muuson,  N.  C,       32,  47,  52 
108,  185,  280,  282,  326,  330 
Nor(;ross,  Albert  F.,       324 
Nutting,  Dame,  67 

Osgood,  David,  322 

Packard,  Charles,  319 

Page,  Alfred,  147 

Page,  Daniel,  19,  215 

Page,  Eli,  55 

Page,  George,  104 

Page,  Peter,  42.02 

Palmer,  David,  318 

Park,  James,  19 

Park,  John,  314 

Park,  William  M.,  108 

Parker,  Augustus  G., 

60,  147,  1.53,  1.50 
Parker,  Benjamin,  101 

Parker,  Daniel,  79,  81,  92 
Parker,  Horace,  322,  323 
Parker,  Isaiah,  277 

Parker,  James, 

79,  81,  232,  234 
Parker,  James  O., 

71,  92,  104,  105,  135,  1.55 
Parker,  Jonas,  36 

Parker,  Dea.  Jonas,        238 
Parker,  L  M.,        70,  81,  92 
102,  107,  108,  161,  162,  163 
164,  171,  172,  175,  290,  295 
Parker,  Thomas,  53 

Parker,  William, 

76,  279,  307 
Patterson,  James, 

19,  203,  204,  208 
Patterson,  John,  215 

Patterson,  Lemuel,  121 
Payson,  P.,  312,  318 

Pay  son,  Seth,  336 

Perham,  Peter,  273 

Perkins,  Francis,  293 

Phelps,  Dudley,  319 

Philbrook,  H.  A.,  286 

Phillips.  D.,  323 

Pierce,  John,  284 

Pike,  G.  D.,  322 

Pillsbury,  Levi,  235,  236 
Plympton,  Asahel,  157 

Porter,  Lucy,  313 

Porter,  William,  290 

Powers,  Jarathmael, 

19,  99,  101,  206 
Pratt.  Ebenezer,  57 

Pratt,  Solomon,  131 

Prescott,  James,  36 

Prescott,  John,  36 

Prescott,  Jonas,  36 

Preston,  William,  19 

Putnam,  Rut'us, 

312,  313,  318 
Quincy,  Josiah,  9 

Raikins.  J.  E.,  322 

Randolph.  John,  331 

Reed,  A.  J..  66 

Rice,  E.,  292 

Richards,  Charles,  215 

Richardson,  William  M.,79 
Roberts,  John,  -55 

Roberts,  Stephen,  .55 

Robbins,  Eleazer.  273,  330 
Robinson,  Charles,  293 
Rockwood,  Elisha,  46 

Rockwood.  Sjimuel,  46 

Rorkwooil,  Sewall,  46,  319 
Russell,  John,  19 

Sampson,  E.  IL,  .56 

Sandeison,  George,  63 

Savage,  James,  82 

Sawtell,  Hezekiah, 

19,  23,  144 


INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


731 


Sawtell,  Obadiah,      (il,  1]8 
120,  144,  225,  226,  227,  209 
Sawtell,  William,  61 

Sedgwick,  Tlieodore,  82, 84 
Shattuck,  Andrew,  60 

Shattuck.  Jesse,  319 

Shattuck,  Job,  129 

Sha\v,  Lemuel,  78 

Shavs.  Daniel,  128 

Sheldon,  L.  H.,  319 

Sheldon,  Zachariah,       298 
Shepley,  Mary,  313 

Shepley,  Stephen,  ,57 

Sherwin,  John  M.,  .55 

Shirley,  William,  20 

Simouds,  William, 

19,  23,  206 
Smith,  Benton,  176,  2s2,  284 
Smith,  Charles  W.,  49,  .52 
Smith,  J.  E.,  49 

.Smith,  Nathan, 

24,  129,  130,  207 
Smith,  Sylvanui?,  129 

Spanldiug,  John,  90 

Stanton,  George  S.,         323 
Staples,  Edward,  234 

Stearns,  David,  208 

Stearns,  Jonas,  215 

Streeter,  Joseph  H..       1.56 
Streeter,  Russell,  284 

Stevens.  George,  302 

StoiTS,  R.  S.,  318 

Studley,  Oliver,  319 

Southmaid.  D,  E.,  318 

Swain,  A.  M.,  329 

Sweetser,  Thomas,  46 

Tarbell,  Asa,  40 

Tarbell,  Samuel,  101 

Tarbell,  Thomas,  101 

Thacher.  John  W.,  314 

Thaver,  Elisha  F.,  164 

Thaver,  Nathaniel,  292,  293 
Todd,  John, 

311,  313,  .315,  318 


Tolman,  Samuel  H., 

112,  2:«,  234,  235,  239,  240 
312,  313 
Tucker,  J.,  293 

Turner,  Edward,     279,  283 
Turner,  Martin,  306 

Varnuni,  Joseph  B.,         79 
Vincent,  James, 
Walcott,  Robert  F.. 
Walker,  Asa, 
Walker,  Harriet, 
Walker,  John, 
Walker,  Samuel, 

23,99,  101,206,215 
Walker,  Samuel  S., 

312,  313 
Walker,  Seth, 
Walrus.  E.  H., 
Warren,  John, 
Webster,  Daniel, 
White,  Alvin, 
White,  Edwin  L., 
White,  William, 
White,  W.  H., 
Whitney,  George  A., 

14,  160.  161,  162,  294 
Whitney,  Henrietta, 

302,  306 
Whitney,  John, 

19,  22,  23,  24,  203,  204 

Whitney,  James  P.,        146 

1.59,  161,  172,296,  298,  301 

Whitney,  Mary  D.,  307 

Whitney,  Nicholas  Bowes, 

77,  78.  236 

Whitney,  Phinehas,    75,  77 

95,111,210,212,215,224 

225,231,232.233,235 

Whitney,  Quincy,  285 

Whitney,  Sally,  306 

Whitney,  Thomas,     76,  146 

148,  228,  232,  iSi.  235,  289 

290,  292,  294,  296,  .300,  301 

302,  ,306 


287 
294 
318 
313 
234 


23 
331 

268 

79 

62 

62 

42,  62 

293 


Whitney,  Thomas,  Jr., 

95,  104,  146,  160,  161,  162 

163,  164,  171,  175,  176 

Whitney,  Thomas  E.,       71 

95,  104,  106,  109,  307 

Whitney,  William  F.,  76, 308 

Whiton,  John  M.,  236 

Whittaker,  James, 

252,  270,  271,  272 
Whittemore,  Benjamin, 

280,  282 
Wilder,  J.,  293 

Willard,  Jeremiah,         271 
Willard,  Joel,  47 

Willard,  Lemuel,        48,  53 
Willard,  Nathan, 


268, 

274 

275 

Willard,  Samuel, 

47 

Williams,  Emery, 

61 

Williams,  A.  &  G., 

57 

Williams,  Jacob, 

19 

Williams,  John, 

19 

Williams,  John,  Jr 

19 

Williams,  Joseph, 

19 

Williams,  William, 

19 

Wild,  Elijah, 

268,  269, 

270, 

271 

Wild,  Ivory, 

268 

Wilson,  James. 

46 

Wilson.  Joseph, 

19 

Wing,  Oliver, 

61 

Winthrop,  Dean, 

18 

Witherell,  A., 

318 

Woods,  Harvey, 

60 

110 

Woods.  Henry, 

298 

Woods,  Moses, 

60 

Wood,  Joshua, 

319 

Worcester,  Moses. 

1.51 

Worcester,  Dr.William 

1.51 

Worcester,  Rev.  W 

illiam, 

1.51 

Worcester,  Willard 

49 

Wright,  Imla, 

312 

.313 

Wright,  Lucy, 

252 

IKDEX    OF    I^AMES., 

PART  III. 


Adams. 

page  343 

Lazell, 

345 

Frederick, 

347 

Dresser, 

343 

Lusk, 

344 

Johnson, 

347 

Eastman, 

343 

Merriani, 

.344 

Milliken, 

348 

Prescott, 

343 

Morse, 

346 

Saunders, 

347 

Prescott,  2d, 

.343 

Morse,  2d, 

346 

Symonds, 

347 

Athekton. 

344 

North, 

346 

Bailey, 

343 

Bachelor, 

345 

Noyes, 

.347 

,  Barrett, 

348 

Beall, 

345 

Oliver, 

346 

Dickerson , 

348 

Bennett, 

347 

Parker, 

346 

Warner, 

348 

Boynton, 

347 

Patch, 

347 

Bartlett,  William, 

349 

Brown, 

346 

Perkins, 

346 

Barrett, 

350 

Cunningham, 

346 

Proctor, 

345 

Beniamin, 

349 

Darling, 

344 

Rhoades, 

346 

Butier, 

3.50 

Davis, 

345 

Shaw, 

346 

Chase, 

.349 

Dowing, 

346 

Shattuck, 

344 

Cook, 

349 

Emmons, 

.344 

Shattuck,  2d, 

346 

Davis, 

349 

Fox, 

345 

Smith, 

344 

Holden, 

349 

Green, 

.346 

Smith,  2d, 

346 

Longley, 

350 

Grover, 

345 

Steel, 

345 

Page, 

349 

Hawks, 

345 

Stevens, 

344 

Peabody, 

350 

Heald, 

344 

Twining, 

34.5 

Scott, 

349 

Holden, 

344 

Baker, 

347 

Twing, 

349 

Helton, 

345 

Adams, 

347 

Warren, 

349 

.lohnson, 

345 

Blood, 

348 

732 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


Baktlett,  Nicholas 

,350 

Robinson, 

358 

Parker, 

Longley, 

350 

Sanderson, 

358 

Phipps, 

Baktlett,  Samuel, 

350 

Seaver, 

358 

Stearns, 

Bartlett,  Caleb, 

351 

Stone, 

358 

Underwood, 

Bennett,  Moses, 

351 

Towell, 

358 

Warren, 

Bolton, 

351 

Twombly, 

359 

Wilson, 

Wilson, 

351 

Woodburn, 

358 

Chase,  Moody 

Bennett,  David, 

351 

BOTDEN, 

3bd 

Brown, 

Atherton, 

351 

Phillips, 

359 

Cook, 

Agnes, 

353 

Brown, 

359 

Estabrook, 

Baker, 

353 

Andrews, 

362 

Fairbanks, 

Bairett, 

354 

Bennett, 

363 

Gleason, 

Botsford, 

355 

Boyden, 

360 

Gould, 

Curtis, 

354 

Buel, 

361 

Hale, 

Day, 

352 

Dwight, 

360 

Hill, 

Dorothy, 

353 

Hildreth, 

361 

Howe, 

Eaton, 

35i 

Hill, 

361 

Hubbard, 

Edgerton, 

253 

Hitchcock, 

362 

Lewis, 

Edwards, 

355 

King, 

3(i3 

Longley, 

Farnum, 

353 

Longley, 

360 

Longley, 

Fillebrown, 

354 

Maxon, 

361 

Miller, 

Eoi-ward, 

353 

Maxon, 

362 

Osgood, 

Gage, 

352 

Orn, 

361 

Park, 

Gartield, 

354 

Sayer, 

362 

Parker, 

Gates, 

353 

Shelly, 

360 

Phelps, 

Gregon, 

352 

Smith, 

361 

Priest, 

Hall, 

353 

Smith, 

362 

Rich, 

Harrington, 

352 

Thomielly, 

361 

Richardson, 

Hanis, 

351 

Tolman, 

362 

Stearns, 

Haynes, 

353 

White, 

361 

Very, 

Hill, 

351 

Woodbuiy, 

.361 

Wait, 

Hill, 

352 

Woods, 

363 

Wheelock, 

Holt, 

353 

Burt, 

364 

White, 

Houghton, 

354 

Bush, 

364 

Childs, 

Hurd, 

354 

Coolidge, 

364 

Cole, 

Humphrey, 

354 

Biglow, 

364 

Conant, 

Ide, 

352 

Butterfield, 

364 

Clement, 

Jackson, 

353 

Campbell, 

364 

Farewell, 

Jenkins, 

354 

Fletcher, 

364 

Farnsworth. 

Kingsbury, 

352 

Ivory, 

365 

Parker, 

Lane, 

354 

Parker, 

364 

Phelps, 

Lawton, 

355 

Chandler, 

365 

Sartell, 

Love, 

355 

Parker, 

365 

Spaulding, 

Lowell, 

352 

Proctor, 

365 

Woodbury, 

McClure, 

355 

Chaplin, 

365 

Davis,  John, 

Men-iani, 

352 

Ames, 

366 

Adams, 

Moore, 

355 

Anderson, 

367 

Adams, 

O'Biien, 

354 

Ball, 

367 

Adams, 

Parker, 

352 

Beck, 

366 

Allen, 

Phelps, 

353 

Bently, 

367 

Amsden, 

Rainsdale, 

354 

Bride, 

367 

Annis, 

Root, 

355 

Bruce, 

368 

Archer, 

Rowland, 

353 

Dudley, 

366 

Arnold, 

Sharkland, 

355 

Fairbanks, 

368 

Barnard, 

Shed, 

352 

Getchell, 

368 

Barrett, 

Smallvvood, 

354 

Hapgood, 

368 

Batchelder, 

Smith, 

354 

Hartwell, 

368 

Bickford, 

Stone, 

35;} 

Hazen, 

365 

Bissel, 

Wyman, 

354 

Haynes, 

367 

Blake, 

Bennett,  Jonathan 

356 

Hutchinson, 

367 

Brelie, 

Bennett,  Aaron, 

356 

Jewett, 

367 

Brewer, 

BiCKNELL,  Lemuel 

Kimball, 

368 

Briggs, 

and  David, 

356 

Lam  son. 

366 

Brown. 

BiGELOW,  Jonathan 

,  356 

Lawrence, 

367 

Brown. 

Blood,  Sewall, 

357 

Longley, 

367 

Bruce, 

Gerry, 

357 

Morgan, 

368 

Burnham, 

Bolton,  William, 

357 

Page, 

366 

Button, 

Barnes, 

358 

Phillips, 

368 

Bryant, 

Bennett, 

357 

Richards, 

3(i6 

Clyde, 

Cozzins, 

358 

Simpson, 

.367 

Cobb, 

Derby, 

358 

Smith, 

.367 

Cogswell, 

Farnsworth, 

357 

Stockell, 

368 

Covev, 

Fletcher, 

358 

Thomson, 

368 

Curtis, 

Gardner, 

358 

Ward, 

367 

Darling, 

Hasting.-, 

359 

Wyman, 

368 

Drew, 

Hubbard, 

358 

Chapman, 

369 

Edgerton, 

Josselyn, 

359 

Chase,  George, 

369 

Edwards, 

McQuestion, 

358 

Briant, 

369 

Estabrook, 

Melvin, 

358 

Fitch. 

369 

Fletcher, 

Miller, 

358 

Nelson, 

369 

Fletcher, 

369 
369 
369 
369 
370 
369 
370 
374 
371 
372 
371 
374 
371 
370 
373 
373 
371 
372 
371 
373 
371 
371 
.371 
373 
371 
372 
371 
372 
372 
372 
374 
370 
373 
374 
374 
374 
375 
374 
375 
375 
375 
375 
375 
375 
375 
379 
378 
382 
383 
378 
383 
376 
378 
378 
378 
378 
380 
382 
378 
380 
382 
381 
378 
383 
381 
377 
381 
380 
380 
382 
377 
382 
380 
380 
380 
376 
378 
377 
377 
379 


INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


733 


Francis, 

383 

Fuller, 

381 

G.arber, 

380 

Grandy, 

.377 

Graudy, 

378 

Grandy, 

381 

<  iris  wold. 

378 

Gullord, 

377 

Guerusley, 

379 

Hall. 

379 

Hanscomb, 

383 

Hapgood, 

378 

Harris, 

377 

Haskell. 

377 

Hartwell, 

376 

Hawthorn, 

381 

Hibbard, 

383 

Hinckley, 

37(> 

Hobson, 

381 

Holden, 

377 

Holden, 

382 

Holmes, 

381 

Housel, 

380 

Johnson, 

381 

Kellogg, 

377 

Keys, 

382 

Lambertson, 

378 

Lockwood, 

378 

Lockwood, 

382 

Lowe, 

381 

Luce, 

379 

Lyon, 

376 

Mahony, 

377 

Marsh, 

378 

May  well, 

382 

Megi-ath, 

379 

Miller, 

378 

Morgan, 

378 

Moi-ey. 

380 

Muzzy. 

37.T 

Owens. 

382 

Palmer, 

381 

Parmenter, 

379 

Partridge, 

382 

Perknis, 

379 

Philbrick, 

377 

Pike, 

378 

Pratt, 

379 

Pratt, 

380 

Raymond, 

378 

Reynolds, 

380 

Rice, 

381 

Richai-ds, 

380 

Richardson, 

383 

Robinson, 

378 

Roby, 

376 

Russell, 

380 

Sanderson, 

376 

Sawyer. 

377 

Shattuck, 

378 

Shed. 

380 

Spaulding. 

377 

Stetson, 

.382 

Stearns, 

379 

Stimpson, 

382 

Sweet, 

383 

Tarbell, 

378 

Wait, 

381 

Wells. 

382 

Wheeler, 

376 

Wheeler. 

380 

Wheeler, 

381 

White, 

380 

Withey, 

379 

Youni;love. 

377 

Davis,  Silas. 

383 

Harris, 

383 

Page, 

383 

Davis,  Jonathan, 

384 

Davis,  Rebecca, 

384 

Davis,  Mary, 

384 

Davis,  Elisha, 

384 

Day,  Nathaniel, 

384 

Attleton, 

386 

Barrett, 

385 

Blauchard, 

385 

Chapman, 
Danks, 

384 

386 

Dyke, 

386 

Garlield, 

385 

Gray, 

385 

Haskell, 

385 

Hartwell, 

386 

Hobert, 

384 

Holbrook, 

385 

Mason, 

385 

Park, 

384 

Sawtell, 

384 

Stimaon, 

384 

Stirling, 

385 

Wheeler, 

386 

Whitney, 

385 

DicKEKsoN,  James, 

386 

Balcom, 

388 

Balch, 

387 

Bathrick, 

388 

Bliss, 

388 

Butler, 

387 

Cowdrey, 

388 

Farns  worth, 

387 

Fletcher, 

388 

Hariis, 

387 

Havt^vell, 

387 

Hastings, 

388 

Holden, 

387 

Hopkins, 

388 

Lawrence, 

388 

May, 

388 

Norris, 

387 

Xorris, 

388 

Page, 

387 

Pea body. 

387 

Phelps, 

387 

Pierce, 

387 

Rice, 

387 

Sawtell, 

388 

Scadling, 

388 

W^arren, 

387 

Willard, 

388 

Williams, 

388 

Wilson, 

388 

DiGGiNS,  James, 

389 

Dodge,  Joseph, 

389 

Kezar, 

389 

Dodge,  Sewall, 

389 

Dodge,  Elisha, 

389 

Adams, 

389 

Dennis. 

389 

Dwight, 

389 

Farns  worth, 

389 

Frost. 

389 

Thurston, 

390 

Dole,  Amos, 

390 

Page, 

390 

Drury,  Samuel, 

390 

Wilson, 

390 

Dunn,  Edwin, 

390 

Lawrence. 

390 

Dwight,  John, 

391 

Bemis. 

394 

Blanchard, 

392 

Brown, 

392 

Brown, 

393 

Bullard, 

392 

Cowdrey, 

393 

Davis, 

393 

Dodge, 

391 

Dupee, 

393 

Goddard, 

393 

Harris, 

391 

Hastings, 

393 

Holt, 

393 

Jenkins, 

393 

Knight, 

393 

Marsh, 

394 

Moore, 

391 

Page, 

392 

Parker, 

394 

Puffer, 

393 

Putnam, 

394 

Sabine, 

393 

Selden, 

394 

Thomas. 

393 

Wilson, 

393 

Woodruff, 

393 

Edgarton,  John, 

395 

Allen, 

396 

Bailv, 

399 

Baker, 

399 

Bennett, 

398 

Berry, 

399 

Brown, 

395 

Burnham, 

398 

Cleverly, 

395 

Davis, 

399 

Foster, 

397 

Fowle, 

397 

Hobby, 

396 

Howard, 

399 

Lewis, 

395 

Littlejohn, 

399 

Lougley, 

398 

Martin, 

399 

Mayo. 

397 

Morey, 

399 

Parker, 

395 

Parker, 

396 

Phelps, 

398 

Priest, 

396 

Shaw, 

395 

Simmons, 

399 

Snow, 

395 

Taylor, 

398 

Washburn, 

399 

Wells, 

395 

Wilds, 

399 

Wright, 

399 

Egerton,  James, 

399 

Baldwin, 

404 

Bennett, 

405 

Blodgett, 

402 

Brigham. 

402 

Brooks, 

403 

Chandler. 

405 

Davis, 

401 

Dickev, 

407 

Dickey, 

408 

Dinsmoi-e, 

403 

Dinsmore, 

407 

Dwinnell, 

405 

Eaton, 

400 

Evans, 

405 

Fiske, 

405 

Fletcher, 

404 

Freeman, 

400 

Garfield, 

401 

Garlield, 

406 

Goodale, 

107 

Holden, 

407 

Hull, 

405 

Humphrey, 

403 

Hunueweil, 

40(i 

Jefts, 

406 

Kendall, 

103 

Kilburn. 

407 

King, 

402 

King, 

406 

Lane, 

406 

Lewis, 

407 

734 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


McCarty,  403 

Morrison,  401 

Morton,  40<i 

Newton,  402 

Prouty,  401 

Putnam,  401 

Sartwell,  402 

Sharjje,  405 

Sias,  404 

Smith,  40-2 

Smith,  40(5 

Stearns,  400 

Stone,  404 

Sweet,  403 

Tolman,  403 

Toplifl",  404 

Walker,  400 

Ware,  407 

Wheeler,  404 

Whitmarsh,  400 

Whitney,  405 

Whittier,  404 

W^iley,  407 

Willard,  406 
Edgarton,  Benjamin,408 

Counce,  408 

Crawford,  409 

Pales,  408 

Grafton,  409 

Hartwell,  408 

Hubbard,  408 

McLelland,  409 

Parker,  408 

Kobinson,  409 

Stearns,  408 

Taft,  409 

Wallace,  409 

Willard,  408 
Farnswokth,  Jos.,     409 

Adams,  410 

Aldiich,  411 

Balcom,  411 

Ban-ett,  410 

Brown,  412 

Burrage,  409 

Carkin,  412 

Carr,  411 

Childs,  409 

Conant,  410 

Dalton,  410 

Davis,  410 

Diekersou,  410 

Dodge,  412 

Fairbanks,  410 

Flagg.  411 

Fuller,  412 

Planington,  409 

Hartshorn.  4io 

Hartwell,  411 

Hemmenwaj',  4U 

Hill,  412 

Judkins,  411 

Kendall,  411 

Lawtou,  412 

Longley,  411 

Lothroji,  412 

Moore,  412 

Parker,  410 

Proctor,  411 

Sawtell,  410 

Smith,  410 

Stuart,  412 

Swiers,  410 

Vinal,  411 

Waters,  412 

Whitcomb,  412 

Wright,  410 

Fakr,  William,  413 

Faru,  Thomas,  413 
Farrar,  Zebkdiah,     413 


Fakwell,  William, 

413 

Adams, 

425 

Conant, 

413 

Barber, 

425 

Gould, 

413 

Barrett, 

424 

Parker, 

413 

Bennett, 

423 

Phillips, 

413 

Bennett, 

426 

Solendine, 

414 

Bracket, 

423 

Todd, 

414 

Brown, 

425 

Faravell,  Oliver, 

414 

Chambers, 

424 

Preston, 

414 

Cowdeu, 

426 

Smith, 

414 

Derby, 

425 

Farwell,  Henry, 

414 

Farrar, 

423 

Brazier, 

414 

Fillmore, 

424 

Sawtell, 

414 

Flagg, 
Frank, 

424 

Tarbell, 

414 

425 

Taylor, 

414 

Giles, 

426 

White, 

414 

Hill, 

425 

Farwell,  Josiah, 

415 

Howard, 

425 

FisK,  Simeon, 

415 

Humphrey, 

423 

Wasson, 

415 

Kendall, 

423 

Flagg,  Levi, 

415 

Kinsman, 

425 

Austin, 

415 

Lamb, 

425 

Fletcher,  Oliver, 

416 

Lewis, 

423 

Butterfleld, 

416 

Linsted, 

424 

Hildreth, 

416 

Loonies, 

425 

Kendall, 

416 

Phillips, 

423 

Spaulding, 

416 

Pierce, 

423 

Flood,  Samuel, 

417 

Proctor, 

425 

Powers, 

417 

Roswell, 

423 

Foster.  Jonathan, 

417 

Russell, 

426 

Holden, 

417 

Smith, 

425 

Frost.  Abijah, 

417 

Spaulding, 

425 

Abbot, 

418 

Sprague, 

426 

Bai-ber, 

418 

Turner, 

423 

Blake, 

419 

Warner, 

425 

Bonnor, 

418 

Wan-en, 

423 

Brown, 

418 

Whilhelm, 

425 

Brown, 

419 

Williams, 

423 

Hale. 

420 

Wright, 

425 

Harris. 

418 

Gordon,  Nathl., 

426 

Haskell, 

418 

Alvord, 

427 

Hemmeuway, 

419 

Ames, 

426 

Henry, 

419 

Barnes, 

427 

Jenkins, 

420 

Brooks, 

427 

Knowles, 

418 

Campbell, 

426 

Lawrence, 

419 

Cochran, 

427 

Lawton. 

417 

Dickey, 

427 

Marshall, 

418 

Kurd," 

427 

Maynard, 

419 

Kimball, 

427 

Putnam, 

418 

aiitchell. 

426 

Sawyer, 

418 

Pierce, 

427 

Sawyer, 

419 

Smith, 

427 

Simons, 

419 

White, 

427 

Sprague, 

418 

Gould,  Jonathan, 

428 

Sprague, 

419 

Atherton, 

428 

Taylor, 

419 

Baker, 

428 

Wetherbee, 

419 

Farwell, 

428 

Milliard, 

419 

Sawtell, 

428 

Frothingham,  W.M., 

420 

Smith, 

428 

Leathers, 

420 

Stone, 

428 

Going,  Ebenezer, 

420 

Gould,  Moses, 

428 

Adams, 

421 

Holden, 

428 

Bailey, 

421 

Gould,  David, 

428 

Baker, 

421 

Barrett, 

429 

Britton, 

422 

Dodge, 

429 

Cook, 

421 

Rood, 

429 

Dickson, 

421 

Griefin,  Susanna, 

429 

Douglas, 

421 

Hall,  Josiah, 

429 

Flagg, 

422 

Andrews, 

430 

Heald, 

422 

Barber, 

429 

Holbrook. 

422 

Carney, 

430 

Hosea, 

422 

Clark, 

430 

Lancey, 

421 

Graham, 

430 

Proctor, 

422 

Hartwell, 

429 

Robbins, 

421 

Howe, 

430 

Sawyer, 

422 

Lord, 

430 

Smith, 

420 

Page, 

430 

Stevens, 

422 

Parmentcr,     • 

430 

Svmonds, 

420 

Phillips, 

4.30 

Wyeth, 

421 

Puriugton, 

430 

Going,  Jonathan, 

423 

Redman, 

430 

INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


735 


Sargent, 

429 

Joseph, 

4:^7 

Torrey, 

430 

Kemp, 

438 

Waters, 

430 

Kibliug, 

438 

Hakpek,  Daniel, 

431 

Kittridge, 

437 

Colman, 

431 

Kittridge, 

438 

Harrington,  Thad., 

432 

Killicute. 

440 

Dodge, 

432 

Knowles, 

436 

FarusAvorth, 

432 

Lawrence, 

438 

Harrington,  Simeo> 

,432 

L,awton, 

436 

Holden. 

432 

Lord, 

439 

Harrington,  Seth, 

432 

Lovell, 

439 

Harris,  Francis, 

432 

Moors, 

435 

Aldrich, 

433 

Moors, 

440 

Bennett, 

433 

Moses, 

437 

Bonghey, 

432 

Nutting, 

437 

Brown, 

432 

Page, 

435 

Cowdrey, 

434 

Patch, 

436 

Dickerson, 

433 

Payson, 

435 

Dwigln, 

433 

Pierce, 

435 

Farrar. 

434 

Pierce, 

439 

Fullam, 

432 

Pratt, 

438 

Gilbert, 

434 

Prescott, 

436 

Holden, 

433 

Priest, 

435 

Moors, 

433 

Proctor, 

438 

Moor, 

434 

Pufler, 

438 

Page, 

434 

Read, 

436 

Pratt, 

433 

Ritter, 

440 

Spencer, 

434 

Sargent, 

436 

Williams, 

433 

Sargent, 

438 

Wyman, 

434 

Sawtell, 

438 

Harris,  Nathaniel, 

4;u 

Sawyer, 

440 

Mead, 

434 

Sherman, 

438 

Harris,  John, 

434 

South  wick. 

440 

Corey. 

434 

Stevens, 

438 

Hartwell,  James, 

435 

Stuart, 

mi 

Ames, 

437 

Styles, 

440 

Bailey, 

436 

Tainter, 

435 

Balcom, 

435 

Vose, 

43(i 

Balc(nn, 

437 

Ward  well. 

437 

Billings, 

439 

Warren, 

439 

Blood, 

436 

Wheeler, 

440 

Blood. 

439 

Williams, 

435 

Bolton, 

437 

Williams, 

436 

Boynton, 

438 

Williams, 

438 

Buck, 

439 

VVhituey, 

438 

Carter, 

439 

White, 

437 

Chapman, 

437 

Worcester, 

437 

Chapman, 

438 

Wyman, 

437 

Clark. 

437 

Hartwell,  Benj., 

440 

Closkey. 

440 

Boynton, 

440 

Coggswell, 

4:^7 

Brooks. 

441 

Cummings. 

437 

Day, 

440 

Gushing, 

439 

DeWitt, 

440 

Diggins, 

440 

Edgarton, 

440 

Dow, 

436 

Hazen, 

441 

Dudley, 

436 

Joy, 

441 

Duren, 

437 

Lawrence, 

440 

Emerson, 

439 

Longley, 

440 

Farmer, 

437 

Mansfield, 

440 

Farnsworth, 

436 

Nichols, 

440 

Farnsworth, 

437 

Parker, 

440 

Farnsworth, 

439 

Steeve, 

441 

Farraday, 

439 

Hartwell,  Reuben, 

441 

Farwell, 

435 

Adams, 

442 

Fisk, 

435 

Blancliard, 

441 

Frost, 

435 

Dodge, 

443 

Frothingham, 

438 

Hammond, 

442 

Fuller, 

440 

Hildreth, 

443 

Gen-ish, 

439 

Kimball, 

443 

Green, 

440 

Longley, 

441 

Hall, 

4;i5 

Matthews, 

443 

Hammond, 

438 

Orr, 

443 

Hartwell, 

435 

Patch, 

442 

Hersom, 

438 

Pierce, 

442 

Holden, 

4;^(i 

Putnam, 

441 

Holden, 

4;^7 

Randall, 

442 

Holden, 

438 

Ruggles, 

441 

Holden, 

439 

Stearns, 

441 

Hunt, 

438 

Stearns, 

442 

Jewett, 

437 

Spaulding, 

443 

Tarbell, 

441 

Warren, 

442 

Williams, 

442 

Haskell,  Henry, 

443 

Bai-rett, 

444 

Hazen, 

444 

Kelley, 

443 

Little, 

443 

Lovell, 

444 

Pratt, 

443 

Tybbot, 
Willard, 

443 

443 

Willard, 

444 

Hasteneleven,  F., 

445 

Wooil, 

445 

Hayden.  Caleb, 

445 

Hayes,  William, 

445 

Hazen,  Samuel, 

446 

Bailey, 

451 

Bancroft, 

451 

Bancroft, 

452 

Barnard, 

452 

Bathrick, 

446 

Bathrick, 

447 

Beardsley, 

450 

Billings, 

451 

Blodgett, 

447 

Boutelle, 

451 

Burton, 

452 

Chandler, 

451 

Clark, 

448 

Clark, 

451 

Cowden, 

452 

Crocker, 

450 

Dickerson, 

449 

Farrar, 

451 

Farwell, 

448 

Fish, 

447 

Fisk. 

452 

Forbush, 

4.50 

Gardner, 

451 

Gates, 

447 

Gates, 

449 

Grout, 

446 

Graves, 

447 

Harriman, 

446 

Harrington. 

447 

Hart,    ' 

451 

Hartwell, 

450 

Haskell, 

447 

Hazen, 

449 

Jones, 

452 

Josselyn, 

452 

Kingsbury, 

450 

Knight, 

448 

Lawrence, 

4.51 

Lewis, 

447 

Little, 

448 

Longley, 

448 

Longley, 

450 

Longley, 

451 

Marshall, 

451 

Marsh, 

452 

McCoUister, 

451 

Mead, 

448 

Miles, 

450 

Page, 

451 

Pai-ker, 

449 

Patterson, 

448 

Peddie, 

448 

Perry, 

447 

Phelps, 

448 

Pickard, 

446 

Pierce, 

448 

Pollard, 

449 

Pollard, 

450 

Potter, 

448 

Quern, 

447 

Robinson, 

452 

Rugg, 

447 

736 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


Shultz. 

448 

Fairbanks, 

463 

Buell, 

470 

Smith, 

45-2 

Farwell, 

462 

Burton, 

475 

Sprague, 

450 

Farmer, 

464 

Buswell, 

475 

Thompson, 

44S 

Gass, 

465 

Carlton, 

475 

Varey, 

448 

Goodrich, 

465 

Chandler, 

476 

Ware, 

450 

Hodgman, 
Holden, 

464 

Chandler, 

473 

Warren, 

452 

464 

Chase, 

471 

Whitman, 

4.50 

Jenkins, 

464 

Cheever, 

476 

Willard. 

44G 

Jubb, 

463 

Clark, 

479 

Willanl, 

448 

Kezer, 

464 

Cobb, 

479 

Wilson, 

448 

Munson, 

463 

Coe, 

479 

Wyman, 

450 

McGroon, 

465 

Cole, 

470 

Hazen,  Caleb, 

453 

Nutting, 

463 

Cook, 

481 

Heald,  John. 

453 

Page, 

462 

Converse, 

478 

Allen, 

45  f 

Parker, 

464 

Corbin, 

475 

Atherton, 

454 

Polly, 

463 

Crocker, 

469 

Bowers, 

454 

Ram'sdell, 

464 

Cutler, 

472 

Chandler, 

543 

Reed, 

464 

Davis, 

472 

Dean, 

453 

Reed, 

465 

Daze. 

481 

Gasset, 

454 

Rideout, 

465 

Dean, 

474 

Going, 
Longley, 

454 

Richards, 

463 

Decker, 

470 

454 

Rollins, 

465 

Densmore, 

475 

Snow, 

454 

Rhodes, 

463 

Densmore, 

477 

Tarbell, 

454 

Sanderson, 

464 

Derby, 

474 

Tuttle, 

453 

Scott, 

465 

Dickey, 

469 

Henderson,  Tiios., 

454 

Stuart, 

465 

Dickenson, 

479 

Henry,  Robert, 

454 

Walker, 

462 

Dodge, 

473 

HOLDEN,  Caleb, 

457 

Warren, 

465 

Dodge, 

481 

HoLDEN,  Amos, 

457 

Washburn, 

464 

Dyer, 

479 

Adams, 

459 

Webber, 

464 

Eaton, 

470 

Baldwin, 

459 

Whitcomb, 

463 

EUithrope, 

475 

Bates, 

458 

York, 

464 

Evans, 

477 

Blanchard. 

459 

Holden.  Simon, 

465 

Fairbanks, 

476 

Blood. 

457 

Balcom, 

467 

Flagg, 

472 

Briant, 

458 

Balcom, 

468 

George, 

471 

Coolidge, 

458 

Barrett, 

468 

Graham, 

479 

Dodd, 

458 

Bond, 

466 

Green, 

481 

Emerson, 

458 

Breed, 

466 

Hall. 

480 

Fosdick, 

45(i 

Butterfleld, 

468 

Hapgood, 

471 

Hall. 

458 

Chamberlain. 

467 

Harlow, 

471 

Harris, 

458 

Craig, 

468 

Hanaway, 

481 

Henry, 

457 

Dagget, 

466 

Harrington, 

475 

Hildreth, 

458 

Dickerson, 

467 

Harrington, 

476 

Jewett, 

459 

Dodge, 

466 

Harrington, 

480 

Kendall, 

458 

Fisk, 

467 

Harte, 

481 

Kimball, 

457 

Foster, 

468 

Hawley, 

478 

Loomis, 

459 

Fuller, 

467 

Hill, 

472 

Mellen, 

458 

Gilmore, 

468 

Hodskins. 

470 

Ordway, 

458 

Goss, 

467 

Hodson, 

470 

Pierce, 

458 

Hamlin. 

466 

Holden, 

473 

Sanderson, 

457 

Hartvvell 

468 

Holden, 

474 

Sloan, 

457 

Hodgman, 

467 

Holden, 

475 

Stearns, 

458 

Hubbard, 

466 

Holden, 

476 

Stout, 

458 

Kezar, 

467 

Hosnier. 

471 

Whitman, 

457 

Lord, 

468 

Howard. 

477 

Winchester, 

4fi0 

Page, 

466 

Howes, 

479 

Young, 

4.58 

Page, 

467 

Hudson, 

470 

HOLDEN,  NEHEMIAH, 

460 

Parks, 

466 

Hunt, 

478 

Stevens, 

460 

Phelps, 

467 

Hunt, 

480 

HoLDEN,  Stephen, 

461 

Pierce, 

466 

Joy, 

479 

Cook, 

461 

Powers, 

466 

Joy, 

480 

Davis, 

46-2 

Putnam, 

466 

Kellogg, 

478 

Martin, 

461 

Quimby, 

467 

Kelly, 

470 

Shepley, 

461 

Sever, 

466 

King, 

477 

Warren, 

461 

Shattuck, 

467 

Kin^, 

480 

Wason, 

461 

Shaw, 

467 

Lakin, 

468 

Wheelock, 

461 

Teal, 

467 

Lapoole, 

471 

Woods, 

461 

Winter, 

466 

Leisure, 

478 

HoLDEN,  Philemon, 

46-2 

Holdkn,  Asa, 

468 

Liver  more. 

474 

Bacon , 

463 

Allen, 

469 

Longley, 

470 

Bartlett, 

46-2 

Allen, 

477 

Longley, 

473 

Bathrick, 

463 

Andrews, 

474 

Longley, 

478 

Chute, 

464 

Angier, 

470 

Ma>!on, 

479 

Cobleigh. 

463 

Atherton. 

473 

Mellish, 

469 

Colburn, 

463 

Bacon. 

470 

Morse, 

477 

Colburn, 

463 

Bennett, 

479 

Mossman, 

475 

Craig, 

46-2 

Bond, 

472 

Miirphv, 

477 

Davis, 

46-2 

Bowkcr, 

471 

Park,  " 

471 

Edgcomb. 

465 

Brown, 

479 

Parker, 

475 

Elwell. 

465 

Burliugame, 

480 

Pearsons, 

478 

INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


737 


Pierce, 

469 

Longley, 

483 

Kilburn, 

494 

Pollard, 

470 

Page, 

484 

Knowlton, 

495 

Poland, 

476 

Page, 

486 

Lamson, 

491 

Purple, 

478 

Richardson, 

484 

Lovering, 

494 

Putnam, 

475 

Spear, 

485 

Messer, 

491 

Putnam, 

476 

Tasker, 

484 

Messer, 

492 

Reed, 

471 

Tenney, 

485 

Messer, 

495 

Reed, 

474 

Tyler, 

484 

Morse, 

491 

Rice, 

478 

Jupp,  John, 

486 

Morse, 

494 

Rockwood, 

475 

Smith,  . 

486 

Morse, 

495 

Rogers, 

471 

Symonds, 

486 

Neat, 

492 

Rogers, 

477 

Kelley,  Morris, 

486 

Nutting, 

491 

Rogers, 

481 

Haskell, 

486 

Page, 

494 

Russell, 

480 

Kelsey,  John, 

487 

Patch, 

493 

Sawtell, 

469 

Andi-ews, 

489 

Pitman, 

494 

Shipman, 

470 

Barnard, 

488 

Proctor, 

495 

Shumway, 

479 

Barry, 

489 

Ripley, 

493 

Smith, 

469 

Canfield, 

489 

Rowley, 

494 

Smith. 

477 

Carter, 

490 

Sheldon, 

492 

Smith, 

478 

Comstock, 

489 

Shipton, 

4&t 

Smith, 

478 

Conn, 

490 

Smith, 

492 

Somerby, 

473 

Crocker, 

490 

Smith, 

493 

Stafford, 

475 

Dickeison, 

489 

Snow, 

491 

Stock  well, 

479 

Dunkam, 

490 

Stebbins, 

492 

Stone, 

468 

Edes, 

490 

Tenney, 

493 

Stoughton, 

470 

Estabrook, 

488 

Walker, 

493 

Tainter, 

472 

Evans, 

489 

Watson, 

495 

Thorp, 

479 

Hill, 

490 

Webster, 

495 

Trevor, 

481 

King, 

488 

Wilbur, 

494 

Tutherly, 

475 

Liverniore, 

488 

Woodbiiry, 

492 

Tuttle, 

473 

Livermore, 

489 

KiLLicuTE.  Thomas, 

496 

Tuttle, 

475 

Lufkin, 

489 

Hartwell, 

49() 

Tyler, 

470 

Lufkin, 

490 

KiNGJiAN,  Nathan, 

496 

Upton, 

477 

May, 

489 

Kneeland,  Joseph, 

496 

Vemiilyea, 

480 

McFarland, 

487 

Landars,  George. 

4m 

Wait, 

468 

McHenry, 

490 

Moftit, 

496 

Waldo, 

477 

McLawton, 

490 

Larrabee,  Samuel, 

497 

Wallace, 

476 

Mitchell, 

489 

Williams, 

497 

Wallace, 

477 

Moulton, 

490 

Larrabee,  Benjamin,  497 

Warden, 

478 

Ordway, 

488 

Williams. 

497 

Warner, 

470 

Park, 

487 

Lawton,  Thomas, 

497 

Watkins, 

479 

Rider, 

490 

Lawton,  Oliver, 

497 

Wheeler, 

474 

Robinson, 

489 

Allen, 

499 

Wheelock, 

478 

Soule, 

490 

Beal. 

501 

White, 

469 

Sturgis, 

489 

Bennett, 

499 

Whiting, 

471 

True, 

489 

Bliss, 

498 

Whitcomb, 

4(i9 

Upton, 

488 

Bowers, 

498 

Whitman, 

480 

Washburn, 

488 

Bowles, 

500 

Willard, 

471 

Weaver, 

489 

Brown, 

499 

Willard, 

474 

Whitnev, 

488 

Davis, 

498 

Wilson, 

470 

Wilder, 

488 

Dyke. 

499 

Witherell, 

478 

Willard, 

488 

Farns  worth. 

.500 

Wood, 

472 

Willard, 

489 

Firmin, 

499 

Woodward, 

469 

Kendall,  Enoch, 

490 

Forsyth, 

.500 

Worcester, 

471 

Kezer,  Moses, 

491 

George, 

500 

HoLi>EN,  Isaac, 

482 

Adams, 

492 

Gilchrist, 

499 

Ivory,  John, 

482 

Alexander, 

491 

Gilchrist, 

501 

Campbell, 

483 

Bactle, 

494 

Gilson, 

499 

Page, 

482 

Blanchard, 

492 

Griffin, 

501 

Russell, 

482 

Brannum, 

492 

Hamlet, 

498 

Jennerson,  Moses. 

483 

Bolton, 

492 

Hartwell, 

500 

Adams, 

485 

Burrage, 

493 

Holdfelder. 

500 

Bartlett, 

484 

Butters, 

492 

Hutchinson, 

498 

Bennett, 

484 

Carruth, 

493 

Jenkins, 

500 

Brown, 

484 

Cole, 

494 

Jennerson, 

498 

Cowdrey, 

484 

Crosbee, 

493 

Lawson, 

500 

Dean, 

485 

Derby, 

495 

Lane, 

500 

Dickson, 

485 

Dodge, 

491 

Manning, 

501 

Dwight, 

484 

Emerson, 

492 

Morrell, 

498 

Eastman, 

485 

Evans, 

492 

Page, 

.500 

Green  low. 

485 

Fairherst, 

493 

Pollard, 

501 

Holden, 

484 

Fuller, 

493 

Ricker, 

498 

Jenkins, 

483 

Gibbs. 

495 

Sanderson, 

501 

Kemp, 

485 

Hazard, 

491 

Sawyer, 

498 

Kitcher, 

485 

Holcomb, 

494 

Simpson, 

500 

Knight, 

484 

Holden, 

492 

Smily, 

.501 

Lawrence, 

484 

Holden, 

493 

Stocking, 

501 

Lawton, 

484 

Jenkins, 

493 

Symonds, 

498 

Lawton, 

486 

Jewett, 

493 

Taft. 

501 

Lewis, 

484 

Kendall. 

493 

Treat, 

500 

93 


738 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY 


Wasson, 
Wason. 
Wood, 
Wood, 
Little,  Thomas, 
Ames, 
Bingham, 
Blair, 
Bowen, 
Brown, 
Burnham, 
Buttricli, 
Carley, 
Carter, 
Cavender, 
Cloiigh, 
Cockrau, 
Cole, 
Felt, 
Fifleld, 
Fisk, 
Fletcher, 
Fi-ench, 
Garland, 
Goss, 
Gray, 
Gregg, 
Hale, 

Hammond, 
Hammond, 
Hammond, 
Haskell, 
Hazen, 
Heald, 
Hill, 
Howe, 
Hunt, 
Jackson, 
Kellenbenger, 
Kendall, 
Lakin, 
Lawrence, 
Leathers, 
Lindsey, 
Little, 
Longley, 
Loring," 
McClary, 
McCoy. 
Mitchell, 
Montroy, 
Moore, 
Munson, 
Park, 
Parker, 
Parker, 
Peavey, 
Peaslee. 
Perkins, 
Pettengill, 
Pierce, 
Powers, 
Prescott, 
Ramsey, 
Read, 
Rice, 

Richardson, 
Shearer, 
Shearer, 
Sherwood, 
Smith, 
Smith. 
Smith, 
Speed, 
Speed, 
Stearns, 
Stearns, 
Steele. 
Sullivan, 
Swan, 


499 
501 
498 
499 
50-2 
508 
511 
508 
503 
503 
510 
504 
507 
509 
511 
505 
509 
512 
.509 
.  511 
511 
510 
508 
511 
506 
500 
.510 
513 
503 
504 
512 
513 
513 
508 
.505 
503 
508 
505 
511 
510 
.509 
.505 
508 
.509 
50(i 
.508 
508 
510 
.510 
.510 
509 
509 
508 
512 
505 
508 
509 
508 
503 
512 
50(i 
510 
.512 
.510 
.508 
510 
511 
503 
500 
.511 
.510 
511 
.512 
504 
505 
500 
508 
509 
510 
506 


Swan , 

Tainter, 

Tobias, 

Upton, 

Wallis, 

Wallace, 

White, 

White, 

Wilson, 

Wilson, 

Wilson, 

Worcester, 

Youngman, 
LivERMORE,  Oliver, 

Ames, 

Bancroft, 

Bond, 

Bowman, 

Coolidge, 

Dickson, 

Dyer, 

Evans, 

Fuller, 

Gilson, 

Grout, 

Hazen, 

Holden, 

Howe, 

Huse, 

Jones, 

Kelsey, 

Kelsey, 

Lawrence, 

Livermore, 

Longley, 

Longley, 

Merriam, 

Morse, 

Platts, 

Prescott, 

Robson, 

Stearns, 

Stevens, 

Todd, 

Tuck, 

Waller, 

Williams, 

Willis, 

Wing, 

Woods. 
Locke,  Bezaleel, 

Bnrnap, 

Clark, 

Cutter,     ^ 

Dehon, 

Learned, 

Newton, 

Rollins, 

Turner, 
Longley,  Richard, 
Longley,  William, 
Longley,  John, 

Houghton, 
Longley,  William, 

Adams, 

Ames, 

Andrews, 

Bachelor, 

Balcom, 

Ballon, 

Barnes, 

Bartlett, 

Bartlett, 

Bartlett, 

Baitlett, 

Bartlett, 

Bates, 

Bath, 

Bavlev, 

Bell,  " 


510 

Bennett, 

529 

511 

Bent, 

530 

504 

Boutwell, 

.524 

506 

Bowers, 

528 

502 

Brigham, 

542 

507 

Brown, 

524 

506 

Brown, 

531 

508 

Brown, 

.536 

503 

Buffington, 

538 

.511 

Bullard, 

525 

.512 

Bui-nell, 

528 

503 

Bussell, 

538 

508 

Butler, 

5S4 

513 

Butler, 

535 

.516 

Carter, 

541 

518 

Cass, 

.528 

513 

Chaplin, 

536 

513 

Chase, 

534 

513 

Chesley, 

.531 

516 

Conant, 

.525 

517 

Converse, 

524 

.518 

Davenport, 

524 

515 

Davenport, 

539 

.516 

Dodge, 
Dudley, 

.530 

513 

543 

518 

Eaton, 

528 

518 

Edgarton, 

535 

517 

Eggleston, 

525 

517 

Emery, 

526 

514 

Eustice, 

Ml 

514 

Farns  worth. 

526 

517 

Favor, 

527 

516 

Flagg, 

538 

.516 

Flagg, 

539 

514 

Flagg, 

542 

518 

Folsom, 

528 

518 

Foster, 

531 

517 

Fowler, 

531 

518 

French, 

528 

517 

Fuller, 

526 

515 

Gale. 

526 

513 

Gambels, 

527 

515 

Gay, 

526 

516 

Gibson, 

535 

516 

Goddard, 

543 

.514 

Goodhue, 

528 

.515 

Green, 

542 

514 

Grenever,  • 

531 

.517 

Hall. 

529 

.518 

Hall, 

530 

.519 

Hall, 

534 

.519 

Harris, 

531 

519 

Hastings, 

542 

.518 

Holbrook, 

.529 

519 

Holden, 

536 

519 

Houghton, 

529 

519 

Houghton, 

.539 

.519 

Howard, 

527 

.519 

Hyde, 

528 

519 

Jones, 

535 

520 

Keyes, 

540 

.521 

Kent, 

530 

.521 

Kimball, 

524 

.523 

Lakin, 

640 

538 

Lawrence, 

528 

524 

Lawrence, 

538 

.539 

Lazure, 

526 

543 

Lewis, 

540 

530 

Little, 

536 

536 

McNeal, 

531 

.541 

McRay, 

531 

52S 

Melvin, 

532 

529 

Millbury, 

531 

.53(! 

Mirick, 

540 

537 

Morgan, 

525 

542 

Morrison, 

524 

542 

Morse, 

530 

531 

Morse, 

531 

540 

Munjoy, 

527 

539 

Munroe, 

526 

INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


739 


Murdock, 

Nourse, 

Parker, 

Parker, 

Parker, 

Parker, 

Parker, 

Patch, 

Phelps, 

PhilUps, 

Pike, 

Poole, 

Powers, 

Prescott, 

Priest, 

Eandall, 

Robinson, 

Ryburn, 

Sawtell, 

Smith, 

Sprawl, 

Stanford, 

Stevens, 

Stevenson, 

Stewart, 

Stockwell, 

Stone, 

Swan, 

Sylvester, 

Tarbell, 

Tarbell, 

Thomas, 

Tupper, 

Walker, 

Warren, 

Warreusford, 

Wason, 

Wheelock, 

Whitcomb, 

White, 

Wilder, 

Willard, 

Wilson, 

Withinson, 
LoNGLEY,  John, 

Barrett, 

Bennett, 

Blood, 

Brown, 

Cummings, 

Dickenson, 

Hall, 

Huzen, 

Hews, 

Johnson, 

Lawrence, 

Livermore, 

Patterson, 

Pratt, 

Reed, 

Tarbell, 

AVillard, 
LoNGLEY  Jonas, 

Anderson, 

Bai-rett, 

Bicktbrd, 

Bigelow, 

Bilhngs, 

Bird, 

Blanchard, 

Blood, 

Brown, 

Brown, 

Chase, 

Chute, 

Currier, 

Dyke. 

Fairbanks, 

Farnsworth, 


531 

Faxon, 

546 

Taylor, 

564 

540 

Fay, 

.548 

Thayer, 

552 

bZd 

Goldsmith, 

549 

Tolman, 

565 

5-25 

Goodrich, 

549 

Tripp, 

554 

534 

Goodrich, 

551 

Walker, 

562 

539 

Grover, 

550 

Ward, 

556 

542 

Harding, 

552 

Williams, 

656 

538 

Hartshorn, 

549 

Wood. 

556 

5-29 

Hartwell, 

547 

Lyon,  Aaron, 

,559 

539 

Hathaway, 

548 

Arnold, 

560 

524 

Hazen, 

547 

Cameron, 

561 

530 

Holden, 

552 

Davis, 

559 

535 

Hurlburt, 

5.50 

Davis, 

560 

5-21 

Jennerson, 

546 

Kendall, 

561 

53-2 

Kendall, 

551 

Leutner, 

560 

531 

Kidder, 

5.50 

Lee, 

561 

541 

Kilburn, 

551 

McCallock, 

561 

538 

King, 

546 

Olney, 

.560 

53-2 

Livermore, 

547 

Paterfleld, 

560 

539 

Lord, 

.551 

Sanborn, 

560 

531 

Lowell, 

5.52 

Warden, 

560 

5-28 

Mitchell, 

551 

McFakland,  John, 

561 

535 

Page, 

■    548 

McKenzey,  Roderic 

,561 

54-2 

Parkhurst, 

,549 

McLain,  Edavard, 

.561 

539 

Patterson, 

54i> 

McLeod,  David, 

562 

529 

Peacock, 

549 

Henry, 

562 

528 

Phelps, 

546 

Vinton, 

562 

524 

Pierce, 

549 

Mills,  James, 

562 

535 

Proctor, 

549 

Davis, 

562 

525 

Proctor, 

550 

Moors,  Jonathan, 

562 

536 

Putnam, 

.548 

Emory, 

563 

528 

Putnam, 

552 

Han-is, 

562 

531 

Smith. 

547 

Hubbard, 

.563 

538 

Stone, 

550 

Lonsley, 

562 

539 

Tobey, 

551 

Tarbell, 

562 

524 

Upton, 

549 

Moors,  John, 

563 

528 

Whitcomb, 

551 

Coleman, 

563 

529 

Whitney, 

549 

Sawtell, 

.563 

542 

Wilkinson, 

549 

Moors,  Hugh, 

563 

524 

Wing, 

547 

Moore, 

564 

527 

Worthington, 

550 

Moors, 

564 

529 

Wright, 

546 

Nutting,  Jonas, 

564 

539 

Long  LEY,  Joseph, 

552 

Gould. 

564 

538 

Bartlett, 

558 

Page,  Daniel, 

.565 

543 

Bassett, 

555 

Davis, 

565 

545 

Bassett, 

556 

Davis, 

566 

545 

Bisbee, 

,557 

Dunster, 

666 

544 

Bodman. 

5.58 

Mills, 

566 

544 

Bridgman, 

558 

AVilson, 

566 

545 

Cooley, 

555 

Page.  John, 

566 

544 

Crittenden, 

553 

Davis, 

.566 

544 

Field, 

5.53 

Lawrence, 

506 

544 

Field, 

555 

Sawtell. 

,566 

544 

Hawks, 

555 

Page,  Simon, 

566 

545 

Holden, 

553 

Allen, 

572 

544 

Holden, 

554 

AUen, 

573 

545 

Howes, 

556 

Bancroft, 

571 

544 

Hunt, 

556 

Bardeen, 

574 

544 

Joy, 

556 

Barnard, 

568 

545 

Kilbourn, 

553 

Barnard, 

674 

544 

Kingsbury, 

558 

Betton, 

575 

544 

Lamson, 

556 

Blanchard, 

571 

545 

Lawrence, 

554 

Blood, 

577 

546 

Mantor, 

555 

Bond. 

571 

547 

McDougal, 

556 

Bonnell, 

573 

548 

Mickins, 

556 

Briscoe, 

573 

552 

Miles, 

5,53 

Brooks, 

570 

551 

Parker, 

5.53 

Brown, 

574 

550 

Reed, 

555 

Burbank, 

569 

550 

Riggs, 

555 

Burnham, 

579 

549 

Sakin, 

5.58 

Carkers. 

569 

546 

Scott, 

556 

Chadbourn, 

576 

550 

Shattuck, 

5.53 

Chaplin, 

569 

550 

Shattuck, 

5.54 

Chapman, 

571 

549 

Shattuck, 

556 

Chase, 

571 

549 

Shaw, 

558 

Chase, 

573 

551 

Smith, 

557 

Clemence, 

576 

550 

Stacy, 

558 

Cook. 

673 

5'47 

Steward, 

553 

Cooper, 

576 

740 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


Crosby, 

572 

Tewksbury, 

573 

Davis, 

509 

Tuttle, 

574 

Davis, 

571 

Vinal, 

571 

DeRumpell, 

567 

Wait, 

569 

Dickenson, 

5«S 

Walker, 

572 

Dodge, 

575 

VVamer, 

572 

Dunsmore, 

573 

Warner, 

574 

E  stab  rook, 

576 

Wheeler, 

570 

Farnsworth, 

575 

Whitney, 

572 

Felton, 

574 

Williams, 

576 

Flint, 

573 

Wyman, 

569 

Foster, 

569 

Page,  Phinehas, 

577 

Frye, 
Gibson, 

570 

Atherton, 

578 

571 

Bancroft, 

578 

Gibson, 

573 

Brattle, 

579 

Gilchrest, 

573 

Cornell, 

579 

Gileon, 

566 

Cummings, 

578 

Gould, 

571 

Daniel, 

579 

Griffin, 

569 

Dwight, 

577 

Grovener, 

571 

Everts, 

579 

Hall, 

568 

Farrar, 

578 

Hall, 

575 

Felt, 

579 

Hanlon, 

575 

Harkness, 

579 

Hardy, 

575 

Heath, 

579 

Hapgood, 

576 

Hollis, 

578 

Harris, 

569 

Jacobs, 

579 

Han-is, 

571 

Jenkins, 

579 

Hazen, 

571 

Kendall, 

578 

Hay  ward. 

573 

Leavill, 

578 

Hoar, 

574 

Longley, 

579 

Hoklen, 

568 

Marsh, 

578 

Holden, 

569 

Osborne, 

578 

Hopkins, 

568 

Plimpton, 

578 

Huntress, 

567 

Read, 

578 

Ivory, 

571 

Rockwood, 

579 

Jaquith, 

577 

Sargent, 

578 

Jenkins, 

577 

Shattuck, 

578 

Jennerson, 

571 

Stedman, 

579 

Jewett, 

572 

Stone, 

577 

Johnson, 

575 

Swallow, 

578 

Joslin, 

575 

Swett, 

579 

Kaufler, 

569 

Tilton, 

579 

Kemp, 

567 

Woods, 

578 

Kemp, 

575 

Park,  Jajles, 

580 

Kezer, 

572 

Riches, 

580 

Kilburn, 

576 

Parker, 

580 

Lancaster, 

571 

Parker,  James, 

582 

Larogue, 

575 

Adams, 

586 

Lawrence, 

567 

Barker, 

587 

Lawton, 

571 

Carter, 

583 

Law  ton. 

575 

Collins, 

583 

Litchfield, 

576 

Grossman, 

582 

Mason, 

572 

Dickenson, 

582 

Merrill, 

573 

Draper, 

587 

McCollester, 

568 

Dwight, 

584 

McCarn, 

568 

Edgarton, 

582 

Messer, 

567 

Fales, 

583 

Mills, 

566 

Frances, 

587 

Moors, 

567 

Gerry, 

586 

Murray, 

576 

Gould, 

583 

Nutting, 

567 

Green, 

585 

Nutting, 

568 

Harkness, 

582 

O'Failing, 

568 

Hartwell, 

584 

Park, 

574 

Hazen, 

583 

Piper, 

571 

Hill, 

583 

Pierce, 

574 

Hillson, 

586 

Richards, 

568 

Holden, 

584 

Sawyer, 

575 

Jones, 

582 

Seaver, 

575 

Kendall, 

586 

Shattuck, 

571 

Kissel, 

587 

Shattuck, 

576 

Kinnicutt, 

587 

Stearns, 

573 

Lawrence, 

586 

Sill, 

572 

Lincoln, 

587 

Smith, 

573 

Long, 

580 

St.  Clair, 

570 

Longley, 

583 

Stone, 

572 

Mason, 

587 

Stone, 

574 

Maynard, 

,584 

Tafton, 

575 

Parker, 

581 

Taylor, 

568 

Palcy, 

587 

Teague, 

577 

Richardson, 

584 

Roberts,  583 

Roby,  584 

Treadwell,  586 

Twing,  584 

Tyler,  586 

Wethcrbee,  584 

Whitney,  583 

Whitney,  586 

Wood,  584 

Wood,  585 

Woodward,  587 

Wright,  587 

Parker,  Jonas.  587 

Edgarton,  588 

Foley,  588 

Lawrence,  .588 

Little,  587 

Robbins,  588 

Wellington,  588 

Willard.  588 

Winkley,  588 

Parker,  Abel,  588 
Parker,  Abel,  Jr.,  589 
Parker,  Peter,  Jr.,  589 

Parker,  John,  589 
Patterson,  James,     589 

Albro,  595 

Bartlett,  589 

Bates,  592 

Breed,  595 

Brown,  690 

Clute,  694 

Combs,  595 

Coolidge,  591 

Farrar,  .595 

Fatzinger,  .593 

Fernald,  593 

Flanders,  595 

Gaffold,  590 

Garfield,  590 

Hale,  594 

Haskell,  591 

Hathaway.  594 

Hovey,  590 

Hunting,  591 

Ireland,  .595 

Kampman,  593 

Kendall,  595 

Lincoln,  591 

Locke,  594 

Lowe,  591 

Marshall,  593 

Morgan,  595 

Nichols,  589 

Page,  595 

Perry,  594 

Pierce,  594 

Rollins.  593 

Sargent,  593 

Scripture,  .594 

Spencer,  595 

Stearns,  592 

Stevenson,  .589 

Stewart,  591 

Taylor,  591 

Taylor,  595 

Vose,  594 

Walker,  594 

Wetherbee.  591 

Whituev,  590 

Whittemore,  594 

Wilbur,  594 

Wilson,  594 

Yost,  593 
Patterson,  John,       .596 

Barry,  596 

Bariy,  597 

Bates,  596 

Bigelow,  596 

Carter,  596 


INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


741 


Longley, 

Lothrop, 

Parker, 

Putnam, 

Rockwoocl, 

Smith. 


596 
596 
596 
596 
597 
596 


Patterson  (Hez'kiah,  597 

Ames,  597 

Atherton,  598 

Carter,  598 

Chandler,  598 

Clark,  598 

Crelis,  598 

Davis,  598 

Denuis,  598 

Gowdy,  598 

Hazeu,  597 

Hubbard,  597 

Phelps,  598 

Pierce,  597 

Thurston,  598 

Townseud,  598 

Wilder,  598 
Peabody,  Thomas,      599 

Bartlett,  599 

Budlong,  600 

Carroll,  599 

Carroll,  600 

Dillingham,  600 

Foster,  599 

Lougley,  599 

Page,  600 
Phelps,  Timothy,       600 

Adams,  603 

Allen,  601 

Andrews,  601 

Andrews,  602 

Ayers,  601 

Blood,  601 

Bowker,  601 

Brown,  601 

Conanti  601 

Cromwell,  601 

Crouch,  603 

Dickerson,  601 

Farnsworth,  600 

Farrar,  601 

Farrar,  603 

Holdeu,  603 

Holman,  603 

Harris,  603 

Johnson,  601 

Longley,  601 

Nutting,  603 

Putney,  603 

Sherman,  603 

Spaulding,  602 

Taylor,  602 

Washburn.  601 

Wiuslow,  603 
Phillips,  Xehemiah,  603 
Phipps,  Charles,        603 

Chase,  603 

Pierce,  John,  604 

Hartwell,  604 

Smith,  604 

Warren,  604 
Porter,  William,  605 
Powers,  Jerahmeel,  605 

Bennett,  605 

Pratt,  David,  605 

Hartwell,  605 
Pratt,  Ebenezer,       606 

Adams,  606 

Bean,  606 

Beetle,  606 

Durgin,  606 

Farwell,  607 

Gleason,  607 

Gordon,  606 


Harris, 

Hopkins, 

Kamsdale, 

Reed, 

Sawtell, 

Warren, 
Preston.  William, 
Randall,  Samuel, 
Richards,  Charles, 

Davis, 
RiTTER,  Moses, 

Clapp, 

Diggins, 

ROBBINS,  ElEAZER, 

Baker, 

Chamberlain, 
Farnsworth, 
Hall, 
Hartwell, 
Keyes, 
Leavell, 
Magee, 
O'Connor, 
Parsons, 
Scott, 
Smith, 
Warner, 
Warren, 
Russell,  John, 

Cranson. 
Russell,  Solomon, 
Sampson,  William, 
Sawtell,  Hezekiah, 
Holden, 
Moors, 
Sawtell,  Elnathan, 

Stone, 
Sawtell,  Obadiah, 
Baker. 
Blodgett, 
Butterlield, 
Carpenter, 
Converse, 
Davis, 
Farnsworth, 
Fletcher, 
Gould, 
Hudson, 
Jennison, 
Merritt, 
Rand, 
Spear, 
Tarbell,  • 
Woodbury, 
Sawtell,  Richard, 
Abbott, 
Bennett, 
Billings, 
Farewell, 
Fairbanks, 
Gardner, 
Goddard, 
Hazen, 
Hosmer, 
Lamb, 
Longley, 
Ross, 

Scattergood, 
Tarbell, 
Whitney, 
Wyman, 
Sawtell,  Moses, 
Shaw,  William, 

Stimpson, 
Simonds,  William, 
Sloan,  David, 

Gould, 
Smith,  Nathan, 
Bolton. 
Burdett, 


606 

Burns, 

621 

606 

Carlton, 

631 

607 

Conant. 

623 

606 

Farewell, 

633 

606 

Farley, 

621 

6U6 

Gordon, 

622 

607 

Gray, 

621 

607 

Holman, 

621 

607 

Howard, 

623 

608 

Jupp, 

620 

608 

McCollester, 

633 

609 

McDaniels, 

633 

609 

Moors, 

630 

609 

Newman, 

621 

611 

Nichols, 

621 

609 

Page, 

622 

611 

Parker, 

623 

610 

Reed, 

623 

611 

Whitney, 

622 

610 

Smith,  Edavard, 

623 

611 

Blood, 

623 

611 

Smith,  Ebenezer, 

623 

610 

Farnsworth, 

6-,i3 

610 

SoLENDiNE,  John, 

623 

611 

Whipple, 

623 

611 

Spaulding, Hez'kiah,  034 

609 

Caverly, 

625 

609 

Conant, 

624 

612 

Cook, 

625 

613 

Fairbanks, 

625 

6.3 

Farnswoi'th, 

6-25 

613 

HartAvell, 

635 

614 

Heustis, 

635 

634 

Kendall, 

634 

614 

Lewis, 

634 

,  615 

Lothrop, 

635 

615 

McMaitin, 

624 

615 

^Moulton, 

624 

616 

Pai-ker, 

634 

616 

Perkins, 

634 

616 

Risker, 

634 

617 

Spaulding, 

634 

616 

Spaulding, 

625 

616 

Talbot, 

625 

617 

Turner, 

625 

616 

Twining, 

624 

616 

Williams, 

624 

616 

Stickxey,  Peter, 

625 

617 

Carlton, 

625 

616 

Stimson, Stephen. 

625 

617 

Dodge, 

626 

617 

Lawieucc, 

625 

616 

Shaw. 

626 

616 

Stone,  David, 

636 

617 

Trowbridge,  Thos. 

626 

619 

Nevens, 

626 

617 

Woods. 

63(> 

617 

Walker,  Richard, 

627 

617 

Walker,  Samuel, 

627 

618 

Walker,  Joseph, 

638 

617 

Wvman, 

628 

618 

Walker,  Seth, 

628 

618 

Chandler, 

628 

618 

Walker,  Abel, 

629 

618 

Graves, 

629 

617 

Dean, 

629 

618 

Hubbard, 

629 

618 

Flint, 

629 

617 

Salisbury, 

629 

618 

Melville, 

629 

618 

Doolittle. 

629 

619 

Willard, 

629 

619 

Walker.  Seth, 

630 

619 

Ainsworth, 

(332 

619 

Allen, 

632 

619 

Bailey, 

633 

619 

Blake, 

631 

620 

Blauchard, 

632 

632 

Bond, 

634 

621 

Brewster, 

636 

742 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY 


Brown, 

631 

Butler, 

656 

Husted, 

659 

Buckminster, 

632 

Cady, 

639 

Ireland, 

659 

Buuker, 

635 

Campbell, 

645 

James, 

660 

Butts, 

633 

Canfield, 

654 

Jaquish, 

656 

Carpenter, 

632 

Carter, 

644 

Jaynes, 

641 

Cliapiu, 

635 

Chamberlain, 

641 

Johnson, 

653 

Chapman, 

631 

Chapin, 

640 

Johnson, 

654 

Cooley, 

634 

Chapin, 

646 

Johnson, 

6.59 

Crosby, 

631 

Clark, 

642 

Kent, 

648 

Davis, 

632 

Clark. 

647 

King, 

643 

Dodge, 

634 

Cleaves, 

640 

King, 

648 

Ely, 

635 

Clemens, 

657 

Kingsbury, 

655 

Evans, 

634 

Claflin, 

649 

Kin  von, 

660 

Farnsworth, 

634 

Cobb, 

643 

Klock, 

6.56 

Flint, 

631 

Cobleigh, 

643 

Knight, 

638 

Forbes, 

632 

Coe, 

654 

Knowlton, 

640 

Fowler, 

633 

Cooper, 

648 

Lord, 

639 

Frecleiic, 

635 

Cressy, 
Crowley, 

639 

Lovett, 

641 

Garfield, 

634 

654 

Lutes, 

654 

Gilbert, 

631 

Curtis, 

642 

Mack, 

648 

Gleason, 

6:w 

Curtis, 

660 

Manchester, 

6.50 

Hall, 

632 

Dartt, 

655 

Marvin, 

654 

Heywood, 

632 

Day, 

642 

Marvin, 

657 

Hines, 

633 

Davenport, 

640 

Mason, 

647 

Hodgkins, 

633 

DeMille, 

646 

Masury, 

641 

Hodgkins, 

634 

Dewey, 

641 

Maynard, 

647 

Hodgkins, 

635 

Dickenson, 

645 

Melcher, 

642 

Holden, 

630 

Dinsmore, 

647 

Merrill, 

641 

Hubbard, 

632 

Dole, 

640 

Morgan, 

641 

Ingalls, 

631 

Dond, 

659 

Murphy, 

645 

Lefferts, 

635 

Dort, 

640 

Nickerson, 

638 

Livermore, 

633 

Drew, 

647 

Noble, 

657 

Xiish, 

635 

Driscoll, 

646 

Norris, 

642 

Osborne, 

631 

Edson, 

652 

Oberholtzer, 

660 

Palmer, 

633 

Egerton. 

643 

Olmstead, 

657 

Pierce, 

633 

Egerton, 

647 

Osgood, 

645 

Porter, 

632 

Evans, 

649 

Page, 

643 

Preston, 

631 

Everts, 

655 

Paige, 

649 

Robinson, 

631 

Everts, 

659 

Palmer, 

6.57 

EoUins, 

631 

Fenetter, 

659 

Pangbum. 

638 

Russell, 

633 

Fisk. 

640 

Parker, 

651 

Ryder, 

636 

Fisk, 

642 

Parkhurst, 

651 

Smith, 

635 

Fisher, 

619 

Parks, 

637 

Troup, 

631 

Flanders, 

645 

Parmelee, 

6.52 

Waldo, 

&32 

Fletcher. 

651 

Peal, 

641 

Ware, 

632 

Foss, 

649 

Perkins, 

646 

Watkins, 

633 

Frost, 

659 

Perry, 

631 

Webster, 

635 

Gardner, 

644 

Pierce, 

637 

Wilder, 

633 

Garfield, 

650 

Pierce, 

644 

Willard, 

6:36 

Gibbs, 

658 

Potts, 

660 

Walker.  Samuel, 

636 

GlCiison, 

649 

Pratt, 

641 

Aldrich, 

642 

Glover, 

646 

Pratt, 

643 

Amsden, 

643 

Gove, 

652 

Price, 

655 

Baivd. 

660 

Graham, 

647 

Pulsipher, 

6.56 

Baker, 

639 

Grant, 

643 

Putnam, 

646 

Balihvin, 

(iiSO 

Gray, 

637 

Richardson, 

648 

Ball, 

651 

Green, 

639 

Rixford, 

643 

Barber, 

650 

Green, 

655 

Robbins, 

655 

Barnard, 

638 

Green, 

658 

Robertson, 

642 

Barrett, 

648 

Grinnell, 

645 

Robinson. 

656 

Bartlett, 

638 

Haile, 

539 

Royce, 

649 

Bassett, 

650 

Hall, 

6.52 

Rugg, 

640 

Bellows, 

652 

Halstead, 

653 

Sartwell, 

646 

Be  vans, 

654 

Hammond, 

645 

Scovell, 

647 

Bigelow, 

651 

Ilarkness, 

655 

Scripture, 

644 

Blake, 

644 

Harkness, 

656 

Simonds, 

637 

Blood, 

&il 

Harkness, 

658 

Sheldon, 

649 

Bloss, 

6.59 

Harrington, 

648 

Slingerland, 

659 

Bond, 

646 

Harris, 

639 

Smith, 

f41 

Bradley, 

653 

HartAvell, 

637 

Smith, 

(546 

Brewster, 

638 

Harvey, 

637 

Snider, 

6.58 

Britton, 

639 

Hazel  ton. 

6.59 

Spaulding, 

649 

Brooks, 

648 

Hess, 

642 

Spencer, 

647 

Brown, 

655 

Hoagland, 

fi.54 

Staflbrd, 

649 

Browning, 

652 

Howard, 

648 

Sti'atton, 

&36 

Bryant, 

657 

Howland, 

6.54 

Stebbins, 

640 

Buchanan, 

647 

Hubbard, 

657 

Stener, 

655 

Burr, 

6.59 

Humphrey, 

646 

Stoddard, 

637 

Burt, 

646 

Kurd, 

646 

Sti-ain, 

656 

Butler, 

639 

Hunt, 

651 

Straw, 

650 

INDEX    OF    NAMES. 


743 


Strong, 

652 

Symoiids, 

642 

Thurston, 

644 

Trask, 

640 

Turner, 

646 

Upton, 

644 

VV  ay. 

645 

Wheeler, 

637 

Wheeler, 

660 

White, 

638 

Whiting, 

655 

Whitney, 

645 

Whittaker, 

657 

Wight, 

639 

Williams, 

654 

Wilson, 

656 

Wilson, 

652 

Wilcox, 

657 

Wilcox, 

658 

Woods, 

638 

Wright, 

647 

Wyman, 

642 

Wakren,  Ephraim, 

661 

Adams, 

663 

Alexander, 

661- 

Allen, 

664 

Ball, 

664 

Bancroft, 

663 

Barnard, 

665 

Barton , 

663 

Beard, 

662 

Bigelow, 

664 

Blood, 

6G4 

Blunt, 

665 

Bowers, 

664 

Carter, 

665 

Chaney, 

665 

Dickerson, 

662 

Eastman, 

663 

Edwards, 

664 

Farewell, 

662 

Field, 

665 

Flagg, 

663 

Flagg, 

664 

Hoar, 

662 

Houghton, 

665 

Kezar, 

661 

Kidder, 

665 

Lewis, 

662 

McAllister, 

662 

Moors, 

664 

Morse, 

663 

Nutting, 

663 

Page, 

mi 

Robbins, 

661 

Robinson, 

663 

Stearns, 

662 

Smith, 

664 

Smock, 

664 

Wheeler, 

662 

Woods, 

662 

Wyeth, 

663 

Warren,  Jonathan, 

666 

Bartlett, 

6(i(i 

Chase, 

666 

Holden, 

6(i6 

Pierce, 

666 

Warren,  Peter, 

666 

Wentavorth,  Mind., 

666 

Wheeler,  Jethro, 

6(i6 

White,  William, 

667 

Whitney,  John, 

667 

Sawtell, 

667 

Whitney,  Ezra, 

(>68 

Whitney,  Abner, 

668 

Whitney,  Rev.  Phin 

,668 

Adams, 

673 

Barrett, 

669 

Bowes, 

668 

Bukner, 

674 

Cobb, 

674 

Collard, 

674 

Gould, 

685 

Cottmg, 

675 

Gove, 

685 

Davenport, 

674 

Harris, 

684 

Davis, 

670 

Hartwell, 

683 

Dunn, 

673 

HartweU, 

685 

Fisk, 

673 

Hodgman, 

684 

Gaffield, 

668 

Kendall, 

685 

Hall, 

675 

Lawrence, 

684 

Hayward, 

670 

Lawson, 

685 

Hersey, 

673 

Leland, 

685 

Holman, 

674 

Lum, 

685 

Holmes, 

673 

McLay, 

685 

In  man, 

674 

Monroe, 

683 

Isaacs, 

674 

Norwood,  ■ 

684 

Lewis, 

673 

Park, 

686 

Mclntire, 

674 

Parker, 

683 

Merriam, 

674 

Parker, 

686 

Parker, 

668 

Patterson, 

6(^4 

Parker, 

673 

Perkins, 

683 

Parker, 

674 

Poor, 

6s6 

Rice, 

673 

Pratt,     . 

683 

Robinson, 

674 

Pushee, 

685 

Symons, 

673 

Redding, 

686 

Treadwell, 

669 

Sawtell, 

685 

Watson, 

673 

Tarbell, 

686 

White, 

674 

Truell, 

686 

Willard, 

668 

W^ebb, 

684 

Wilds,  Elijah, 

675 

Whittemore, 

685 

Ames, 

678 

Whittier, 

683 

Coolidge, 

678 

Willis, 

683 

Edgarton, 

679 

Wilson, 

685 

Estabrook, 

679 

Wyman, 

684 

Haynes, 

678 

Young, 

684 

Hovey, 

675 

Williams,  John,  Jr 

.,687 

Parker, 

678 

Cutter, 

687 

Porter, 

679 

Everett, 

687 

RandaU, 

679 

Williams,  Jacob, 

687 

Russ, 

678 

Williams,  Josiah, 

687 

Saflord, 

675 

Williams.  Nathl., 

687 

Stratton, 

678 

Wilson,  Joseph, 

688 

Tucker, 

678 

Bolton, 

6S8 

Warner, 

679 

Page, 

688 

Wheelock, 

679 

Woodbury,  Benj., 

688 

Willard, 

678 

Adams, 

689 

Willard,  Nathan, 

680 

Collins, 

689 

Willard,  Israel, 

680 

Conant, 

689 

Barker, 

680 

Scott, 

689 

Buss, 

681 

Withie, 

689 

Davis, 

681 

Woods,  Lemuel, 

690 

Firmin, 

681 

Boynton, 

690 

Hartwell, 

682 

Holden, 

690 

Hayden, 

681 

Marsters, 

690 

Heard, 

680 

Pratt, 

691 

Jeffers, 

681 

Pushaw, 

690 

Jett'ers, 

682 

Robbins, 

690 

Kilburu, 

681 

Sabine, 

690 

Lawton, 

682 

Shedd, 

690 

Longley, 

680 

Warren, 

690 

Mason, 

682 

Whitney, 

690 

Mclntire, 

682 

Woods,  Aaron, 

691 

Mitchell, 

681 

Brown, 

691 

Willard, 

680 

Farnsworth, 

691 

Williams,  John, 

683 

Gates, 

(-.91 

Adams, 

684 

Worcester,  William,  691 

Averill, 

683 

Barber, 

691 

Balcom, 

685 

Bigelow, 

692 

Bartlett, 

685 

Davis, 

692 

Batt^on, 

686 

Field. 

691 

Birmingham, 

685 

Glazier, 

692 

Blodgett, 
Blood, 

686 

Goodale, 

692 

683 

Holbrook, 

692 

Blood, 

684 

Leonard, 

691 

Craw, 

685 

Little, 

692 

Daniels, 

685 

Morse, 

691 

Daniels, 

686 

Park, 

692 

Davis, 

685 

Rice, 

692 

Davis, 

686 

Scillinger, 

692 

Eaton, 

684 

Smith, 

692 

Estabrook, 

686 

Willard, 

691 

Foster, 

683 

Wright, 

692 

Gladding, 

684 

744 


HISTORY    OF    SHIRLEY. 


IJSrDEX    OF    ^^AMES. 

APPENDIX. 


Adams,  Charles,  page  705 
Appleton,  Nathaniel, 

706,  707 
Atheiton,  David,  705 

IJairett,  Stephen,  705 

Benjamin,  StiUman  D., 

7u5,  70() 
Bert,  Hujfh,  712 

Blaucliavd,  Grove,  708 

Boynton,  Nathaniel.  706 
Brown,  Zenas,  699,  705,  706 
Brinlejs  7i)4 

Burgoyiie,  Gen.,  70i 

Butler,  Charles,  705 

Calvin.  John,  710 

Chandler,  Charles,  699 

Ch mdler,  Daniel  L., 

G99,  705,  706 
Chandler,  George,  699,  705 
Chandler,  Seth,  699 

Chaplin,  Moses,  7o5 

Chaplin,  Thomas,  705 

Cohthani,  Clement,  712,  713 
Cook,  Miss  A.  D.,  698 

Cooper,  Samnel,  708 

Cradock,  Matthew,  714 
Davis,  Mai  y,  705 

Day,  Jo-epii,  705 

Dodge,  Charles,  705 

Dodge,  Levi,  705 

Fairbanks,  Abraham, 

705,  706 
Goffe,  .Joanna,  713,  715 

Gofle,  Thomas,  713,  714 
Going,  .7ohn  K.,  699 

Grosvenor,  Lorenzo  D., 

697,  698,  707 
Hartwell,  -T.  C,  699 

Harlow,  .Jal)ez.  705 

Hastings,  David,  705 

Hazen,  Thomas. J. ,  699 

Hoar,  David.  709 

Ilolbrook.  E.  W.,  698 

Holbrook,  Levi,  698 

llolden,  .Jonas.  699,  705 
llolden,  .Svlvanus,  705 


Howe,  Oliver, 
Ireland,  Shadrach,  708, ' 
Jenkins,  Asa  A., 
Jewett,  Aaron, 
Johnson,  James, . 
.Johnson,  Mrs.  James, 
Lafayette,  Gen., 
Langley,  Kichard, 
Lawrence,  Moses,   705, ' 
Lawton,  Jephthah, 
Lawton,  Oliver, 
Lee,  Ann,  708, 

Lee,  William, 
Leman,  .John, 
Leman,  Samuel, 
Leonard,  William, 
Lewis,  Alonzo, 
Lincoln.  Gen.  Benj., 
Little,  William,        705, 
Longley,  Edmund, 
Lougley,  .James, 
Longley,  James, 
Longley,  -John,         713, ' 
Longley,  Jonathan, 
Longley,  Mis.  Joshua, 
Lougley,  Richard, 

711,  712, 
Lougley,  Sir  Robert, 
Longley,  Thomas, 
Longley,  William, 
Lougley,  William, 

711,712,  713,714, 
Longley,  William,  -Jr., 
Lord,  Robert, 
Mausiield,  Andrew, 
Meacham,  .Joseph, 
Melvin,  David, 
Melviu,  Kleazer, 
Nutting,  .Jonas, 
Page,  George,  699, 

Parker,  .James, 
Parker,  .James,  .Jr., 
Parker,  James  O.,   705, ' 
P.arker,  Leonard  M., 

696,  699,  705,  706, 
Penulbury,  Roger,  de    ' 


699 

Perham,  Peter, 

710 

709 

Rand,  Robert,           714 

715 

705 

Rand,  Thomas, 

713 

709 

Rand,  William, 

715 

717 

Randall,  Molly, 

719 

717 

Reed,  Andrew  J., 

704 

699,  705 

706 

712 

Roberts,  Stephen, 

699 

706 

Sawtell,  Obadiah,    702 

707 

705 

Savage,  James, 

711 

705 

Shattuck, 

703 

709 

Shays,  Daniel,  702,  703 

704 

721 

Shirlev,  William, 

695 

713 

Smith,"  C.  W,  &  J.  E., 

698 

713 

Smith,  Nathan, 

703 

697 

Smith,  Sylvanus, 

703 

713 

Spaulding,  Hezekiah, 

703 

700 

701 

706 

Trafford,  Edmund, 

715 

715 

Trattbrd,  Cicely, 

715 

699 

Watts,  Benjamin, 

713 

715 

Wellington,  T.  W., 

699 

715 

Wetherbee,  Wm.  H., 

713 

697, 

698 

716 

Wheeler.  Levi, 

705 

Whitney,  George  A., 

699 

713 

Whitney,  Thomas, 

715 

699,  705, 

706 

715 

Whitney,  Thomas  E., 

699 

705 

Whitney,  Rev.  Phinehas, 

•717 

715 

Whitefleld,  George, 

708 

713 

Whittaker,  James,  707 

720 

712 

AVild,  William  A., 

699 

711 
707 
716 

Willard,  Bethiah  Prescott, 

Willard,  Henry, 

716 

716 

Willard,  Miriam,     716, 

717 

698 

Willard,  Simon, 

716 

705 

Williams,  William,  Jr. 

705 

705 

Winthrop,  Gov.  John, 

714 

705 

Wright,  I^ucy, 

707 

723 

Wyman,  Thomas  B., 

713 

723 
715 

